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).