DownWrite Mad With Cathy Madison

DownWrite Mad

This second episode of the DownWrite Mad podcast series features author Catherine Madison. Cathy is not only an editor whom I could not possibly live without, and who knows my work as well as, if not better than I know it myself, but she is also an author in her own right. I met Cathy over a decade ago when I was living in Hollywood, shortly after she had published her book THE WAR CAME HOME WITH HIM: A DAUGHTER'S MEMOIR. Cathy and her book taught me so much about writing, about how important narrative structure is, and about how the research process so often crucial to memoir writing needs to be integrated seamlessly, so the reader learns the facts through the story itself. Most of all, though, Cathy's book showed me how trauma can be transmitted through generations, how what happened to Cathy's father, a POW survivor, affected the entire family. War violence is more catastrophic than we may ever understand. Its effects are mushrooming, especially with the situation in Gaza. Cathy’s lived experience makes her an expert and eloquent voice on the subject of PTSD. I hope you benefit from our conversation and feel free to reach out either on my Substack or my website tanyafrank.com and let me know your reaction.