Our next Survivor Stories event will be on Dec 14th, 2023, at 3pm EST on Zoom.

Poet and artist Jay Besemer will be answering questions and speaking from his experience as a trans and autistic survivor of abuse.

Jay is the author of numerous poetry collections, including “Your Tongue Is as Long as a Tuesday,” “Men & Sleep,” and the double chapbook “Wounded Buildings/Simple Machines.” He was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Transgender Poetry, and a finalist for the 2017 Publishing Triangle Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature. Find him online at www.jaybesemer.net.

Register to attend this event at for FREE at https://tinyurl.com/survivorstoriesjay.

Want to tell your story in one of our online events? Contact us at [email protected] for more info.

There will be a free performance of the interactive play Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor on November 16th at 8pm EST on Zoom. Register to attend at http://tinyurl.com/askasexabusesurvivor.

In the show, survivor Michael Broussard tells the story of the abuse he experienced as a child and of his path to healing. He does this in a series of vignettes, pausing after each vignette for attendee questions and comments.

“The brilliance of Michael’s approach comes down to this Q&A—without realizing it, we have been empowered to have a conversation that is still so taboo in our society. We leave the performance feeling compelled to pay greater attention to victims and survivors, to feel their pain more deeply, and to act more decisively to protect children from abuse.” -Children’s Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania

While the show is fairly intense and sometimes dark in nature, it also includes a healthy amount of humor and, ultimately, a very positive, empowering and triumphant message of hope and healing.

“This production is an excellent illustration of the healing power of art and community.” – Psychologist Margaret D. Sayers

“I came away from the performance uplifted, braver, and will always remember Michael’s courage and draw strength from it when needed in my own life.” – Survivor and New England Director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) Dave O’Regan

“As a psychologist who treats survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I would highly recommend this show to anyone who struggles with the emotional aftermath of these traumas.” – Clinical Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Dale Blair

“I walked away with an understanding of the survivor experience that no book, training, or even my years of work as a therapist ever could have given me.” – Clinician Maureen O’Regan, Orleans Psychotherapy Associates