A Kootenay author will be introducing her first book with a book launch and a recovery conversation at the Castlegar & District Public Library next week.
D.M.Ditson’s award-winning memoir Wide Open is a raw and emotional account of unravelling in the wake of a series of sexual assaults by several men that left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Written during her recovery, Ditson shares her remarkable story of resilience to offer survivors hope – and maybe even proof – that they too can heal.
“This incredibly brave and powerful memoir is written in prose both luminous and stark,” said Alison Pick, Man Booker Prize-nominated author of Strangers with the Same Dream and Far to Go. “I read it in one gulp, in awe of the author’s willingness to surrender to her experience of trauma and of her generosity in sharing her journey with her readers. Wide Open will take you to the farthest reaches of what it means to be human.”
Ditson believes it is crucial that the national dialogue about sexual assault include conversations about PTSD and recovery.
Before Ditson’s manuscript had been selected by a publisher, it was awarded the John V. Hicks non-fiction prize.
This event will take place on September 18 at 6:30 p.m. It is made possible by the support of the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance and the Columbia Basin Trust.