Part one of a conversation with E. Dolores Johnson, who discusses her memoir, Say I&apos;m Dead: A Family Memoir on Race, Secrets and Love, published in June by Chicago Review Press. In our discussion through the lens of race, Johnson relates how her black father and white mother fled Indiana in the 1940’s to escape punishing state laws against interracial marriage, and her experience growing up black in America. More on Johnson at edoloresjohson.com.

Episode Two: A Conversation with E. Dolores Johnson on Publishing During Covid 19

What do you do when the national dialogue sucks? You start listening. And figure out better ways to communicate.I hear a lot of ‘I don’t get them.’ They’re stupid/crazy/too fragile/woke. You get the drift. We don’t seem to get each other. Self-involvement, lack of information or experience, blind adherence to a belief prevents us from seeing things from a different viewpoint. And there are many points of view, many sides to a story.If we don’t listen and don’t engage, we can't really know what another person thinks? And as good as we are, we're not clairvoyant. So get curious. Start with some questions. Let’s listen to understand, if not agree.This season’s Embark goes where few conversations go – to the other side. Or to many sides. Hop on for a little more conversation and a lot more ‘getting’ each other. All aboard? Let’s go.With Liz Solar, Voice Actor/ Writer/Communications Coach