Ladies, I am so excited to introduce our February Featured Author. Sue was one of the first women to submit her story when I launched BWS over three years ago. I met her through the National Association of Women Writers. She has so much to offer. I can't wait until February 1st to get started.

Here's her message to you:

Hello Boomer Women! I’m delighted to spend this month with you and am very appreciative that Dotsie provides this important forum for all our voices.

To me, that’s writing is all about as well: voice.

Growing up, I never had a voice. I could never tell anyone that my father was sexually molesting me. I didn’t know the word “incest,” the word “danger,” the word “rape.” And because, as a child, I couldn’t speak the words I most needed to say, it seems inevitable that I grew up to be a writer, as if, throughout those years of silence, I hoarded words and images until it was safe to reveal my truths.

I speak now. I write now.

In my first memoir, Because I Remember Terror "Father" I Remember You (winner of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs award series in creative nonfiction), I focus on this incestuous childhood. In my second book, Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey Through Sexual Addiction (W. W. Norton), I more fully explore the recovery, as this memoir revolves around the 28 days I spent in rehab. Writing memoirs allows me to organize my life, see connections, reflect upon events, discover the metaphors that guide me.

But, of course, there are other forms and genres in which to reveal the stories we most want to tell. Now, in fact, just a few days ago, my first poetry collection was published. The title is Hieroglyphics in Neon (Orchises Press). In it, yes, there are some autobiographical poems—but all the poems are emotionally autobiographical.

In addition to writing, I teach in the low-residency MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College and am associate editor of the literary journal Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. I am also a professional speaker on the subjects of child abuse, family dynamics, and addictions. For more information, please visit me at www.suewilliamsilverman.com.

[ January 27, 2006, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: Dotsie ]