Femme On Creatives with Jill Christman

Alyson sits down with Jill Christman, serial memoirist, editor and author of The Heart Folds Early, a book about choice. The most obvious being her choice to have abortion when she finds out halfway through her pregnancy that her child has developed only half a heart and will live a short and incredibly painful life if he is carried to term. It is also about her choice to heal, to keep hoping, to keep building a family and a life, in the face of loss and trauma. Alyson loved the book and connected with Jill on so many levels. An incredibly powerful conversation.This passage is one of Alyson’s favorites:“I tried to push the pain under by submerging memory, but we all know repression doesn't work forever. Holding onto secrets makes us vulnerable, and there is always someone waiting to exploit that vulnerability. This is one of the ways that patriarchy does its work. The patriarchy teaches us to capitulate, smooth over, hide. Most damaging, the patriarchy teaches us to stay silent. The patriarchy discourages real healing because healed humans want bodily autonomy. Healed humans want their power back. Wounded, hiding humans are easier to manipulate. When we’re at our most vulnerable, there's usually someone waiting to use our subterranean pain to get what they want out of you. Above ground.”You can find Jill and her books at her website: https://jillchristman.com/