Writer and photographer Bill Hayes knows the sting of loss quite personally. He has lost two partners, and shares his experience in an intricately specific and yet profoundly universal way. He is the author of four books, a frequent contributor to the New York Times, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction. Bill also has a long history of insomnia which has lead to some beautiful nighttime photographs that he uses in an elaborative way to tell his story in his recent memoir, Insomniac City.
Anne Lamott has praised Bill’s work as “A beautifully written once-in-a-lifetime book, about love, about life, soul, and the wonderful loving genius Oliver Sacks, and New York, and laughter and all of creation.”
You may come to discover throughout the episode that Bill has a gift for preserving and magnifying the tender details of life in a way that will make you want to live your own to the fullest, and possesses that rare wisdom only found in someone who has had to grapple with moving forward in the face of devastating loss. We hope you’ll join us to hear how Bill’s story shows us that:
- As we get older, we can either become more rigid and set in our beliefs about the world, or we can remain open to new ways of thinking and keep growing.
- Devastating loss can be a window to new possibilities… if we’re open to it.
- Taking care of ourselves and being patient with our process is an integral part of moving forward after loss.
- One of the greatest gifts we can give someone is the confidence to believe in themselves when they are still trying to find it
Resources
- BillHayes.com: Learn more about his work
- @BillHayesNYC: Follow him on Twitter
- @BillHayesNYC: Follow him on Instagram
- Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me: Buy it on Amazon