Rosanne Olson

To Be Seen as Beautiful

2009-12-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

To be seen as beautiful--what a wonderful thing! A week ago I photographed a family whom I have been photographing since the first pregnancy. That would be 11 years of annual photographs. The kids come to my studio once a year and for an afternoon they get to just be themselves in front of camera. It is amazing to see their personalities blossom. Their mom told me that the oldest daughter told her that it makes her feel beautiful to be photographed. And she is. And we all are. And sometimes it helps if we take a moment to say that to someone. To behold someone as beautiful--go ahead, make someone's day!

May 2009

2009-05-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

An update! I have just spent a good amount of time sending This is Who I Am to about 50 corporations, foundations, talk shows, hospitals and clinics. My hope is that it may be used by human relations departments for employees and also for clients. I am also working on orchestrating workshops for women and for mothers and daughters around the topic of body image, compassion and appreciation for ourselves and each others. I am also talking to eating disorders treatment centers about using the book as a therapeutic resource. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas for me, I would love to hear from you!

2009-02-24T15:53:00.001-08:00

Emily Report

2009-02-24T15:16:00.000-08:00

Emily appears to be doing well. I'm told that she walked 18 laps around the hospital (that's a mile). I joked with her that she will be the first lung transplant patient to run a marathon when she leaves the hospital! Yesterday I took this photo of her as "princess" ruling the day. Beautiful as ever.

Emily's New Lungs

2009-02-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

Emily, the first young woman in my book, has had cystic fibrosis for her whole life. In the past few years she has become increasingly incapacitated by the disease. Finally, after several trips to Seattle for tests, she was put on the lung transplant list. On Monday, 2/16 she and her parents received the call to come to Seattle. They had to arrive within four hours. They left Eugene before 9:00 a.m. and by 12:30 she was in surgery. She is now in intensive care at the UW Medical Center and is apparently doing well. We wish her love and an excellent recovery. It will be long and difficult but Emily is tough and determined. Go Emily!!

November 21, 2008 Miami, FL

2008-11-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T16:09:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

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.

Upcoming Events

2008-09-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Upcoming events for the book are listed in my “readings” section of the web-site: www.bodyimagebook.com. But as a reminder, I will be speaking at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island on Thursday October 2 and at Book Passage in Corte Madera (Bay Area) on Saturday October 25. More to come!

Minot, N.D.

2008-09-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

On September 11, a day etched in our memories, and a perfect day to talk about compassion, I gave a talk at Minot State University in Minot, ND. Minot is my home town and Minot State is where I graduated with my undergraduate degree. There are a lot of deep connections for me, including my parents and my uncle, who came to the lecture. It was a nearly-full auditorium of about 200 people. After the talk I signed books and talked to some people whom I have known since I was a child. There were also many young women in the crowd, one in particular named K.M.. She sent me this beautiful letter in an email: I cried during the presentation and after when I got back to my dorm. I had to call my mom back home to vent the emotions that I was feeling. I feel that I am now empowered to be who I want to be––and that's okay. For as long as I can remember I have been so scared of being judged and my mind has opened up a little wider and now I can look at the world with confidence and let them judge me. I will be able to retort "well, this is me!"

New York City

2008-09-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

I gave a talk at the Columbia University Narrative Medicine Rounds in New York City on September 3. Narrative Medicine is a program for medical students and faculty at Columbia University that was started by Dr. Rita Charon. The purpose of the program is to use poetry, writing and the visual arts to help doctors learn to be more deeply compassionate toward their patients. Dr. Charon wrote the foreword for my book. At the lecture (accompanied by a slide show), the audience consisted of doctors, psychotherapists, medical students, eating disorders specialists and more. It was truly humbling and yet exciting to be able to talk about my book and the idea of compassion for ourselves and each other. I wondered if the act of compassionate photography can help people heal?

On September 5, a balmy Friday evening, I gave a private reading to a group of about 35 people at my friend Caroline’s beautiful rooftop apartment near Central Park in New York. We had very congenial group of old and new friends who enjoyed wine and conversation. I gave a 20-minute reading and then we had books available for people who wanted to buy them. The party was scheduled to end at 9:00 but it went until 11:00, just as the rain moved into the city.

Blogs, BBC and Santa Fe

2008-07-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to those who have posted news about This Is Who I Am on their blogs and web-sites. The book was just released in the UK and I was interviewed by the BBC radio two weeks ago--an incisive and spunky interview by Vanessa Feltz. This past weekend (July 5) I had a reading in Santa Fe. The books sold out completely. Among the audience was school nurse who bought a book for her middle-school students. And a middle school teacher bought a book to share with his class. A woman from Seattle bought 10 books to give to her daughter's middle-school friends. This makes me very happy because the conversation about body image and compassion really needs to begin early.

May 2, 2008

2008-05-02T14:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was interviewed by about seven radio stations as I sat in my office answering the telephone. The first one came in at 5:45 a.m. The last one finished about 7:45 p.m. Interviewers called from places such as Milwaukee, Winnepeg, Poughkeepsie and Grand Rapids. The questions were really thought-provoking and would lead to good discussions any time. We are now working on a Readers' Guide that may be of use to book clubs, therapists, etc. Will keep you up to date on that.

April 20, 2008

2008-04-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

My husband (Ted McMahon) and I make a quick trip to Portland and Eugene for a weekend of readings. As we drove to Portland we went through snow and hail. Several cars had spun off the road just as we drove by. It was wild! In Portland I read at In Other Words to an intimate group. In Eugene, where I lived for many years, we had a great turnout at the University of Oregon Duck Store. I'm told that there were 175 people. The store sold all of their books! I got to see many familiar faces from years past, including Brian and Lynda Lanker (http://www.brianlanker.com) and Duncan and Jane McDonald. It was a really beautiful trip.

April 13, 2008

2008-04-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Five of the women from the book and I flew to New York to be on Good Morning America. We each had makeup applied by the ABC makeup artists and then we were escorted to the set where each woman was positioned in front of a giant enlargement of her photograph from the book. The host, Juju Chung, asked each of us a question--and it was over so quickly, in just four minutes. But it was great to get the national interest in the book. You can see a YouTube of the segment at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TeAZcBddpI

April 9, 2008

2008-04-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have gotten some very moving emails from women who responded to the reading and to the message of the book. It occurs to me that we are in need of healing in our society. We have had so much talk of war and now talk of a downward spiral in the economy. Isn’t there something good to discuss? My hope is that this book will ignite a spark of something positive to talk about among ourselves.

Here's an excerpt of one:

I checked out the book and I'm buying 3 copies - one for us, one for my sister, and one for my 12 year old niece! It looks wonderful. It comes at a great time, as I just had yet another long talk with S. about real beauty (she's always wishing for white skin....).
I think work like this is very important, and a must see for our girls. Even though our 7th grade girls are sheltered a lot from main-stream media , the disturbing and warped view of 'BEAUTY' in our culture is pervasive. The more we can empower their real sense of what true beauty is the stronger they will be in so many ways.
Thanks so much. L.M. 4/08

April 8, 2008

2008-04-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

My first reading of the book was held at the venerable Elliott Bay Book. Co. in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. I didn’t know what to expect. Would 25 people come? One hundred? It turns out that 200 people came to the reading, including many friends and others who had just found out about the book through the Seattle P-I article. I feel so grateful find that there is so much interest in the book. People bought multiple copies for friends and family until the bookstore ran out of books!

April 7, 2008

2008-04-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a wonderful story by John Marshall that gave a front section and an inside page to the story about the book. They helped spread the word about the first reading at Elliott Bay Book Co. See the article at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/358093_thisiam08.html

April 5, 2008 Book Release Party

2008-04-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

We had a huge, beautiful party of about 200 people to celebrate the release of This Is Who I Am. Many of the women in the book were there—with name tags so they could identify each other and sign autographs on their pages. Everyone was a celebrity! We had a jazz trio, chocolates and desserts and pink champagne to toast the incredibly courageous women who participated in the project. Both Alice and Bea (both 95 in the book) came to the party, as did Shonagh’s daughters, Maddie and Serena. It was one of the best parties of my life—filled with joy and smiles and friends. See the link for the party at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECq7yaIheOg

Our Beauty

2008-03-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

My deepest wish for This is who I am--our beauty in all shapes and sizes is to start a communication among women and men. We have long been influenced by advertising to think that there is only one type of beauty, which few can achieve. But in truth, there are many kinds of beauty. I hope this book will be used in mother-daughter book clubs, in women's studies programs, as gifts to our sisters, daughters, mothers. The other day a male friend called me to say that he had seen the book. He said he had never seen photographs of women such as this, as he was used to seeing photos of women stylized by men's magazines. I hope this book will help open eyes and hearts. I hope the conversations will be of healing and compassion.

Rosanne