You are holding in your hands a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Selkie Noticia is a nonfiction anthology on the theme of breaking silence. Our authors are people of diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities, each of us carrying a story that we once kept silent, but now feel ready to share.

Authentic stories are precious gifts in a world where there is so much praise for conformity, distraction, and disconnection from ourselves and each other. Yet true stories are not always easy to share, as they can contain difficult content from the teller’s life. Accordingly, this book contains topics that may be considered taboo or otherwise sensitive. The stories we have selected cover a range of topics, from childhood trauma to parenthood experiences, culture, body image, substance use, health and illness, relationships, sexuality, violence, grief, hope, and joy. We invite the reader to approach this book with empathy and an open mind.

The courageous and vulnerable shares from our contributing authors have created a window through which the complexity of the human experience can be seen, both joyful and painful. It is our belief that by listening to each other as we tell the tale, we create a container in which healing can occur.