Finding Our Voices announces ‘Healing Together Through Memoir’ weekend retreat

June retreat for domestic abuse survivors is on Vinalhaven

Finding Our Voices is bringing back its “Healing Together Through Memoir” writing retreat for the second year, this time on Vinalhaven June 21-23.

Women domestic abuse survivors are invited to apply for one of 12 spots. Writing experience is not required. The cost is $550, with scholarships available due to a generous donation from Marilyn Moss Rockefeller. Included in the fee are writing instruction, accommodations at the Tidewater Motel, all meals including a lobster dinner, and ferry tickets. The retreat starts Friday late afternoon on June 21 and runs until noon on Sunday, June 23.

The writing retreat will be led by Deborah Gould, award-winning author of the just-released “Kate Meader” as well as the classic novel about emotional abuse, “Household”. Gould is one of 45 named Maine survivors of domestic abuse with their photo portraits on the Finding Our Voices posters on downtown business windows and in public bathrooms across Maine. The quote she supplied for her poster is, “Start with the truth of it; things will not change. Now gather your strength and your courage; move forward.”

Patrisha McLean, CEO and founder of Finding Our Voices, said, “Anyone who has been through domestic abuse knows the importance of writing in order to heal, including in a journal. Because isolation is a key tactic abusers use to get and keep control, it is especially valuable to be with other survivors who understand, and do not judge. The setting of a Maine island with fabulous swimming quarries will further inspire creativity and bonding.”

According to McLean, this testimonial from last year’s writing retreat sums up what can be expected from this year’s event, “I came away from this experience feeling understood, loved, accepted, and seen. From just about the very first moment we all met, we all connected on a deep level, as if we had known each other all our lives. One of the most painful parts of being a survivor of abuse is spending so much time with people who don’t “get it”.. Being with this group of women gave me hope, and made me feel empowered to share my voice with others with a newfound bravery and confidence. I poured my pain into my writing, and have found myself continuing to write with newfound ambition since leaving the retreat, healing more and more every time I put pen to paper.”

Women domestic abuse survivor interested in attending the Finding Our Voices June retreat are invited to contact McLean directly at hello@findingourvoices.net or fill out an online application form at https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/1HxQeYmnyOoSToVnz3WAmQ .

Finding Our Voices is the grassroots, survivor-powered nonprofit breaking the silence of domestic abuse one conversation and community at a time across Maine. For more information visit https://findingourvoices.net .