- Ilene Price
You're Never Too Old To Learn The ABC's...
Throwback Thursday ~ Two Years Ago ~ Artist Turned Author
If you asked me to list all the things I have created in my life, I would never have thought a published book would be on that list. I paint, I draw, I photograph, but writing... not so much. To my surprise, two years ago, I published my first book, an illustrated poem.
The idea sparked when we dropped my daughter off at college as a new freshman. The #metoo movement was just coming to light in the news and I had recently watched the CNN documentary “The Hunting Ground,". I knew that my daughter was a very smart kid and understood what rape culture was, but I still worried she might fall into a situation where she could be taken advantage of.
I began jotting down my thoughts about consent and rape culture, based on my own fears as a parent and began playing around with them in poem form, and before you know it, “The ABC’s of Non-Consent” was born. I felt it was important to educate young people of all genders early about consent and sexual assault. It is not an easy conversation to have with your child, but a necessary one. Many teenagers begin to experiment with sex as they enter adolescence. Teaching them that only "yes" means "yes" at this formative time in their life is critical.
Whether you are a parent, an educator or young adult, my hope is that this book can be a tool to help prompt the discussion about what is, and what is not, consent.
