Book Launch / Victim by Karen Moe

On Saturday, April 02 from 5pm to 7pm, join Massy Books, Massy Arts, and art critic, author and feminist activist Karen Moe for the in-person launch of her book: "Victim: A Feminist Manifesto from a Fierce Survivor" (2022, Vigilance Press).

In her debut work, a compelling survival story of a vibrant young woman being stripped of her easy-going nature by capture and sexual violence, Moe writes a powerful and immersive memoir about patriarchal hierarchy and how it allows a climate for abuse to occur and go under-addressed.

At the event, Moe will be joined by co-host Rene del Pieve Gobbi and soundscape artist Soressa Gardner in a night of literary and musical performances to celebrate womanhood, to raise awareness for the voiceless, and to advocate and demand social justice for women and other victims in a world where male-oriented machinations rule.

Copies of "Victim" will be sold at the launch, and the author will donate $1 from the sale of each book to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in Vancouver, a community organization that support over 700 women, children and seniors in situation of exploitation, injustice, injury, and social vulnerability.

The event will be hosted at the Massy Arts Gallery, at 23 East Pender Street in Chinatown, Vancouver.

The book launch is free + open to all of our community, and registration is mandatory.

Covid Protocols: For all in-person events, attendees must provide proof of vaccination, wear a mask (N95 masks are encouraged and recommended as they offer the best protection), and consent to having their temperature checked at the front door. We kindly ask that if you are showing any symptoms, that you stay home. Thank you kindly.

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The Book

Imagine being a carefree, independent young woman enjoying life. Your bold, adventurous spirit pulls you to travel to distant locales. Then out of nowhere, you’re abducted, assaulted, and raped. That is the terror-filled experience that Karen Moe survived almost thirty years ago.

But this is not only a crime story. This is not even just a survivor's tale. Instead, this is a manifesto. In dialogue with other feminists and through case studies from around the world, Moe uses her trauma to shine a light on how not only violence against women, but all exploitation, is a natural result of patriarchal hierarchy. Yes, this is Moe’s story of triumph over violence, but it is also a call-to-action for both men and women.

Moe’s direct, unflinching memoir allows readers a glimpse at the adventurous but uncertain person she was prior to the assault. That narrative explodes with stunning detail as she is tricked, strangled, bound and abducted. Raped repeatedly in the horrifying span of nearly twenty-four hours, the story evolves into one of empowerment and survival as Moe tricks the serial rapist into letting her go. “As far as I was concerned, I was already dead.

And, strangely enough, little did I know then, thinking I was dead was starting to give me power—I had nothing to lose.” Moe recounts the courageous lengths she went to, returning after her escape to collect evidence, putting herself in further danger. These efforts would be instrumental in putting her attacker behind bars for life.

Moe, not one to shy away from hard truths, uses her attack as a launching pad to examine the ways women are both conditioned to be victims and the excuses society makes for toxic male behavior.

The ultimate goal of Victim: a feminist manifesto from a fierce survivor is to provide tools for resistance against a culture of exploitation. “In the end, what I have suffered and survived has given me a gift. Now, resistance, fighting for justice, is what I live for. My life is far bigger than myself.”

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The Author

Karen Moe is an art critic, visual and performance artist, author and feminist activist. Her work focuses on systemic violence in patriarchy: be it gender, race, the environment or speciesism.

Her art criticism has been published internationally in magazines, anthologies and artist catalogues in English and Spanish and she has exhibited and performed across Canada, in the US and in Mexico. She is the founder of the Vigilance Fierce Feminisms Magazine.

Her debut book, Victim: A Feminist Manifesto from a Fierce Survivor is being published on April 2nd, 2022. Karen lives in Mexico City and British Columbia, Canada.

www.karenmoeauthor.com

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