As most of you know from some of my poetry posted here as well as on my Myspace page that some of you have and most of all, my confronting child molestors thread, I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse that took place when I was 6 or 7 years old until I was 11.
For over the past year or so, I have been working with a woman from the woman's center here in town; through them I have had a poem featured in their art gallery "An Empty Space at the Table" and that same poem has also been featured at the woman's center at the local university. A lot of extroadinary things happen through that place, I'm telling you.
A few days ago I received a phone call from the woman I work with there and was informed about the uproar of child abuse, physical and sexual that have been in the news lately and a reporter from the local paper was interested in doing a packet about child sexual abuse and wanted to interview someone who knows about healing from that and information on coping mechanisms. Immediately she thought of me and gave me a call. I accepted and yesterday at 10am I was interviewed.
I'm still pretty torn about the subject. On one hand, I'm weary. My family reads the paper, they're very stern, strict and proud people. I called my father to explain everything before I did the interview; what I would be talking about and such, but he didn't want specifics, he didn't really give me the room to tell him, but he told me that he reads my poetry that is on my personal site and alluded to already knowing the specifics of the abuse; but I think I may surprise him and I just hope my family takes it okay.
On the other hand, this is all part of the healing journey and I should be embracing this. This is most likely the most powerful thing I have done in regards to that time in my life and it's about time that I stop thinking about how taboo it is and how my family will react to it and heal. It happens to a lot of people, unfortunately, I'm not alone and this article will go to educate more and more people about it.
It's all uphill from here.
I will post the article as well as the link to the online publication in this thread when it comes out.
For over the past year or so, I have been working with a woman from the woman's center here in town; through them I have had a poem featured in their art gallery "An Empty Space at the Table" and that same poem has also been featured at the woman's center at the local university. A lot of extroadinary things happen through that place, I'm telling you.
A few days ago I received a phone call from the woman I work with there and was informed about the uproar of child abuse, physical and sexual that have been in the news lately and a reporter from the local paper was interested in doing a packet about child sexual abuse and wanted to interview someone who knows about healing from that and information on coping mechanisms. Immediately she thought of me and gave me a call. I accepted and yesterday at 10am I was interviewed.
I'm still pretty torn about the subject. On one hand, I'm weary. My family reads the paper, they're very stern, strict and proud people. I called my father to explain everything before I did the interview; what I would be talking about and such, but he didn't want specifics, he didn't really give me the room to tell him, but he told me that he reads my poetry that is on my personal site and alluded to already knowing the specifics of the abuse; but I think I may surprise him and I just hope my family takes it okay.
On the other hand, this is all part of the healing journey and I should be embracing this. This is most likely the most powerful thing I have done in regards to that time in my life and it's about time that I stop thinking about how taboo it is and how my family will react to it and heal. It happens to a lot of people, unfortunately, I'm not alone and this article will go to educate more and more people about it.
It's all uphill from here.
I will post the article as well as the link to the online publication in this thread when it comes out.
