Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

NOW AVAILABLE: I AM THE PRODUCT OF RAPE A MEMOIR BY CATHERINE WYATT-MORLEY & JALYON WELSH-COLE

A MOVING, INSPIRATIONAL ACCOUNT OF A FAMILY’S SECRETS AND LIES

And, The Companion Interactive Workbooks THE HEALING JOURNEY

VOLUMES 1 & 2 By Catherine Wyatt-Morley and Jalyon Welsh-Cole Providing Essential Skills to Recover from Stress, Trauma and the Adversities of Sexual Abuse and Live a Fulfilling Life

Advance Praise for I AM THE PRODUCT OF RAPE A MEMOIR “This is a must-have book for survivors, friends, and families of survivors, and educators.” — Pacific Book Review

Advance Praise for THE HEALING JOURNEY VOLUMES 1 & 2 “The authors have experience and expertise to share their story in a manner that is both engaging and educational. This workbook is an excellent tool for psychoeducation for victim/survivors of sexual abuse and sexual trauma. These workbooks provide support for a holistic healing journey and can be an excellent resource for small groups from the survivor’s perspective.” — Sharon L. Travis, Sexual Assault Center (SAC)

“… a God Sent for both client and mental health providers.” — Hannah M. Carroll, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, CHL)

NEW YORK, NY (April 2, 2019) – Rape is a tragedy no person should have to endure. In the unflinching, memoir I AM THE PRODUCT OF RAPE A MEMOIR by Catherine Wyatt-Morley, the author traces the shocking story of rape and incest that plagued four generations of her family. The account chronicles Wyatt-Morley’s birth in a filthy basement to her 12-year-old mother who was sexually abused by her step-father, living as a child of rape and the heartbreaking discovery that her daughter, Jalyon Welsh-Cole, had been abused by her eldest brother. Part memoir, part declaration of owning one’s truth, the narrative leads to a conclusion of overcoming tremendous odds. The book is available for sale at Amazon.com and via the author’s website www.catherinewyatt-morley.com.

“In the process of writing the book, an extremely difficult journey that took years, I was taken to unfamiliar destinations and exposed to unfathomable pain,” said Wyatt-Morley. “As a way of dealing with my personal healing, I had conversations with women from diverse backgrounds and I quickly began seeing I was not alone. As we owned our truth, so many had never told anyone of the abuse that happened to them; yet they have a need to heal, to not feel isolated.”

“Learning my mother’s story, made me feel as if our bloodline was full of secrets and lies that I wanted to expose,” said Welsh-Cole. “For over two decades I kept to myself the heinous secret of sexual assault and domestic violence I endured from my brother. I have had time to bury it, cry over it and finally seek therapy and come to grips with it. I will not allow this pattern of shame and abuse shape our family legacy.”
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). To help women with histories of molestation, incest, rape, sexual assault, trauma and domestic violence–especially women of color who are often more affected. According to a study reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2014 about 22% of Black women reported being raped and 41% experienced other forms of sexual violence. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, (RAINN), approximately 60% of Black girls experience sexual abuse

by age 18.

As an outgrowth to I AM THE PRODUCT OF RAPE A MEMOIR, Wyatt-Morley along with her daughter Jalyon Welsh-Cole, created the companion workbooks *THE HEALING JOURNEY, VOLUMES 1 &2. Volume I deals with molestation and incest. Volume II focuses on trauma and rape. The interactive workbooks provide skills to recover from stress, trauma, and the adversities of sexual abuse and embark on a path towards healing. The interactive workbooks provide skills to recover from stress, trauma, and the adversities of sexual abuse and embark on a path towards healing. The workbooks are available for sale at Amazon.com

and www.catherinewyatt-morley.com.

*The developers of THE HEALING JOURNEY, VOLUME 1 &2 encourage every individual working through the exercises to include a mental health provider.

About the Authors:


Catherine Wyatt-Morley is the founder, chief executive officer and heartbeat of Women On Maintaining Education and Nutrition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social service organization for the at-risk and HIV-positive community. For more than 25 years, Wyatt-Morley has steadfastly advocated against female and sexual injustice, pioneered compassionate programing to give voice to the voiceless and worked towards the elimination of HIV and sexual violence through prevention, education and social change. In 1994, she founded Women On Reasons To Heal (W.O.R.T.H.), the first and what has become the oldest HIV-positive women’s support group in Middle Tennessee. Also, she has successfully established a branch of W.O.M.E.N. in Nairobi, Kenya.


Catherine Wyatt-Morley is the founder, chief executive officer and heartbeat of Women On Maintaining Education and Nutrition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social service organization for the at-risk and HIV-positive community. For more than 25 years, Wyatt-Morley has steadfastly advocated against female and sexual injustice, pioneered compassionate programing to give voice to the voiceless and worked towards the elimination of HIV and sexual violence through prevention, education and social change. In 1994, she founded Women On Reasons To Heal (W.O.R.T.H.), the first and what has become the oldest HIV-positive women’s support group in Middle Tennessee. Also, she has successfully established a branch of W.O.M.E.N. in Nairobi, Kenya.


Wyatt-Morley, a sought-after speaker, has appeared in countless media outlets nationwide, including SELF Magazine, “The Today Show,” A&U Magazine, POZ Magazine, CNN, Voices of America, MSNBC, Talk America Radio, FX Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, The Los Angeles Times, The Palm Beach Post, The Indianapolis Indiana Recorder, The Canadian Sun, Nashville Scene, and The Tennessean.


Jalyon Welsh-Cole is the director of Women On Maintaining Education and Nutrition, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit social service organization. Since 2010, Welsh-Cole’s has integrated a comprehensive, coordinated, community response providing direct, holistic engaging services to victims and survivors, offering sexual assault awareness, prevention, training, and advocacy through each stage of the healing process. Welsh-Cole began writing when she was very young, starting with short stories and poems. As a teen, she was inspired to draw, finding comfort and creativity in her art. She joined forces with Wyatt-Morley to share her story in the essay “Burning House” in response to I AM THE PRODUCT OF RAPE A MEMOIR. Together, they also have created #HealingSecretHurts workshops, that allow participants to work through the shame of sexual trauma to bring the abuse out of the darkness and into the light.

I Am a Product of Rape A Memoir

194 pages.

Softcover, $15.95; ISBN:  978-0-9966242-0-6

E-book, $3.99; ISBN:  0996624201

Publication date: April 12, 2018

Published by Four Pillars Media Group

Available at Amazon.com and directly from the authors

Web site: www.catherinewyatt-morley.com

_____________________________________________________________________________

Contact:

Catherine Wyatt-Morley or Jalyon Welsh-Cole

615.256.3882

 [email protected]