Reminder: I’ll be reading this coming Thursday, Aug. 23 at 10:30 a.m. at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.  Free and open to the public.  Details are here. 

Also, mark your calendar: Saturday, Sept. 8, 2:00 p.m. reading at The Green Toad Bookstore, Oneonta, N.Y.

ScOOPS! ~ Ripples

I’ve recently accepted an invitation to do a reading and presentation about my book at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI/New York State’s 2018 Education Conference on October 27 in Albany, NY.  I’ll be discussing the importance of addressing sexual health with people with mental illness and I’ll have an opportunity to point out how vital these issues are, how frequently they’re not addressed at all, the particular challenges that individuals face, and to point to the frequently overlooked opportunities that exist for professionals, family members, and others to provide support. I’m honored to have been invited, and this all came about because one person read my book, understood how important this is, and recommended it to NAMI.

Another upcoming event is in a church, where again, a reader who wanted to spread the word brought it to the attention to the Board of Deacons of her church and they met with me and ended the meeting with an invitation to present to their church.

I’m also in the process of corresponding with a reproductive rights activist in Northern NJ, a book group in Chicago, and several other local groups for more opportunities. Plus, more and more parents have told me how helpful they find the dialogues, and not just for talking with their kids about sexuality per se.  Many have commented that it helps them reframe how they listen, how they ask questions, how they better understand the way teens think.

It is heartwarming to see the way individual readers who understand the importance of opening these important conversations are finding ways to use their own interests and networks to help me give these important issues a voice.  It’s like watching the way a stone, tossed into a lake, sends ripples spreading outward.

Thank you to all the readers who are helping me spread the word!…and to those of you who have read OOPS! and haven’t spread the word, it’s not too late!  I hope you’ll tell your friends about it, review it on Amazon and/or Goodreads, post something about it on your social media sites, and think about any group, club, or professional organization you’re involved with that might be able to help me reach a broader audience.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Attention all activists who are concerned about stopping Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy: read here about the Unite For Justice Day of Action on August 26 to learn about the events and to find an event near you.