An event Thursday, Jan. 27, will explore letting go of guilt and blame by survivors of sexual violence.

Author and educator Roxane Gay will join journalist Eternity Martis for “Stories Spark Change,” a conversation addressing how survivors can reclaim their stories and push back against shame to create space for healing.

The event promises to be a celebration of healing, self-love, and pleasure and is part of Consent Action Week, created by the Ontario University Sexual Violence Network to create a dialogue about consent, pleasure, relationships, and promote education about sexual violence.

Gay is the author of the bestsellers Bad Feminist, Hunger, and Difficult Women. She has served as an associate professor of English at Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University, and as a visiting professor at Yale University.

Martis specializes in personal journalism, feature and longform writing, and covers race and racial injustice, gender and gender-based violence, health and reproductive rights, relationships, and identity politics. Her memoir, They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up, won the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Non-Fiction.

The event is free to attend and will run 6:30 to 8 p.m. Find more information and register to join on the event webpage.