November 21, 2008 Miami, FL

On Friday morning we stopped by the Oliver-Pyatt center for eating disorders in south Miami. I sat and talked to eight young women from around the country who are struggling with anorexia. They each received a copy of This is Who I Am as a gift from Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, the founder of the center. I was so moved to be in their presence. I read from This is Who I Am and then read some poetry. Poetry has always had a very healing quality for me.

One of the poems is called Body Beautiful which I wrote while working on my book and which I often read when I speak about the book. The other is a poem I love by Galway Kinnell called St. Francis and the Sow. This is one of my favorite poems. It talks about St Francis blessing a sow, a lowly animal that one might consider “ugly”. And with the blessing, the sow is able to find her own blessing from within—“self blessing”. It is such a beautiful poem and relates so much to people struggling with eating disorders who are in search of that “self-blessing”. I can hardly read it without tears.

Many people have asked me for the Body Beautiful poem, so here it is:

Body Beautiful

Body my steady companion
without whom I would be
only a thought or a breeze or
rain passing over the sea,
my ready vessel for
children who never came,
you trundled my dark soul
patiently, Herculean task,
over the mountains of my
sadness and endured
decades of demands for
better or thinner.
Even so, you dip
to country music,
soar with love’s caress,
and sing aloud while walking
down the street.
I stop for this moment
to give you praise.

©Rosanne Olson 2004

November 20, 2008 Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

I gave an hour-long presentation to students at FAU at the invitation of their wellness program called Today and Wellness Beyond. The director of the health program told us of the increase in mental health issues recently, likely related to the economy. It seems to me that during these difficult economic times it is time to focus on compassion for each other.

November 19, 2008 Palm Beach, FL

At a glitzy fund-raiser and cocktail party, I was honored to have This is Who I Am feted by The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness (http://www.eatingdisorderinfo.org/). It was a wonderful affair at The Leopard Room in Palm Beach where many enthusiastic supporters gathered to raise money and awareness for eating disorders. The Alliance was founded by Johanna Kandel, an inspiring young woman who, through her own experiences with anorexia, decided to make her life’s mission that of helping others in the same situation.

November 13 - 16, 2008 Philadelphia, PA

I attended the Renfrew Conference for eating disorders in Philadelphia. The well-organized annual conference took place from Thursday through Sunday. A highlight was the key-note speech given by Jane Fonda who talked about her life and her personal struggle with an eating disorder. The conference was attended by therapists, nutritionists and eating disorders specialists from around the country. On Saturday evening I gave a “poster presentation” of “this is who I am”. The people who stopped by to see the book were incredibly warm and enthusiastic. While there I picked up a book called Eating in the Light of the Moon by Dr. Anita Johnston. It is a fabulous book for anyone with an eating disorder, recovering from an eating disorder or anyone who knows someone with an eating disorder and wants to better understand.

While in Philadelphia I was interviewed by Elizabeth Wellington, fashion writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She wrote a lovely article about the book. (http://www.philly.com/inquirer) We talked for about an hour. She told me of her blog and how women criticize one another. Now that Michele Obama is in the spotlight, people are criticizing her. Her shape. Her clothing. I can’t believe it! Michele Obama is a beautiful, intelligent, inspiring woman. Tell me, please, what kind of a society we would have if everyone looked like Paris Hilton? What a dull world it would be! So why can’t we celebrate rather than criticize?

I also had a reading at Robin’s Bookstore in Philadelphia. It was an intimate gathering but a wonderful group. I met Andrea K. Hammer of Artsphoria (artsphoria.org) who who wrote a beautiful article about This is Who I Am for the Philadelphia Bulletin (www.thebulletin.us).

November 9, 2008

There is an organization in Washington State called Our Beauty Within (http://www.ourbeautywithin.org). It is designed to help young girls appreciate their beauty, their bodies, their strength, etc. The women who run the program organized a screening of Darryl Roberts’ documentary America the Beautiful. The documentary takes a hard look at our obsession with thinness, plastic surgery, cosmetics, etc. I highly recommend it. The theater was packed with parents and children, even though the movie has some very difficult scenes. These are things that need to be discussed.

October 24, 25 San Francisco

On October 24 I was very pleased to meet with Amy Moon, writer at the San Francisco Chronicle. We spent about an hour in a small glass-walled conference room talking about This is Who I Am. Amy asked insightful questions and ended up writing a beautiful article about the book. Following that I went to KGO-TV, the ABC affiliate in San Francisco where I was on the afternoon program for six minutes. I hope that through all of this coverage that women are hearing the message about compassion. How wonderful to wake up in the morning and feel good about oneself—no matter what size or shape.

On Saturday evening, October 25 I had a reading at the venerable Book Passage in Corte Madera. There was a nice audience that included friends from the area and other faces that were new to me. I am always grateful when people come up to talk afterward. Everyone has a story and so much of who we are we keep hidden, feeling as if we are alone in our suffering. My deep hope is that This is Who I Am will help us connect with each other as we read essays by other women whose stories (or bodies) may be similar to our own.

I want to let you know about some upcoming readings and talks.

• Saturday, November 15 at 2:00 p.m. I will be in Philadelphia at Robin's Bookstore (http://www.robinsbookstore.com)
• Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m. at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida sponsored by the Today & Beyond Wellness and the Peer Education Team. Contact Rosemary Dunbar at rdunbar@fau.edu.
• Tuesday, December 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Washington Bookstore in Seattle.

I recently returned from San Francisco where I read at the wonderful Book Passage in Corte Madera. The San Francisco Chronicle featured This is Who I Am on Sunday, November 9. Click here to read the article.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any interest in a reading or talk in your area, at a university, college or bookstore. I would love your help to spread the message of the book--of compassion for ourselves and others.