I'm very interested in enlightening someone's mind if I can possibly manage it. But what I want most of all

is to touch their heart. I want to jolt their heart because I really think that's the way in

to other human lives. The shortest distance between anything is a story that jolts the heart.

So have you ever felt so just utterly torn between the creative yearnings, the desire to be

just fully expressed, and the insistent voice pushing you to just be practical?

For me, that tension has been one of the greatest struggles in crafting

a life of meaning and full expression. But the four legendary writers joining us today have

walked that razor's edge their entire journeys, shedding conventions, giving voice to

essential truths, and revealing the transformative power of stories to spark radical empathy and human connection,

while also living their own beautiful, full, and true lives.

You'll hear from the celebrated novelist Sue Monkid,

who takes us through her profound journey from the limiting traditions of her upbringing

to the contemplative awakenings that allowed her to birth tales reflecting the full

complexity of the human experience and just do gorgeous, incredible, resonant work.

Then you'll hear from James McBride, the award-winning author and musician, who shares how

music gave him the discipline to navigate any path while fiercely protecting his creative

spark, ultimately allowing him to create stories that help others truly see one another.

And next up you learned from the inevitable Kate Di Camillo, two-time Newberry winner,

who opens up about longing as the essence driving her fiction and how writing ease the ache of feeling unseen as a

chronically ill kid. And finally, best-selling novelist Anne Patchett, whose clarity has been

encompassed since declaring her dream at five years old, illustrates the power of integrating

our sacred callings through her pioneering writing process. So as we explore their past and perspectives

...