I have known Krysty for over five years and she is one of the most committed and passionate writers I know. Krysty doesn’t just skim the surface when she opens up an topic. She dives in deep and doesn’t come up for air until she has something precious to share with the rest of us. And then, when she does share, she does so thoroughly and conscientiously. Please help me welcome Krysty!
Introducing Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.
Krystyann is a writer and education researcher who specializes in hearing loss and the impact it has on children and families. She offers both a parental, as well as a personal perspective, as her and her son were diagnosed with hearing loss one year apart. She holds an Ed. D in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. With ten years of early childhood teaching experience, Krystyann’s current research interests include: hearing loss, brain development and the impact on literacy; hearing loss in the classroom and making schools hearing-accessible; raising public awareness of hearing loss detection and treatment; and community and parent involvement.
Krystyann’s writing has recently been featured in Brain Child, and Volta Voices. She blogs about hearing loss, children, and families at www.lateonsethearingloss.org.
Learn about Late Onset Hearing Loss: A Parent’s Perspective
Your child has been diagnosed with late onset hearing loss, now what? I am sure you are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and a million questions are racing through your head.
I am here to tell you that it will all be okay. Sit down and take a deep breath. There is a long road ahead of you, I won’t tell you that it will be easy, but I will tell you that both you and your child have strengths that you have not even recognized yet. My e-book offers a “from the trenches” perspective that will walk you through the emotions that are involved from the moment of diagnosis and will help you learn to cope with these emotions so that you are able to move ahead and be there for your child.
This e-book is geared towards parents whose children have some residual hearing and who will be aided – either through hearing aids, cochlear implants, or a baha device. The intent is to educate and inform, without overwhelming.
I asked Krysty three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:
1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?
Self expression has always been an important part of what I do and I have always tried to bring part of it to whatever project I am involved in. There have definitely been times in my life where it has been more difficult to figure out what it is that I am trying to say or express. I am very much at a stage in my life where deep, creative self-expression is becoming more important to the work that I do. I now have the confidence and the wisdom to attach myself to projects that support and nurture my self-expression and to turn from those that don’t. I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I spend a large part of my day focused on self-expression and what I want to share with the world.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
To me self-expression has a lot to do with believing in yourself and allowing yourself the room to create. It also has a lot to do with following that voice inside that knows what is best for you, but that can be easy to ignore. Self-expression is really at the root of all that I do, not just in my writing, although that might be the place where it is most powerful. I believe self-expression comes through in all aspects of my life through the books I choose to read, the decisions I make in raising my children, the way I connect with my husband, the food, the friendships I become involved in – everything is connected to everything.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
Tough one – because some days I wonder if I make an impact at all. But, I think that’s where staying true to yourself comes into play, where you repeat yourself a million times and then there is that one blog comment, or you see your teaching reflected in a choice your child makes and you know that all is right in your world, at least for that moment. You never know how your work is going to impact anyone and I think in today’s world where we are constantly bombarded with information and sound bytes it’s more important than ever to earn the respect of those you interact with – whether that’s your family or your readers. Authenticity is such an important part of self-expression, you can only fake it for so long before cracks begin to appear. It’s too easy to become involved in superficial relationships, but in order to have an impact you need to dig beneath the surface of the work you do and to fully believe in yourself.
And Now, Your Turn…
You remember how this works right?
Please read the complete rules at least once!
I ask you a question.
You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.
Please just respond once, even if you make a typo. 
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).
What do you love to listen to? Is it your favorite band, you child’s voice, the sound of the birds outside your window? Name ten of your favorite sounds. Describe them but do not analyze them.
Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!
And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.
View the complete list of authors and books.
View the giveaway Pinterest board.
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1. The soft sounds of late night/early morning when the rest
of the world is sleeping.
2. My grandchildren’s voices when they say “Grammy I
love you”.
3. The creak of the stairs in the early morning that warns
us that our grandkids are about to crawl into bed with us.
4. The calming sound of the ocean.
5. Rock N’ Roll music – we go dancing once a week, the best
exercise.
6. Bird songs of any kind.
7. My wind chimes, a gift from a friend, bringing back memories.
8. Coffee perking in the morning. Love the smell too.
9. Rain on the roof.
10. The best one: the regular beat of my husband’s heart as
his ICD keeps him ticking.
Sounds I love are: ocean waves, a river rushing by, waterfall. Can you tell I have moved away from the coast? My son humming and singing to himself, my daughter’s “daily I’m home” as she races into the house, the voice of a friend on the phone, anything by Great Big Sea, Canada Geese returning home after winter, the snarfling sound my dogs make when we play and the sound of typing on my MAC laptop.
I love the cooing of doves because they remind me of the three weeks I spent in a villa in Italy. I love laying on the bow of
our ski boat and listening to the tiny waves lapping against the sides. I love the roar of the ocean when we’re staying in Aptos, and I love pretending that the background noise of the freeway is the ocean when we’re back home. I love the soft mewing of newborn babes, pups and kittens. I love listening to rock, classical, jazz, pop and even country sometimes. Music feeds the soul and is a great workout partner, especially Madonna’s “Forbidden.” I love getting lost in the live musical performances of Bruce Springsteen, Joe Bonamassa, Robin Trower,
Indigenous, and I miss hearing the Dead perform live. My hearing is not what it once was. I sometimes misinterpret what others are saying if there’s a lot of background noise – which makes us all laugh when I repeat back, “Why do you
need to snatch the hose? Oh, you said scratch your nose!” Funny if you’re older, but I’m sure not so much for kids with hearing loss.
1. Birds singing at 4 am outside my window.
2. My 6 year old snoring after a busy day.
3. My husband’s laugh.
4. Popcorn popping in an old-fashioned corn popper.
5. Ocean waves breaking on shore.
6. Screeching seagulls.
7. The shrill of my kids calling “Mom!” as they burst through the door after school.
8. Country music.
9. Keys clicking as a I type when my fingers are flying almost as fast as my mind.
10. Fizzy water bursting into a cold glass on a hot day.
The sounds I love:
1. My daughter’s lilting Southern twang, which I worried I might never hear when she was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf.
2. Ocean waves
3. A lawnmower on a bright spring morning
4. Donnie Wahlberg’s voice
5. The guitar riff in “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses
6. Jon Bon Jovi’s voice
7. The bells of the church in my parents’ neighborhood
8. The quiet of a snowfall in Alabama
9. The splash my daughter makes when she conquers the summer’s first jump off the high dive
10. The cicadas on a summer night
1. my little girl’s giggle
2. the sound of the lock turning when my husband comes home
3. my little girl playing make-believe and the various voices she uses for each of her characters
4. birds singing (except the parrot trying to sing opera next door)
5. moving water
6. bacon sizzling
7. the sound of my own typing
8. my husband playing his bagpipes (from a distance)
9. wind in the trees
10. when it get’s really, really quiet to where I can almost hear the sunbeam creep across the table
Ten of my favorite sounds:
1. A tiny trickling creek
2. The hum of my son’s car when he comes down the drive late from work.
3. My twins practicing when their trumpets are in perfect pitch and time
4. The lake, early in the morning when a gentle breeze ripples the water. It’s a soft, comforting sound.
5. Instrumental surfing music
6. The coffee pot’s gurgle
7. Tires driving over a gravel road
8. Eddie Murphy’s laugh
9. The Carol Burnett Show theme
10. The pops and crackles from a campfire.
1. Crickets. I adore the sound of crickets at night.
2. My son calling me “Mommy”. He didn’t speak until he was seven.
3. The click of laptop keys.
4. AWOLNATION’s “Sail”.
5. The sound of a soda opening.
6. My girls laughing together.
7. The sound of the Playstation turning on.
8. Rain. Rain rain rain rain rain.
9. My husband humming without knowing it.
10. I love when it’s quiet enough to hear the ceiling fan.