conference proposal
Saturday February 16, 2008
Dear Dr. Miller,
I am in the early stages of putting together an eating disorder conference for next year in New York City. I am writing to you to invite you to become involved at whatever capacity you desire.
I became anorexic at eleven after being molested(by a series of men) and abused (mother). I then battled with anorexia, compulsive running, overeating, drinking and drugs thorough my twenties. I went to college, became a poet and am now a professor of writing.
Since I first sought out help at eighteen, I have seen countless therapists, joined numerous 12 step programs, bought endless books and finally, at 29, put myself into a treatment center. My weight has been stable (I’m 5’4″, weigh 125) for years now.
I began writing as a means to communicate and to find my way out of the darkness I’d lived in my whole life. I have dedicated my life to resolving this complex issue. My work has been published in many journals including the American Poetry Review, Paris Review, Boston Review and others and is anthologized in several collections. In 2006 my first book, RUIN, was published.
I have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of concrete help available to girls and women suffering from eating disorders. Too, I am frustrated with the media’s depiction of eating disorders: belittling sufferer’s experience. My dream is for a conference bringing together clinicians, authors, researchers and “laypeople”, those who suffer from the disease. It will be a weekend conference with many different groups for sufferers, their loved ones and family members.
Again, I am in the early stages of developing this project. I hope you will join me.
Sincerely, C. C.
AM: What helped you in your opinion to overcome your eating disorder after all?