30 Nov 2015

Cheryl Strayed

From Afternoons, 3:07 pm on 30 November 2015
Woman stands on stage with a microphone.

Cheryl Strayed at TEDxConcordiaUPortland2012 Photo: Flickr.com / Armosa Studios

Before there was Wild, there was "Dear Sugar", an advice column for the internet age written anonymously by Cheryl Strayed, long before her book and the movie by Reese Witherspoon made her famous.

"Dear Sugar" appeared on the literary site The Rumpus and dispensed practical wisdom acquired from the challenges Strayed experienced in her own life. Her mother died, she abused drugs and went through a divorce before hiking the Pacific Crest Trail along the West Coast of the United States and turning her life around.

She's written a new book with quotes and thoughts about overcoming adversity called Brave Enough. We'll talk to Cheryl Strayed.