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Those are the words of memorist Hannah Sward, who recently participated in The Stories We Tell, The Voices and Faces Project's immersive, two-day testimonial writing program for survivors of gender-based violence and other social injustices.

A writer whose critically praised memoir, Strip, speaks beautifully to the pain caused by the sex trade, Hannah's voice is changing the way the world looks at commercial sexual exploitation. And, as one of our Stories We Tell writing workshop alums, she is part of a global Voices and Faces Project community — now almost 1300 writers strong — who are using their personal narratives to create political and social change.

During each Stories We Tell workshop a cohort of emerging and established writers and activists come together to read and discuss culture-changing literature and representation from across history and social justice movements… take part in a series of innovative, real time writing exercises… and share creative work in moderated, trauma-informed feedback sessions. With a focus on memoir, fiction, non-fiction and poetry, The Stories We Tell was created to support those who seek to use testimonial writing as a vehicle for personal or political transformation.

Facilitated by Voices and Faces Project founder Anne K. Ream, the author of Lived Through This, a memoir of her global journey spent listening to survivors of gender-based violence, and taught by novelist and Yale University creative writing instructor R. Clifton Spargo, our award-winning testimonial writing program isn't just training writers. It's changing lives.