I spotted the full page advertisement for the release of Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict in the December issue of The Writer’s Chronicle, and I bent it back at the spine, recognizing the name but not quite sure from where.
When I received this announcement from Peter Grandbois, I remembered; pretty sure it’s safe to say that she’s a Grandbois Groupie!
What: Writer Irene Vilar
author Irene Vilar
When: Thursday, December 3rd, 1:30pm
Where: Multicultural Center, CSUS Library
“Impossible Motherhood is like a journey into a harrowing underworld but guided by Vilar’s gifts and her light we emerge in the end transformed, enlightened, and oh so alive.” –JUNOT DIAZ
Her website and blog are worth bookmarking, as she is a feminist with a powerful story, which I have, as of yet, not read; so based on bits of reviews and bits of her blog, not to mention the subtitle of her memoir- or testimony as she calls it- I believe it.
From her blog:
As speaker of testimony, I wish to stand as representative of women who have remained silent about the power struggles of their reproductive bodies, specifically of those whose bodies have acted out the emotional life and dramas of their families and countries. I wish to distance myself from the at times hyper individualistic mode of memoir writing, though I will inevitably remain forever such a writer.
The advertising flyer for this Thursday’s reading reads: Impossible Motherhood is a heartrending expose on reproductive freedom that breaks barriers and defies stereotypes. Noted women’s rights activist Gloria Feldt wrote of the book, “Vilar’s dramatic and beautifully drawn story forces the reader to confront the power of sexuality and procreation that often is the only power a young woman perceives she owns in this world.”
I’ll be there on Thursday. Hope to see you in the line to have the book signed.