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Los Angeles-based therapist, psychologist, actor, artist and activist Hector Aristizabal tells his compelling story in a new book with Diane Lefer called The Blessing Next to the Wound: A Story of Art, Activism, and Transformation. Aristizabal was born and raised in Colombia during an era of repression, and survived a harrowing experience of military detention, interrogation, and torture. Coming to the United States, he began to practice his own training, providing support and therapy for at-risk and incarcerated youth, immigrants, and others. When the Iraq Abu Ghraib torture scandal broke in 2006, it moved Artistizabal into action. He participated in anti-torture events, eventually creating a play about his experiences called Nightwind, which he has performed all over the world. In his book, The Blessing Next to the Wound, he tells the story, not only of what happened to him, but also his family in Colombia, and the work that blossomed out of his experiences.

GUESTS: Hector Aristizabal, artist, activist, therapist, and author of The Blessing Next to the Wound, Diane Lefer, author, playwright and activist who writes for the LA Progressive

Hector and Diane will be speaking at the following bookstores:

Thursday November 11th @ 7:30 pm:
Village Books
1049 Swarthmore Ave.
Pacific Palisades

Friday November 12th @ 7 pm:
Vroman’s Bookstore
695 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena

Find out more about the book at www.imaginaction.org.