Sacred Catharsis: An Interview with Writer/Yogi Kelli Hansel Haywood

04/28/22 • 78 min

Appalachian Author/Yogi Kelli Hansel Haywood's life and practice is firmly rooted in the soil of her native East Kentucky. In this interview, she speaks about home, art, motherhood, healing, and her artistic processes.
Some of the things we talk about include:

The way her knowledge of her kin and extended family has informed her identity provided a lifelong sense of groundedness.
Her feelings of not quite fitting in outside East Kentucky, but ironically not fitting in fully there, either.
How having children changed her artistic process, and allowed her to realize that inspiration is always there for her.
The sensation when your kids model your examples and start becoming artists themselves.
The seemingly-paradoxical fact that there is a lot of rhetoric in Appalachia about men being the leaders of home and church, but that strong women uphold the communities and families.
Her style of feminism and her conflicted feelings about changing her name after marriage.
What she wants folks from outside Appalachia to know about the region.
Why Appalachian ways of knowing the world are sometimes discriminated against.
How a mountain accent does NOT signal a low IQ
How she got a book deal from consistently posting on Instagram, and how she used her own healing and transformation to create the content that became the book.
The way knowledge has become wisdom over the course of her life.
Personal Alchemy and Jungian shadow work
The special gifts that artists have to share with the world, and which should NEVER be taken for granted.

Links Mentioned:
www.kellihansel.com
Kelli's book Sacred Catharsis
IG: @darkmoon_kelli
Download the How to Live Your Most Creative Life Guide

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Follow Carla on Instagram
Buy Carla a coffee
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The way her knowledge of her kin and extended family has informed her identity provided a lifelong sense of groundedness.
Her feelings of not quite fitting in outside East Kentucky, but ironically not fitting in fully there, either.
How having children changed her artistic process, and allowed her to realize that inspiration is always there for her.
The sensation when your kids model your examples and start becoming artists themselves.
The seemingly-paradoxical fact that there is a lot of rhetoric in Appalachia about men being the leaders of home and church, but that strong women uphold the communities and families.
Her style of feminism and her conflicted feelings about changing her name after marriage.
What she wants folks from outside Appalachia to know about the region.
Why Appalachian ways of knowing the world are sometimes discriminated against.
How a mountain accent does NOT signal a low IQ
How she got a book deal from consistently posting on Instagram, and how she used her own healing and transformation to create the content that became the book.
The way knowledge has become wisdom over the course of her life.
Personal Alchemy and Jungian shadow work
The special gifts that artists have to share with the world, and which should NEVER be taken for granted.

Links Mentioned:
www.kellihansel.com
Kelli's book Sacred Catharsis
IG: @darkmoon_kelli
Download the How to Live Your Most Creative Life Guide

Support the show

Follow Carla on Instagram
Buy Carla a coffee
Get your free Mountain Mama Digital Care Package

Previous Episode

Her Native Language: A Musical Interview with Cari Norris

I'm releasing this interview with Kentucky musician/artist/icon Cari Anna Norris, recorded in the summer of 2021.
As Kentucky mourns her passing this week, I wanted to honor her memory with this sweet interview I conducted as part of my dance project, the Kentucky Tour de Dance.
She tells us about her grandmother, banjo legend Lily May Ledford of the Coon Creek Girls, whose death when Cari was 15 was a pivotal moment in her musical life.
She also discusses her other early musical influences, including the legendary Jean Ritchie, Sue Massek, Rich Kirby, and others, and how the ancient music of Appalachia helped her feel connected to her ancestors.
And she rounds out the interview with some metaphysical musings on the synergistic relationship between music and dance in Appalachia.
Read more about the Kentucky Tour de Dance here.

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Next Episode

What My Granny Taught Me: An Excerpt from the Cornbread & Tortillas Folk Opera

This is part of my meandering summer episode series, which don't necessarily come out each Thursday, but rather when inspiration strikes. I might be in a cool café in London or an East Kentucky Holler when I record, or maybe just in my cozy living room drinking a cup of tea as I was for this episode.
I begin with a reflection on tours past and future, and share one of my zaniest tour stories from the road.
I then share my monologue from a project we've been sprucing up lately, the Cornbread & Tortillas Folk Opera. It's about all the things my Granny taught me, including how to make cornbread.
I finish with a sneak peak from the new CornMaiz Stringband album, and a toast to all my friends!
Links
CornMaiz String Band
Cornbread & Tortillas Folk Opera
Appalachian Flatfooting & Clogging Academy

Support the show

Follow Carla on Instagram
Buy Carla a coffee
Get your free Mountain Mama Digital Care Package