So, imagine my surprise when I came across this TedX Talk by Ash Beckman, a lovely woman I met at the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference a few years back. At the time, she was working on composing this very story.
At the time, I didn’t understand her militancy, why she’d abandoned her birth name, Ashley, and why she dressed like a man. I thought she was just trying to be provocative.
In this talk, Ash talks about hiding from others who you truly are. Everyone, at some point in their life, has experienced hardship. The only way out, says Beckham, is to open the door and step out of your closet.
All our closet is, says Ash, is a hard conversation.
What, my Darling, are you hiding? What are you afraid to admit about yourself? How might admitting it all free you up?
