My guest for The Happy Hour # 197 is Amena Brown. Amena is a poet, speaker, author, and event host. Named one of Rejuvenate Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 Changemakers, Amena is the author of five spoken word CDs and two non-fiction books. She has performed and spoken at events across the nation, and she and her husband, DJ Opdiggy, live in Atlanta.

On the show today, Amena and I talk about everything from grief, infertility, ministry, and the creative process she goes through to bring a poem to life on stage. One thing's for sure – I could never do her job!

Amena and I dive right in and start talking about the feelings of living a life you didn't think you'd live. Amena shares how she learned to grieve the loss of expectations, and how she realized, “to experience joy most fully, I had to also experience the grief.” We also talk about the importance of finding those people who will walk beside you and be truly present with you amidst different seasons of life.

In the second half of the show Amena describes her creative process as a poet and you guys, it's incredible. We talk about performance as a craft and ministry, and she tells us how we can find spoken word in our own communities. Amena then discusses her involvement in international ministry. Amena reminds us how important it is to really know the organizations you're going with, what they represent, and most importantly who and how they're partnering and led by those in that country.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}