38. Mark Wynn

Today's guest, Mark Wynn, is the subject of a new documentary film called, This is Where I Learned Not to Sleep, made by award-winning filmmakers Anne de Mare and Kristen Kelly. So who is Mark Wynn? Well he's a former police officer in Nashville who – after listening carefully to the women of Nashville in a way that nobody else was – he started the largest domestic violence prevention unit in the country. Mark also a survivor of domestic violence, as was his mother, as were his siblings. And the essence of the story is that he had a stepfather who committed horrible violence against them all in the state of Texas. And on one occasion, this stepfather attacked Mark's mother. She grabbed a baseball bat, hit that man over the head and Mark's family fled back to Nashville. And in the course of this film, Mark returns to that very house in Texas and revisits that trauma bravely and courageously. The other narrative strand that extends through the film is that Mark has spent the last 30 plus years of his life devoted to trying to make the world a safer place for children and women. He has traveled to every state in America and other countries around the world. Speaking to various law enforcement agencies about the need to address interpersonal violence. I think you'll be mesmerized within minutes of hearing Mark Wynn tell his story and hear the humility, the compassion, the wisdom in his voice. I have never met anyone exactly like Mark Wynn. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month view the doc This is Where I learned Not To Sleep visit the website for doc This is Where I Learned Not To Sleep Learn more abt The Mary Parrish Center (founded in honor of Mark’s mother) Learn more about the filmmakers National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 Learn more about Mark Wynn For media related to film, contact Page One Media Other episodes of Kurt Vonnegut Radio for your enjoyment: Dave Eggers Jen Taub Maggie Smith Michael Estrin Merve Emre Rate/Review Kurt Vonnegut Radio Subscribe to the Kurt Vonnegut Newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices