Even if you’re not completely aware of Shane Koyczan’s poem “To This Day”, at least 25 million other people are. That’s how many views the YouTube video of the poem has as of the time we made this episode. It’s not just a great poem, it strikes a nerve. “To This Day” talks in a very direct and meaningful way about the effects of bullying and how people can carry it with them from the playground deep into adulthood. Because, many times, it’s not just kids messing around, it’s actual assault or emotional abuse or a kind of terrorism that can fall under the category of trauma.

Shane was bullied from a very young age and had a hard time making friends throughout his childhood. He also had a key ally: his grandmother Loretta, who encouraged him to write things down. When he reached university, he found more encouragement for his writing and his talent bloomed.

Today, Shane is a successful writer and a person with depression and a performer who has had a hard time getting by during the pandemic.

In this episode, Shane Koyczan shares a poem about his grandmother that left us speechless.

Find out more about Shane Koyczan at his website, ShaneKoyczan.com. Listen to "To This Day" on Shane's Youtube channel, Youtube.com/ShaneKoyczan. Follow Shane on Twitter @Koyczan and on Instagram @shane_koyczan.

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Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

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John's acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is available here. https://read.macmillan.com/lp/the-hilarious-world-of-depression/

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