Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Hope, a spoken-word poet in Ohio. A self-described introvert, Hope wants to take her poetry to the next level, but she's scared to submit her work to journals and enter poetry slams. She's paralyzed by a deep fear of rejection. Liz calls up her friend, the writer and life coach Martha Beck, for more guidance on Hope’s case. Special Guest: Martha Beck is a speaker, writer, and life coach. Her bestselling books include Expecting Adam, Finding Your Own North Star, and Diana, Herself: An Allegory of Awakening. Beck is also a columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine. Find out more about her at marthabeck.com This week's sponsors: Casper, The Great Courses Plus, and Stamps.com Use the promo code: Lessons

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Britta, a former lawyer-turned- writer in Amsterdam struggling to make progress on her second book. After success with her first novel, Britta made several failed attempts to start her second. She can’t find the flow and fears she has lost the the joy in writing. Liz calls up her friend, the prolific writer and novelist Neil Gaiman, for more guidance on Britta’s case. Special Guest: Neil Gaiman writes fiction, comic books, graphic novels, journalism, audio theater, and films. His works include The Sandman, American Gods, and the children’s novel and animated film Coraline. His new book, a collection of essays about artists, myths, and memories, is called A View from the Cheap Seats. Find out more about him at Neil Gaiman.com This week's sponsors: Audible, The Great Courses Plus, and Stamps.com Use the promo code: Lessons

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Penelope, a dance teacher in New Jersey, who wants to create a dance performance to mark her 60th birthday. Even though she’s been dancing her whole life, she’s having trouble finding the courage to pull this off. For expert guidance, Liz calls up one of the most courageous dancers she knows: Amy Purdy — a Paralympian snowboarder and semifinalist on Dancing With the Stars.  Special Guest: Amy Purdy is a snowboarder, Paralympian, dancer, model, actor, and speaker. Her memoir On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs To Learning The Dance Of Life is published by HarperCollins. You can find out more about her at amypurdy.com This week's sponsors: Casper, The Great Courses Plus, and Stamps.com Use the promo code: Lessons

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Colleen, an advertising executive in New York City, who dreams of being a storyteller but fears it's a frivolous pursuit. Colleen hopes to create a one-woman show, mining stories from her childhood growing up in an Irish Catholic family that ran and owned a bar. Liz calls up the writer Gary Shteyngart for additional expertise on the pain and relief that comes with telling family stories. Special Guest: Gary Shteyngart is the award-winning author of the novels Super Sad True Love Story, Absurdistan, and The Russian Debutante’s Handbook. Born in Leningrad, his memoir Little Failure is a candid and moving account of growing up as a Russian emigre in America. Find out more about him and his work at garyshteyngart.com. This week's sponsors: Audible, The Great Courses Plus, and Stamps.com Use the promo code: Lessons