R149. Saying the A Word: The Rewards and Challenges of Writing about Abortion

Room 007B, Henry B. González Convention Center, River Level
Thursday, March 5, 2020
10:35 am to 11:50 am

 

Have you or someone you know experienced abortion and wanted to write about it, but stopped yourself? This panel will discuss the fact that writers even in 2019 face silencing and stigma on this topic and address the benefits of breaking barriers to tell true, nuanced stories. Writers of varying ages and races discuss what it was like to write, pitch, and publish memoir, essay, and articles about abortion; the walls they hit in the process; and the upside of writing their tales without fear.


Outline & Supplemental Documents

Event Outline: Moderator_Questions.docx
Supplemental Document 1: Kassi_Underwood_Modern_Love.docx
Supplemental Document 2: EmilyHeidenLitHub.docx

Participants

Moderator:

Rajpreet Heir is a writer based in New York who works for TED Conferences. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic, Brevity, Cosmopolitan, the Washington Post, the Collagist, Lit Hub, the Normal School, and the New York Times. She has an MFA in creative nonfiction from George Mason University.

Emily Heiden's work has appeared in the Washington Post, Brevity magazine, and Literary Hub. She will be published in the anthology Don't Look Now: Essays on What We Wish We Hadn't Seen. She holds an MFA in nonfiction from George Mason University.

Kassi Underwood is the author of May Cause Love: An Unexpected Journey of Enlightenment After Abortion. Her work appears in The New York Times, Women's Health, Marie Claire, and elsewhere. She is the founder of The Practice and Revolution After Abortion, with members in three countries.

Adrienne Christian

Sonja Livingston

#AWP24

February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Convention Center