It's surprisingly difficult to give away half a sheet cake to strangers, piece by piece. I know this because I had a book signing last Sunday. My husband and I set up a table full of books -- all 3 of my titles -- and half a sheet cake. And not a single person came. I'm not telling this story to … [Read more...] about The Parable of the Sheet Cake
The MeToo Art Project: Together We Are Breaking the Silence
Art is powerful. That's why I'm so grateful that two of my survivor stories have been featured in the MeToo Art Project, an ongoing project by artist Cheryl Prose. Here's how Cheryl describes her work: The MeToo Art Project launched October 2017 and is designed to (1) give survivors of sexual … [Read more...] about The MeToo Art Project: Together We Are Breaking the Silence
Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know About Healing Trauma, a book review
I reviewed Christy's Sims book "Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know About Healing Trauma" for the Christian Century. Read the review here. You can order Survivor Care here. (an Amazon affiliate link.) … [Read more...] about Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know About Healing Trauma, a book review
Shame: Hope & Healing
On the same weekend that the Harvey Weinstein story broke, dominating the media, I was leading a workshop called Shame: Hope & Healing in Vancouver, BC. What timing! Allegations that began with Harvey Weinstein have extended far beyond Hollywood. In politics, in business -- and in churches -- … [Read more...] about Shame: Hope & Healing
“Raped Perfectly”
We live at a time when sexual violence is commonplace and even sanctioned in subtle ways. The downfall of Fox News' Bill O'Reilly ? followed immediately by his receiving a $25 million severance and new podcast ? shows how slick and impenetrable a powerful man can be. Perhaps certain parts of a woman … [Read more...] about “Raped Perfectly”
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
A friend posted this on Facebook, and I thought it should get a wider airing. Here's her story: So today I had a strange and unsettling experience of finding out that there was a traffic court case that has been on my record for three years without my knowledge. But when a 2nd small traffic … [Read more...] about Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Confronting Contempt, the Seed-bed of Abuse
This nasty political season (writing Nov 2016) has gone on so long that I am tempted to embrace nastiness. Ever since Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton ?nasty? during the third presidential debate, many feminists have embraced the word. I get it. As a member of a group that?s both feisty and … [Read more...] about Confronting Contempt, the Seed-bed of Abuse
A Strange Elation
Ever since the tape of Donald Trump and Billy Bush surfaced on Oct 7, the media has been saturated with news about sexual assault. Like many other women, I have often felt jangled during the past ten days.?But I have also felt a strange elation. At last we?re talking openly about the prevalence of … [Read more...] about A Strange Elation
“The Damage is Done, No One Can Undo It.”
By now you have no doubt read the details of Brock Allen Turner's rape conviction at Stanford, including the letter his victim wrote. It's a powerful letter, and I hope you'll read it.?I took special note of a couple of sentences: ?You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my … [Read more...] about “The Damage is Done, No One Can Undo It.”