Professor Jessica Handler

Atlanta author and Oglethorpe professor Jessica Handler was featured on The New York Times podcast “Dear Sugars”—“a radically empathetic advice show” hosted by writers Steve Almond (Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto) and Cheryl Strayed (Wild).

Handler was invited on as a guest speaker for Part One of the “Dear Sugars” series The Empty Chair, which deals with the hardship of early childhood death.

Handler has written about her own family’s struggle with early childhood death in her breakout novel Invisible Sisters: A Memoir and its follow-up Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Loss.

In “Dear Sugars,” she discusses her journey of dealing with the grief of losing her two sisters to blood disorders during their childhood: “I grew up knowing that I would be the only one left…and I very often feel the need to live for three people,” says Handler.

Listen to the podcast for free on iTunes or on the “Dear Sugars” website and read more about The New York Times‘ coverage of Professor Handler and her work on the NYT website.