Playwright. Speaker. Performer. Writer. Poet. Women's Advocate.
(click name to check out Renee's e-press kit)
"I offer this gift to you as a community service, born from pain, crafted with love, and postmarked from the heart. "
When playwright and poet S. Renee Mitchell was dealing with her psychologically abusive partner she couldn’t identify what was wrong. The signs were there, but she didn’t have a definition for what they meant. And no one could advise her because the abuse happened in secret or it was too subtle to be noticed by people who believed her to be in a “perfect” relationship.
Meanwhile, she kept trying harder to understand her abuser and be understood. It wasn’t until she read a magazine article that she started to recognize her symptoms, which included panic attacks, depression, sleeplessness and nervousness. She then researched the Web. She checked out books. She talked to other women who were silently enduring similar situations.
Renee discovered her partner’s manipulative behavior did have a name: Verbal and emotional (V/E) abuse. And if she, as a highly educated woman, was a victim of it, she believed she had a responsibility to educate more women about it and then help them discover ways to heal from this subtle but devastating form of violence.
Renee's years of tireless advocacy for women led to her being selected in 2006 as one of 21 Leaders of the 21 Century by NYC-based Women eNews. Watch an inspiring video below of her performing and receiving the award.
