{"id":17369,"date":"2012-01-25T02:12:56","date_gmt":"2012-01-25T07:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=17369"},"modified":"2012-01-25T03:09:08","modified_gmt":"2012-01-25T08:09:08","slug":"author-spotlight-kambri-crews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/01\/25\/author-spotlight-kambri-crews\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Spotlight: Kambri Crews"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Author Spotlight: Kambri Crews<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>January 23, 2012<\/p>\n<p>In her upcoming memoir, Burn Down the Ground (Random House), author<br \/>\nKambri Crews looks back on her unconventional childhood with deaf<br \/>\nparents in rural Texas while trying to reconcile her present life\u2014in<br \/>\nwhich her father is serving a twenty-year sentence in a<br \/>\nmaximum-security prison.<\/p>\n<p>CBSDFW.com talks to the author, who lived in Arlington and Grand<br \/>\nPrairie and is now based in New York about her book, her memories of<br \/>\nTexas, and what she hopes readers will take from her compelling and<br \/>\nbrutally honest memoir.<\/p>\n<p>CBSDFW.com: You write about your family\u2019s chaotic past, was it<br \/>\ndifficult writing this book and sharing the details of your life?<\/p>\n<p>Kambri Crews: If by \u201cdifficult\u201d you mean was I sitting alone, grimy and<br \/>\nunkempt, drinking gallons of Pinot Grigio while talking to no one for<br \/>\ndays on end except my Chihuahua? Then, yes, it was very, very<br \/>\ndifficult.<\/p>\n<p>Writing is isolating, and I am not a solitary person. I love being out<br \/>\nand about, attending or producing shows, and hosting parties. So to<br \/>\nshut myself in for a year to write and edit was a shock to my system. I<br \/>\nhad to force myself to shower, go outside and mingle with people again!<\/p>\n<p>After I delivered the manuscript, I went through what I can only<br \/>\ndescribe as a writer\u2019s version of postpartum depression. I had given<br \/>\nbirth to this thing \u2013my book\u2013 and afterwards felt a tremendous amount<br \/>\nof sadness and loneliness. I had to re-live some of the most harrowing<br \/>\ntimes in my life. Opening the old wounds and extracting their poison<br \/>\nwas both cathartic and painful, like self-imposed therapy sessions<br \/>\nwithout a psychiatrist.<\/p>\n<p>CBSDFW.com: As a comedy publicist, did you feel it was important to<br \/>\nwrite with some humor even when retelling heartbreaking moments?<\/p>\n<p>KC: It is often noted that people in comedy usually have the most<br \/>\ndisturbing, messed up lives. As Carrie Fisher once said, \u201cIf my life<br \/>\nwasn\u2019t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.\u201d On<br \/>\nstage, I definitely make fun of the bleakest moments in my life. I<br \/>\ncan\u2019t help myself. You don\u2019t grow up with deaf, pot smoking parents and<br \/>\ntake refuge in a shed without getting at least one bizarrely funny<br \/>\nstory out of it. Humor definitely helps people get through difficult<br \/>\ntimes and there are moments of levity throughout the memoir. However,<br \/>\nthe book isn\u2019t a barrel of laughs. If I were sarcastic and treated my<br \/>\nfather\u2019s crimes with gallows humor, it would be disrespectful to my<br \/>\nfather\u2019s victims and dismissive of his wrongdoings. Examining my<br \/>\nchildhood and how my father became who he is today \u2013an incarcerated<br \/>\ndeaf man disowned by nearly everyone in his family\u2014allowed me to be<br \/>\nmore reflective.<\/p>\n<p>CBSDFW.com: What do you hope readers get from the book?<\/p>\n<p>KC: Forgiving others and making peace with the cards you have been<br \/>\ndealt is within all of us. Generally speaking, people aren\u2019t purely<br \/>\nevil or good. Life is much more complicated than that. My father didn\u2019t<br \/>\nwake up one day and become a criminal. He was on a path that was aided<br \/>\nby the legal system, his deafness, his family background, and many<br \/>\nother factors that had a tumbleweed effect. Domestic violence doesn\u2019t<br \/>\ndiscriminate. It exists in every race and class. So I hope the book<br \/>\nincreases awareness, but that it also spurs thoughtful dialogue about<br \/>\nprisons, crime and punishment in this country.<\/p>\n<p>My memoir also touches on what it\u2019s like to live as a Child of Deaf<br \/>\nAdults (CODA). Throughout there are some things that most hearing<br \/>\npeople don\u2019t think about, like deaf humor, party games, and odd quirks.<br \/>\nI hope the reader walks away with some knowledge about Deaf culture and<br \/>\nAmerican Sign Language that inspires them to learn more. It\u2019s a rich<br \/>\nand fascinating society and beautiful language.<\/p>\n<p>At the very least, the reader will get some good tips on smuggling a<br \/>\npack of Juicy Fruit into the clink.<\/p>\n<p>CBSDFW.com: What was your father\u2019s reaction to you writing the book?<\/p>\n<p>KC: My father knows I\u2019m telling my story from my point of view and that<br \/>\nI am sharing some good and some not-so-good parts of our lives. Talking<br \/>\nthrough pain and trauma is a great step towards healing. Hopefully, he<br \/>\nwill see that he is loved unconditionally by me and my brother and be<br \/>\ncompelled to become a better man, a better father, and a better citizen<br \/>\nupon his release. And if he doesn\u2019t like the book, maybe he can use it<br \/>\nto hide a chisel.<\/p>\n<p>CBSDFW.com: You had an unusual, challenging upbringing in Texas, living<br \/>\nin a tent, a shed, a trailer, do you have any happy memories of Texas?<\/p>\n<p>KC: They\u2019re almost all happy memories! As a child, you don\u2019t know what<br \/>\n\u201cnormal\u201d is. And, well, what is \u201cnormal\u201d anyway? While traveling in<br \/>\nPeru, I remember seeing a babysitting in the dirt, wearing only a<br \/>\ndiaper, surrounded by filth and chickens. My heart broke as I thought,<br \/>\n\u201cThat poor child.\u201d And the kid was probably thinking, \u201cI love my<br \/>\nchickens!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I must sound like Tom Sawyer when I recount stories of growing up in<br \/>\nthe woods. It was like a southern fried Lord of the Flies. It wasn\u2019t<br \/>\nuntil later when I saw how the \u201cother half\u201d lived and ventured out into<br \/>\nthe world that I realized the opportunities I missed and the hardships<br \/>\nI endured. But I was loved. I was fortunate to inherit my mother\u2019s joy<br \/>\nof reading and to receive a fantastic education by some of the finest<br \/>\nteachers in Montgomery (outside of Houston) and at Richland High School<br \/>\nin North Richland Hills. You can do a lot in life with a solid<br \/>\nfoundation of reading, writing and arithmetic. Sorry, kids, but it\u2019s<br \/>\ntrue. Now go do your homework.<\/p>\n<p>Burn Down the Ground by Kambri Crews (Random House) will be released on<br \/>\nFebruary 28, 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Source:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/dfw.cbslocal.com\/2012\/01\/23\/author-spotlight-kambri-crews\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/dfw.cbslocal.com\/2012\/01\/23\/author-spotlight-kambri-crews\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author Spotlight: Kambri Crews January 23, 2012 In her upcoming memoir, Burn Down the Ground (Random House), author Kambri Crews looks back on her unconventional childhood with deaf parents in rural Texas while trying to reconcile her present life\u2014in which&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-p\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/01\/25\/author-spotlight-kambri-crews\/\">Read more &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1629,4621,23,175,12126,12236,4756,269,12237,12239,24388,9221,12127,12238,12128,465,1576,12234,12235,17,703],"class_list":["post-17369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-american-sign-language","tag-article","tag-asl","tag-book","tag-burn-down-the-ground","tag-cbsdfw","tag-child-of-deaf-adults","tag-coda","tag-comedy-publicist","tag-deaf-father","tag-dfw","tag-father","tag-kambri-crews","tag-manuscript","tag-memoir","tag-north-richland-hills","tag-prison","tag-random-house","tag-richland-high-school","tag-texas","tag-tom-sawyer"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-4w9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19120,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/06\/26\/author-kambri-crews-coming-to-fort-worth-library\/","url_meta":{"origin":17369,"position":0},"title":"Author Kambri Crews Coming to Fort Worth Library","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"June 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Kambri Crews Coming to Fort Worth Library North Richland Hills Native to Read, Sign Books & Answer Questions\u00a0About Her Memoir Fort Worth, Texas \u2014 The Fort Worth Library is pleased to welcome Kambri\u00a0Crews, author of Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir (Random House) on\u00a0Saturday, June 30, at 2PM. Crews\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kambri Crews","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/kambri_crews.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17987,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/03\/12\/author-texas-native-kambri-crews-at-sxsw\/","url_meta":{"origin":17369,"position":1},"title":"Author &#038; Texas Native Kambri Crews at SXSW","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello, Kambri Crews, Texas native and CODA author of the book Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir (Random House), here. I'll be in Austin for SXSW to perform on a storytelling show and for a very brief book signing at the SXSW Book Store. The show is for badge holders\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kambri Crews","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/kambri_crews.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17229,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/01\/16\/burn-down-the-ground-book-kambri-crews-coda-author\/","url_meta":{"origin":17369,"position":2},"title":"Book: Burn Down the Ground by Kambri Crews (CODA author)","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Burn Down the Ground book Kambri Crews (CODA author) BURN DOWN THE GROUND: A MEMOIR by Kambri Crews -- An unflinching, emotional memoir by the hearing daughter of two deaf parents, about the rampant dysfunction of her rural Texas childhood and the searing violence that left her father serving a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Burn-Down-the-Ground.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20530,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/10\/31\/author-kambri-crews-at-book-woman-bookstore-11112-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":17369,"position":3},"title":"Author Kambri Crews at Book Woman Bookstore 11\/1\/12 &#8211; Austin","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 31, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"AUTHOR KAMBRI CREWS AT BOOK WOMAN BOOKSTORE Author to Give Presentation, Sign Books & Answer Questions Austin, TX \u2014Kambri Crews, author of the highly acclaimed new memoir Burn Down the Ground (Random House) will appear at the Book Woman Bookstore on Thursday, November 1st at 7PM. Burn Down the Ground\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18319,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/04\/12\/coda-author-kambri-crews-coming-to-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":17369,"position":4},"title":"CODA Author Kambri Crews Coming to Texas","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"April 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"CODA Author Kambri Crews Coming to Texas Note: All events are in Year 2012. Kambri Crews, CODA author of Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir (Random House), will be signing books, taking questions from the audience, and reading from her memoir at free events throughout Texas. Burn Down the Ground\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40952,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2020\/07\/17\/deaf-inmate-granted-parole-from-texas-prison-in-june-but-died-before-he-was-released\/","url_meta":{"origin":17369,"position":5},"title":"Deaf inmate granted parole from Texas prison in June but died before he was released","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"July 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Deaf inmate granted parole from Texas prison in June but died before he was released It\u2019s unclear if Theodore \u201cCigo\u201d Crews\u2019s death was related to COVID-19. Author: Teresa Woodard Published: July 16, 2020 DALLAS \u2014 Everybody called Theodore Crews by his nickname, \u201cCigo.\u201d Kambri Crews called him dad. She\u2019d never\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/de3999f1-4a55-40d5-8290-bbf81803b24a_1140x641.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17369"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17377,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17369\/revisions\/17377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}