Welcome to the official website for Dr. Tyra Manning, speaker, and author of the memoir Where the Water Meets the Sand and the forthcoming workbook, Your Turn: Ways to Celebrate Life Through Storytelling (summer 2019). Here, you’ll find information about Tyra, her book, and her speaking engagements. You can also learn more about Tyra’s mission to reduce the stigmas associated with mental illnesses, comfort those who are suffering in silence, and open doors to resources for support and treatment.
“Anyone who must ‘pull out of a dive’ to survive must read this book. It may save one more life."
- Colonel James Larry Greer, USAF (Ret.)
“Tyra’s true story will move you deeply as she reaches deep inside herself to overcome unbelievable odds.”
– Naomi Fisher, USAF Nurse Corps
“Manning’s clear, honest voice is unflinching. Her love story, though tragic, is uplifting and beautifully told. … Her resilience is inspiring, her story exquisite and not to be missed.”
– Lisa Shatto Glasgow, author/editor
“Richly detailed, brutally honest, and vulnerable, this memoir traces one woman’s struggle to reclaim her belief in herself and in the world around her.”
– Dr. Colleen Grissom, Professor of English, Trinity University
"... Where the Water Meets the Sand contributes to a growing body of Vietnam War literature that encourages discussion of mental health and substance abuse issues among those who’ve experienced—or know someone who has endured— similar struggles."
– James Schuessler, The VVA Veteran, Books in Review II
“I started the book and I didn't put it down until I finished it late that evening. The reading was accompanied by a wide range of feelings. She was eloquent and so articulate in describing the struggles and experiences which she went through.”
– Dr. Walt Menninger, The Menninger Clinic