Writing from the Scar: Brandi Bird on Poetry, Recovery, and Identity (Live at the Book Warehouse)

Content Note: This episode discusses disordered eating. If you’re in recovery or feeling vulnerable, please prioritise your well-being.

This week on a very special episode of Friendless, host James Avramenko sits down with poet Brandi Bird for a deep dive into creativity, recovery, and self-discovery. The conversation explores the messy realities of writing and publishing poetry, the impact of external validation, and the importance of allowing time and distance between lived experience and creative transformation.

Brandi discusses their own journey through eating disorder recovery and how it shapes their work, approaches to confessional writing, and the ways truth, persona, and vulnerability intersect in poetry. The two tackle topics such as perfectionism, the pressures of literary recognition, and the liberation found in writing for oneself rather than for approval.

They also reflect on the power of oral tradition, stage presence, and shared first drafts, as well as the nuances of exploring difficult family relationships—particularly with mothers—within art. The conversation turns to broader issues including medical bigotry, Indigenous identity, community, and what it means to move beyond victimhood to agency.

From pop culture to personal struggles, this episode is an honest, witty, and intimate look at the intersections of art, healing, and being unapologetically oneself.

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