Raw Heart is a work of art that was first birthed from deep dark pain after losing my brother but materialized into narrative nonfiction while spending a week long solitary retreat in the Sonora Mountains in June of 2012. The first part of this book is a collection of thoughts and involvements experienced while in the sanctity of solitude. The second part of the book takes on a subtle poetic structure and invites a spiritual pilgrimage I still travel today. In a vein similar to Cheryl Strayed’s Wild , Raw Heart displays crude naked honesty and provides the reader with an intimate view into my processing while surviving the pain of losing a loved one. This journey breaks me away from my conservative religious upbringing and forces me not only to confront myself, but also to question my relationship with a pious God that failed me. Initially I began to write this book for the therapeutic gains of writing. I never anticipated that I would reach the dimensions I delved into. As a result, my most salient experience in self-discovery is recorded in the book from the day of my brother’s death all the way to his first year anniversary. Furthermore, whereas most memoirs are written after recollecting the experiences written about, the pages of this book were written as they were unraveling in my life- sometimes daily. This provides the reader with unprocessed and graphic feelings. This book tells the story of billions of others who have undergone tragic loss- may Raw Heart be their story.