Lynn Hesse: Me Too Event

"It was a rainy night in Georgia but we had about sixty people for "You Are the Resource" a public awareness event. We raised around a thousand dollars for Georgia Coalition of Domestic Violence between sells including author Jennie Helderman's non-fiction book "as the sycamore grows" and the "Me Too: Short Stories, An Anthology". I am indebted to Denise Funk and the Decatur Library staff in Decatur, Georgia, and the Executive Director of GCADV, Jan Christensen and Chancy Chea, their Communications and Events Manager, and my talented panelists. The program for "You Are the Resource" Included: Ananda Shakti and Julie Fuzel performed "#-We-2" a movement piece with dialogue. D. Olivia Jones, read her poem, "Create Your Own Reality" and spoke about sexual harassment in the AIrForce. Each panelist spoke their personal 3-sentence story about some aspect of domestic violence after Jan Christensen read a domestic violence statistic. The panel discussed their work to change the culture, how domestic violence had affected their lives, and why they were a resource. Wende Ballew, Executive Director Of Reforming Arts, spoke about the court system that puts women in jail for protecting themselves against their abusers. Jennie Helderman spoke about her harrowing experience of interviewing and writing a book "as the sycamore grows" concerning a severe case of economic and environmental deprivation where a man abused his wife in a cabin in the woods. I spoke about "Jewel's Hell" and breaking stereotypes in fiction. I thanked Elizabeth Zelvin, the editor of Me Too: Short Stories, An Anthology" and Level Best Books for giving me a shipping deal on the book order for the event. I ended by discussing the themes of healing and forgiveness from trauma in my books and the transformational quality of art. I paraphrased Elizabeth Zelvin that women want to be respected, believed, and safe and free. A reception and book signing followed. Free ticketed event: Accessible, Advocates, Deaf Interpreters "