Hi Reader,

They thought she was "just an anxious kid" growing up—that, other than that, there was nothing really "wrong" with her.

But writer and translator Giovanna Errore was suffering in silence; trying like hell to be a functional teenager and then young adult while something was happening in her body and her mind that she didn't understand.

She was masking, feeling psychic and physical pain and, finally, a fibromyalgia diagnosis turned the key and unlocked the door, helping her heal.

Chronic, unrelenting pain isn't just a physical malady; there is a psychological component to it—the ceaseless patter of self-eroding doubt, isolation, and allowing the external doubt of your own reality to slowly become your own internal monologue.

Giovanna shares enthusiastically during our interview about her fascinating and hopeful research from her graduate work in psychological communication on chronically ill people in online communities, and why participation can increase self-determination, belonging, and satisfaction with life; perhaps that's why she likes Recovery Diaries so much!

We are, after all, our own online community of vulnerable, capable human beings telling their stories and supporting each other.
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Then Giovanna reads her essay “How Severus Snape Saved My Life,” exploring how this intense, cloistered fictional character can mirror the parts of us we keep hidden. After all, Snape had something going on inside which he couldn't share with anybody.

Giovanna openly and freely talks about therapy, stigma, work, accommodations, and the challenging, but necessary, choice to stop keeping secrets.
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Subscribe to Recovery Diaries in Depth for more earnest, honest conversations like this one.

All my best,
Gabe Nathan

For seven seasons, from 1993-1999, actor Kyle Secor played a character named Detective Tim Bayliss on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. (“One of the greatest shows in TV history,” according to New York Times writer Margaret Lyons).

The series was shot on location in Baltimore, and the city’s unique landscape become an integral part of the show. Baltimore was a place where Kyle found artistic challenges and triumphs. It was also a place where he faced incredible challenges, including addiction, anxiety and desperation.

We met actor Kyle Secor in Fells Point, Baltimore when he was in town for a reunion with Homicide creatives that included cast and crew members. Our short film, Stomping Grounds, walks alongside Kyle as he returns to the streets of Fells Point and honestly faces the place where he experienced so many dark days. But days also filled with hope, light and creativity.

I hope you enjoy Kyle’s poetic reflection of a remarkable place and time in his life and the lessons it taught him.

All my best,
Glenn Holsten