> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.richardjnewman.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# September 13, 2025 - How Writing Poetry Helped Me Come To Terms With What The Men Who Violated Me Did To Me When I Was A Boy
- URL: https://www.richardjnewman.com/events/how-writing-poetry-helped-me-come-to-terms-with-what-the-men-who-violated-me-did-to-me/
- Published: 2025-08-20T16:55:17.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-25T12:43:14.000Z
- Author: Richard Jeffrey Newman
- Tags: Events, Gender, Writing

### A Reading & Discussion at the Jackson Heights Public Library

**Date:** Saturday, September 13  
**Time:** 2:30-3:30  
**Where:** 35-51 81 Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372 • (718) 899-2500  
**Admission:** Free

“It was in the making of poems that I first claimed a voice in which I could name that experience for what it was, and that act of naming has made the difference for me between living the life I have wanted to live and feeling like the only life I deserved was the shame-filled half-life the men who violated me tried to force me into.”

I've written three books of poetry which form a trilogy exploring the impact that surviving childhood sexual violence has had on my life - personally, politically, and professionally. In this talk/reading, I will discuss how writing poetry has helped me give shape and meaning to that impact. Books will be available for sale and signing.