Greg interviews Emelia Sherin, a sophomore public relations student at Kent State University. Emelia recently wrote a play covering the perspective and daily struggle of those suffering from substance abuse disorder.
Greg asks Emelia about her own experiences and what inspired the play. She explains that outside of what she’s seen and heard with the opioid epidemic it was the media’s coverage of the crisis that really inspired her to write the play. “The East Liverpool photo of the grandmother and her boyfriend and the child in the backseat really itched me. Being a public relations major, I live for advocacy and being the voice of the voiceless and for earned media… And I thought, okay, they’re trying to spread awareness, but at the same time as someone who understands the addiction community, I thought it was heartbreaking. I thought it was awful for that family, because those grandparents have grandchildren and nieces and nephews and sons and daughters. And that child, think of what he’s going to grow up and think or become.” So in response, she says, she interviewed 50 different people from current and recovering addicts to families that have lost someone and tried to tell their story.
Listen to the podcast to discover how Emelia turned these interviews into a live stage play and what she learned from her time speaking with those affected by the opioid epidemic.
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