Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1713

Tonight's guest is Nancy Harkrider from Portland, Oregon, a survivor, activist, author and journalist. A prolific writer and student of human experiences around the globe, she uses her knowledge in numerous ways. Nancy has fourteen boxes of journals, some powerfully painful, filling other journals as she soaked up cultures for a decade, on trains, boats, bicycle and ox carts in Europe and Asia, making meaning of those cultures by observing them and creating dialogues in her journals. Two years ago, the terrified child who wrote in her journal locked in a bathroom to get away from her stepfather found her public voice, immersing herself in screen writing and master classes. From her home base in her Portland Oregon “tree house”, she has dreamed about, experienced immersive conversations and disagreements with her Thriver Sisterhood characters (web site launches in October). The new web site is an extensive one, with interactive discussions, information both personal and statistical, referrals and links to support groups and activist groups, and inspiring, uplifting content. This script would have never been written had Nancy not made a decision to go into group therapy. It took her falling apart during a live television talk show to find her redemptive path. Nancy believes that those women in her group and her counselor are the reason she is thriving today. The very personal approach in this fact-based story is positive, engaging, and even humorous as it explores how people can heal and thrive .. and how they can help prevent such abuse in the future. Nancy has a passion for jumping into things that scare her, but her recent work has been redemptive and, without question, the best time of her life