The Hidden Layers of Infertility

Ep.#253 - The Hidden Layers of Intertilty. An Interview with Maria Novotny and Robin Silbergeid I am honored to welcome Maria Novotny and Robin Silbergeid to Empowering Chats. I am thrilled to have these two women on my show today. They have a powerful story to share and one that appears in the book entitled, Infertilities, A Curation. These two women, along with Elizabeth Horn put this book together as a result of their shared experiences around infertility. It all started with Elizabeth co-finding the ART of Infertility, for which she has curated thirty exhibits since its inception in 2014. Maria is the co-director of The ART of Infertility. This exhibit was the recipient of the 2018 Hope Award for Innovation given by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association for its work communicating patient experiences through arts programming. And Robin is a writer, a teacher and a scholar who has led many writing workshops and professional conference panels on topics related to infertility. These 3 women collaborated in getting this book put together to highlight how the use of visual art, poetry and creative non-fiction could and did have a hand in helping people from all walks of life heal from the diagnosis of infertility. I started this empowering chat by quoting the opening passage in the book, Infertilities, A Curation.  It goes like this, Infertility begins slowly, quietly with questions and uncertainty . . . and infertility begins with a growing awareness that making a family won’t be easy. It Won’t happen after a month or 3 or maybe even a year. Infertility begins with the choice to have a child. Infertility begins in the doctor’s office with tests and diagnostics codes. Infertility begins with sex. Infertility begins with asking a friend to donate sperm. Infertility begins with the arrival of blood each month . . . with a new cycle . . . with optimism and possibility . . . a first attempt at IVF . . . each treatment cycle can work or not. The written and visual art in this book presents emotional beginnings with individuals wrestling with the diagnosis of infertility and what it means to build family in various contexts. It's an emotional process. And both Maria and Robin shared what it is like to live with infertility and what it means for those women or men, or single “want to be parents” who identify as transgender or LGBTQ to get this diagnosis. This book boldly illustrates how creativity can help people heal. One review states, in part, “This daring collection harnesses the power of the arts to dismantle isolation and stigma, letting the light shine through to reveal the hidden layers of the infertility experience.” I am so humbled and grateful for the work these amazing women have done individually and collectively to bring this topic to the forefront. The healing use of art and creative writing has been a gift for those suffering from infertility. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has been a support for someone suffering with infertility or if you yourself have had a firsthand experience with this diagnosis, know that you are not alone. To purchase the book visit: Wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/infertilities-curation To learn more about me and how I show up in the world visit: SusanBurrell.com