In 'Grocery Shopping With My Mother,' a son becomes a caretaker

Author Kevin Powell grew up without much physical affection. He says the first time someone tried to hug him was in college; it felt like a foreign concept to him. In his new book of poetry, Grocery Shopping With My Mother , Powell examines his relationship with the single mother who raised him – the one he now cares for in her older age. He tells NPR's Scott Simon that writing becomes a way to heal and forgive, even if it means confronting a whole lot of hurt. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy