she/her
My name is Laura, and I am a lot of things, but mostly I’m a storyteller. No matter the medium–be it art, writing, performance, or simple word of mouth–I think that the act of telling stories is the most sacred and beautiful part of human life. I’m passionate about opening the door to having honest conversations about difficult topics. I think it’s an act of tremendous bravery, sharing your story and opening yourself up to listen to someone else’s. I am trying to be brave. I hope you are too.
she/her
I’ve found that the only way that I can truly express my feelings is to write them down. I turn to poetry to express things that I cannot convey in conventional speech or prose. Sharing this poem has given me back my voice that was taken from me and has helped me to take ownership of my story and all that comes with it.
she/her
Writing has always been a part of who I am. I’ve found it is a great way to be vulnerable and share a piece of myself with others. I don’t exactly know what path I’d like to take for my future, but I do know I want it to be one in which I can help others as well as myself. This piece is a start.
she/they
Ilana is a sex educator and filmmaker passionate about intersectional media representation and reproductive justice. They are a survivor of sexual violence and have made it their mission to promote consent and pleasure based sex education. In her free time you can find her collaging, watching too many movies or dancing in the mirror to Hyper Pop. Follow their instagram @ilana.s3xed for sex education content and resources.
they/them
Alekz Thoms is a nonbinary multimedia artist whose art tends toward the autobiographical and political. They often collaborate with other artists, as with the piece “Defiantly” which was commissioned by a musician to be composed into a duet for two sopranos It is a message of strength, of growth, of community power from a mother to their child.
she/her
Being the mother of a survivor was a trauma in its own right, but one that I understood couldn’t be the center of our family’s experience. I think I turned to writing to help me acknowledge my own pain and to tell my own small piece of the story. I realized, in creating my poetry, just how broken I was feeling and how much I needed to find my own path to healing. These two poems are a part of that process for me.
(prefers use of first name only)
I am a survivor of sexual assault, and I hope that my poem will help other survivors feel less alone. While writing it, I learned that sometimes what we need most is simply to tell our story and be heard. I am a proud member of the bisexual community and, like many others, I’m on a lifelong journey toward self-discovery and self-love.
I’m a creative intuitive soul with a love for poetry. I choose to write poetry because I can say a lot in a little, and I believe poetry conveys emotion, feeling, thoughts and tells a story. I hope that my poem, I Scream, is a good example of this.
she/her
I am a mental health advocate and counseling intern who desires to give others a voice and aid others in healing and becoming holistically who they were created to be. I believe God is capable of redeeming every broken thing in my life by giving purpose to my pain. Therefore, I write, knowing and believing that it will encourage and remind others that they are not alone and that there is hope.
she/her
Katherine Wanderer is a poet, a novelist, and, most importantly, a survivor who wishes for everyone to know they are not alone. When she is not writing, she spends her time reading, doing creative projects, or enjoying the outdoors. She lives snugly in Indiana with her boyfriend Logan and little hedgehog Monty, surrounded by friends who always support her.