Survivors’ Voices: Works of Resilience Written and Read by Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

If you would like to purchase a copy of the commemorative Survivors’ Voices Booklet which contains the readings from all four showcases, please visit: Levellers Press

The Big Event!

Over the weekend of January 22 at 7:00 pm, January 23 at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and January 24th at 7:00 pm, 2021, there were three or four, one-hour virtual performances/readings each consisting of at least nine Survivors reading their works of resilience. Readers were asked to attend the full program in which they are apart. After the readings were complete, there was a positive and supportive dialogue for audience members to ask questions and give feedback to the readers. Readers were encouraged to share their experience of the performance. Survivors also had the option of answering questions or deferring to Donna, Jackie, or Lucinda.

Additional Considerations

Theatrical Support from Silverthorne Theater: Each participant selected had the option of attending a (virtual) workshop with a coach from Silverthorne Theater, to receive guidance and theatrical support for the performance of their piece/s. 

 For Posterity:  Performances were recorded and made available to those who couldn’t be in attendance. Recordings will be accessible through a private YouTube channel and on the Time To Tell website. Survivors had the option of how they are identified (first name only, full name, pseudonym, etc.). 

Organizing Team:

• Donna Jenson, MA, Founder and Director of Time to Tell 

• Jackie Humphreys, LICSW Clinical Consultant to Time To Tell

• Lucinda Kidder, MA, MFA, the Producing Artistic Director of Silverthorne Theater Company 

• Grandmother Strong Oak Lefebvre, MSSA, Executive Director and co-founder of the Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition INC

• Technology moderators and collage artists Beth Siegling and Maggie Donovan

• Media Coordinator, Erin Murdock, EdM.

Additional Considerations (continued)

 Safety and Support:  To create a process that was as safe as possible for the expression of Survivors’ voices, we used a password-protected Zoom link and required audience members to register in advance. We know there is no fail-safe process that can guarantee who will or will not have access to the performances or recordings. Participants were encouraged to have the support necessary to enable them to feel as safe as possible throughout the entire process. 

We are continuously hopeful about creating an empowered space for survivors to share their unique stories of resilience! We enjoyed being able to offer a creative and moving experience to a community of friends, families, and providers that deepens their understanding of childhood sexual abuse. 

This project was made possible by a generous grant from The Art Angels, a group of donors supporting the arts and social change in Western Massachusetts.

A collage was created with images inspired from the readings of each performance.

*Time To Tell is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Time To Tell must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.