Dear Katie: Survivor Stories

In this week's episode, Claire and Katie sit down with Aishah Shahidah Simmons to discuss her survivorship, and the trauma and healing that would develop her artistic voice. Aishah’s lived experiences as a survivor of childhood and adult sexual violence, a Black feminist lesbian, and a long-term Buddhist practitioner inform the creation of her work. Aishah Shahidah Simmons (she/her) is the creator...

After being roofied and raped at an off-campus party, Jeanne was devastated to learn that the Title IX laws currently in place would not help her receive justice. Now, she leads her all-women's liberal arts college toward her vision for change.    Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Jeanne Wolkiewicz Editor: Bob Kanygin Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang  

Dear Katie: Page 2 brings you bonus interviews and resources from advocates and experts.  This interview with Allison Jones-Lockwood discusses her career working with survivors beginning in the U.S. Navy. She has since worked for rape crisis centers in California, Kansas, and Missouri. She currently works to develop training materials for End Violence Against Women International, a nonprofit that ...

They had known each other for years; she was a bridesmaid at her wedding, and knew her family and all their friends.  But Blair's trust in her dance teacher was dashed when one night, she was a bystander in Blair's rape. How could she trust anyone again? This is Blair's story of recovery and where she is today. Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editors: Bob Kanygin and Craig Stanton  Produce...

Ashley Dequilla is a Filipino artist and activist who was assaulted during her time as an undergrad at William and Mary. In this episode, she talks about her unsupportive family and history of abusive relationships following that night. It is the birth of her daughter and the overwhelming love she feels for her that allows Ashley to reframe her situation and want better for herself. Now, she's enr...

Anne’s deep Christian faith was both her burden and her source of strength: it prevented her from understanding that the assault wasn’t her fault, and in turn the assault damaged her relationship with God. Yet over time, that faith allowed her to find her way back to herself and to a stronger spiritual life. Hosts: Katie Koestner and Sandra Miles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Bob Kanygin  

Welcome to Season 2 of the Dear Katie: Survivor Stories Podcast! We are pleased to welcome an additional two hosts to future episodes of Dear Katie: Survivor Stories. Claire, Sandra, and Kavita will take turns sharing space with Katie and our guests. Dr. Claire Kaplan is an associate producer on the Dear Katie podcast, and has been the co-host through all of season one. She began her activist work...

Sabrina wanted to become a firefighter. Perhaps it was the betrayal of the community she vowed to protect that hurt the most. When her certification teacher assaulted her, she tried to ignore it and pretend it wasn't happening. When her small town found out about the assault, they shunned and blamed her. Her school told her not to come to prom so she wouldn't cause a scene. She was forbidden from...

Taylor was a freshman college athlete who was assaulted after a party. Her story is shockingly common - and she explains that she felt like she grew up in a liberal area, and thought she was prepared for college. This episode, Katie, Claire, and Taylor talk about the lack of education teenagers receive before living on their own, and how that can impact their early sexual encounters.  Hosts: Katie...

Sharlene was labeled a troubled child as a result of sexual abuse. Nobody asked her what was wrong. When she cried at the empty bus stop or refused to eat, she was seen as a bad kid. Now, as a grandmother in her sixties, she has wisdom to share. Sharlene watches her children and her grandchildren closely, and protects them from harm. Decades later, she is able to shed the guilt and pain and go on...

When she was eight years old, Lillyhanna was molested by her sixteen year old cousin. She was later raped by a family friend. It took many years for her to begin her healing process, but now she understands what it is she needs to do when she has memories of the past. She explains how she is surrounded by a strong support network, and how invaluable that is to her.  Hosts: Katie Koestner and Clair...

Lilleana knows what happens when your abuser is well connected. The man who abused her, a family friend, molested her from age 9-11. She did report it, but nothing will be done since he has three sons on the police force and his brother is a detective. Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Tony Zaret Voice Actor: Zia Edgell  

Laura Davis has helped survivors world over with her book The Courage To Heal, co-authored by Laura Bass. She has now written a memoir of her fraught relationship with her mother. The Shining Light of Two Stars is a riveting story of the love and anger that drew them together and pulled them apart in the decades since Laura told her mother that her grandfather sexually abused her. In this episode...

Ella is bold and sure of herself - and it is for this reason that, after two seniors rape her in her own dorm room, she doesn't report. It is only as she brags to her roommate about the encounter does her roommate correct her: "Ella, what happened to you was assault." She spends the next few years hiding behind the men she dates, until she finally graduates and is free. Ella provides listeners wit...

Kelly is a single mother ready to enter the world of online dating. She connects with a man whose friendly façade quickly fades to reveal a sexually violent manipulator who takes advantage of Kelly's vulnerability. His control over her doesn't last long, however; learn how this axe-throwing superwoman took back her power and prevented him from preying on anyone else.  Hosts: Katie Koestner and Cla...

Fern's story doesn't add up. Four drinks leave her vomiting and unable to walk as she is practically carried to a shower where she is raped while unconscious. This survivor recounts in flashes her assault and the invasive legal processes that she hoped would lead to closure. Fern gives listeners tips for healing even after police insist she has no case. Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Edit...

Actor Anthony Edwards joins Katie and Claire to discuss the sexual abuse he experienced starting at the age of 12 by a trusted adult mentor, and how that experience informs his acting, his career, and his personal life. Edwards is a four-time Emmy-nominated actor and winner of the Golden Globe Award in 1998 for his work on the network television series ER. He most recently performed as Mr. Frankli...

Gordon Braxton joins Katie and Claire to discuss how his work as an activist and educator has shaped his upcoming book, which focuses on violence prevention and specifically addresses black boys. Braxton talks about challenging stereotypes, changing narratives, and the hope he sees in the next generation.  Braxton is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Harvard Graduate School of Educa...

Jasmine woke up with a hangover and an unfamiliar pain: the ghost of handprints around her neck, gripping her collarbone. She stumbled into the bathroom where she found a sticky note on the mirror: "Plan B," it read, in her ex-boyfriend's handwriting.    Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Tony Zaret Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Act...

Courtney is a meticulous counter. She counts napkins as she presses them at work. She left a little dot in her journal each day she was assaulted by an abusive boyfriend in her teens - adding up to a total of 27 times. This episode, Katie and Claire speak with a survivor whose partner so crushed her spirit that she lost herself, and how she finally untangled herself from his lies. Hosts: Katie Koe...

Barbara was eleven when the sexual abuse began. Her brother was five years older and the golden child. When she was twelve, he raped her. Barbara suffocated the memories, pushed people away, went M.I.A. in order to cope. Nobody knew, not even her husband, until the anxiety attacks became so debilitating that her strong façade shattered. Barb reminds us that we never know someone's story; we can ne...

On our first expert episode, Katie and Claire sit down with Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan to discuss their book Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus. Published in January 2020, Sexual Citizens analyzes why sexual assault is so prevalent on college campuses, and how space and power dynamics influence who has control.  Jennifer Hirsch is a professor of Socio-medical Sciences at the M...

Severe abuse at a young age can leave a person fragmented, left with different selves to cope with varying emotions and stressors. In this episode, Carrie Ann unpacks her experience living with dissociative identity disorder, including her struggle to find a correct diagnosis. Now, with the help of mental health professionals and a close network of friends, she has found her way to healing. Hosts:...

What was supposed to be a fun day of swimming at her boyfriend's home turned into an ambush and rape in his parents' basement. The assault changed this young teenage girl's life forever: her career aspirations, her dreams, her life trajectory. It left such a mark on this artist and poet that 51 years later, she published a new volume of poetry that addressed her trauma, revealing her experience to...

Blanca meets a guy at a house party. He's nice enough, but the more she drinks, the more charming he seems. Friends hear about – and see – their hookup, but nobody steps in. The next day, Gossip Central. Blanca is mortified and, worse, memoryless. What does she do now--with the friends who didn't step in when they knew how much she drank? With the secondhand stories? How can we learn to make peace...