”  For years, she said nothing.

Then, last year, in a classroom filled with those who had been there, those who understood, something in Maggie Shartel cracked open. And the story she had held inside spilled over more than 80 pages. She called it “Cobblestones,” and it recounted her being sexually assaulted while serving in the military.

“I thought it would be a better way for me to get down to the nitty-gritty, to the heart of why I was being seen at the Federal Way Vet Center,” she said, adding that she had been receiving counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder.

That “better way” was found at The Red Badge Project writing program,  which hundreds of veterans have used to exorcise the impact of their military experiences, and turn them into prose…”

Link to the Seattle Times Article Here |