Sheila E. Tucker

ABOUT SHEILA E. TUCKER

Sheila E. Tucker is a writer, poet, graphic designer and painter. Her work has been published in anthologies, magazines, newspapers and e-zines.

She recently served as editor-in-chief for an Ontario anthology of prose, visual art and poetry, and founded and hosts Poetry&Prose, a monthly literary salon in Oakville.

Sheila studied English literature at the University of Toronto, and is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC) and The Ontario Poetry Society (TOPS).  She is also in the Heliconian Club for Women in the Arts and Letters, where she is active in selection committees, book projects and author events.

BLOG

As you know, my website’s themes reflect those of my memoir, Rag Dolls and Rage. To list a few: bullying, deprecation, coercion, abusers, enablers and victimization. And so, this post is to let workers learn of a newly released book by Aryanne Oade, a psychologist and executive coach. It is on the subject of mistreatment in the workforce. The title is Are You Being Bullied At Work?: How to Recover From, Prevent and Cope with a Toxic Workplace.  This book will teach readers to protect themselves by altering the dynamic, as well as preventing being a target of workplace abusers. There are credible examples and case studies that will inspire adults to see themselves differently and gain self-confidence. Easy-to-read key facts you can refer to quickly anytime. Don’t let jealousy, gossip and just plain meanness destroy your work life. You can  learn new skills, and internalize new ways of thinking about yourself. You owe it to yourself.     [...]
Another satisfied customer, called Peta-Gaye, who says she read my book within a week and found it riveting. All profits to charity  – please contact me to buy my book. Or you can find it on Barnes & Noble or Amazon.     [...]
Having read of the unspeakable skeletons in the closet of writer Alice Munro, I will never be able to re-read her books. I am one of those who cannot separate the art from the artist, at least not when it comes to this kind of crime: protecting a pedophile husband and berating her victimized child. The little girl, who was 9 when this horror began for her, is now Andrea Robin Skinner, a middle-aged woman who suffered lifelong reverberations from her trauma at the hands of her step-father. I feel disgust at her real father too, for his daughter reached to him for help and he did nothing. When parents do not protect their child, it is neglect. On the part of Andrea’s mother, Munro, it’s also sociopathic and narcissistic. Andrea Skinner suffered PTSD including bulimia, insomnia and such stress that it ruined her later university studies. Personally, I would say I believe the deep hurt and sense of betrayal at the hands of her mother will be something that she’ll always feel. I say this from experience, having suffered at the hands of a violent pedophile myself, at age 4, all day and every day for a whole year. I was rescued by an aunt. I know from experience what this does to a child’s psyche. One’s worldview is forever changed: a child fearful and distrustful, given to screaming fits and nervous tics, withdrawn, hating oneself and feeling dirty, unworthy. It’s not a great way to grow up, to say the least. Part of the way I helped my recovery was to write a memoir, Rag Dolls and Rage, and another part was to visit a psychotherapist twice a month for a year, whilst writing it. My book was published in 2019; in other words, I spent decades suffering in silence before I grappled with my inner monsters. I know that Andrea Skinner is going to receive all kinds of cruel accusations, cyberbullying and insults for opening up publicly. We’ve all seen what trolls are capable of. However, there are enough of us that will believe her, will feel empathy and hopefully stand up for her. I’m doing so, with this post, but I will also try to reach out to her with a message of support. Perhaps after the swarm of traffic she’ll be under just now, having only just told her story. I am glad she has ‘let it out’ so to speak. It’s part of the recovery. I know it. And we have a right to recover as well as we can, even though it will never be one hundred percent. https://time.com/6995658/alice-munro-legacy-daughter-andrea-skinner-abuse-fremlin-silence-complicity/ [...]
SAVIS

SAVIS offers free and confidential 24/7, one-on-one crisis counselling services, with no judgment, just support.

Services can be short- or long-term in nature and are open to female-identified, male-identified and transgender people aged 14 and over who are survivors of violence, including childhood abuse.

PAPERBACK AND EBOOK AVAILABLE

SIGN UP FOR UPDATES

Signup for the free biannual newsletter, Over The Garden Fence, which will be sent in PDF format, once in the winter and once in the summer.

It will be a medley of both humorous and serious articles alongside puzzles, guest poets, artists and photographers, as well as regular columns such as "Ramblings."

You can unsubscribe at any time!