Proud to be A Voice for Mothers
I have always been a huge supporter of Land of Gazillion Adoptees since they burst on the AdoptionLand scene less than two years ago. For one, founder and head honcho adoptee Kevin Haebeom Vollmers is my kind of crazy. Meaning he just puts it all out there, he dreams big, he’s not afraid to work with people that were NOT suppose to engage. I love that he sticks his neck out and I love that he is also a huge proponent of bringing folks together to increase the power of or voices.
I should say “adoptee voices” because that is what it is about really. If you haven’t heard me say “listen to the Adoptees” about 20 times yet, then you haven’t been around long! While the experiences of birthmothers like myself and the other moms here I share do need to be understood and have great value, what adoption means to the adoptee and what they have to say about the choices made by the adults in their lives is paramount to policy and understanding of an adoptee focused practice.
After all, adoption is supposed to be “best” for the child. So who better to say what it should be than the adult adoptees who lived it?
In any case, I was thrilled and did not hesitate at all when Kevin asked me if I would consider being part of the LGA team. I had no idea what that would entail, but I was all in for the ride.
Better Than I Imagined; Gazillion Voices
As I said, Kevin dreams big. And that dream is about to come to fruition this August!
Gazillion Voices will be an adoptee-led magazine focusing on topics and issues important to the adoption community and beyond. Currently, while Kevin teases us with posts and excerpts from the inaugural issue, there is a KickStarter campaign going to defray the costs of creating a real magazine!
Please take a peek and if you can help with a contribution. If you cannot help financially, please take a minute to share. Post to Facebook, Tweet it, add the campaign to your blog.
Every month, Gazillion Voices and its contributors will offer rich, compelling, and thought-provoking content that will be accessible to a broad audience: exclusive cover stories; visually moving cover images; columns and opinion pieces; film and photo essays that show adoptees in their everyday lives; podcasts that dive into complex issues; video interviews with adoptees from all across the US and world; and thoughts and perspectives about research/policy/legislation, arts/culture, literature, and food. Like other professional magazines, Gazillion Voices has planned well in advance.
In Fantastic Company; The Gazillion Voice Team
I can’t believe they included me!
Individuals familiar with adoption know that the contributors we have assembled for Team Gazillion Voices is impressive. The team includes: Dr. David Amarel, Dr. Amanda Baden, Marissa Borst, Claudia Corrigan D’Arcy, Martha Crawford, Aselefech Evans, Erika Fisher, Shannon Gibney, Shelise Gieseke, Susan Devan Harness, Steve Kalb, JaeRan Kim, Thomas Kim, Laura Klunder, Heewon Lee, Fang Lee, Katie Hae Leo, Mayda, Kat Melgaard, Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, Kit Myers, Suzi Pratt, Dr. John Raible, Jared Rehberg, John Sanvidge, Aron Spiess, Kevin Haebeom Vollmers, and Amanda H.L. Transue-Woolston.
Make sure you check out what is planned for the first issue of Gazillion Voices. My piece is in and I can’t wait!
Don’t forget to LIKE Land of a Gazillion Adoptees on Facebook and Follow @AdopteesRock on Twitter!
