There are many ways to enter the bridge-building space.
Some come through politics.
Some through activism.
Some through outrage.
April Ossmann came through poetry.
🎙️ About April
April Ossmann is the author of We: Poems (Red Hen Press, 2025), a collection devoted to healing political division through empathy and shared humanity.
She is also the author of:
Event Boundaries (Vermont Book Award finalist)
Anxious Music
Numerous essays including “On Being a Bridge”
A former executive director of Alice James Books, April now runs her own consulting business helping writers develop and publish their work. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont — and is a recent member of Braver Angels.
🔥 What We Discuss
Civility as Strength
In a time when civility is often dismissed as weakness, April argues it is essential to democracy itself.
“We can’t solve any of our problems if we can’t even speak to each other civilly.”
Poetry vs. Rhetoric
Rhetoric persuades.
Metaphor reveals.
April shares how writing poetry is her primary avenue for spiritual growth — a way to uncover unconscious truths and see beyond ego.
The “Peace Hymn for the Republic”
Inspired by the Battle Hymn of the Republic, April wrote a Peace Hymn centered on harmony, compassion, and what she calls “Glory be in civility.”
Synergy Over Compromise
Wilk explores the idea that true progress doesn’t require win-lose compromise — but synergizing around shared core values.
Seeing the Soul Across the Divide
April’s book We invites readers to see past caricatures and political labels — and rediscover the human being behind them.
📘 About the Book: We
We explores:
Political estrangement within families
Unconscious prejudice
Finding common ground
Listening with intention
The spiritual dimension of democracy
This is not a partisan book.
It’s a human one.
🕊️ Why This Matters
Democracy was designed to allow us to solve problems without violence.
That only works if we refuse to dehumanize one another.
This episode is about reclaiming that space.
🔗 Resources
April Ossmann’s Website: https://aprilossmann.com/
Buy We:
Available at Red Hen Press, Bookshop.org, and wherever books are sold.
The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you’ve got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!
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The Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America’s largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.org
Welcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!
*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.
