Adoption Network Cleveland’s virtual Monday Evening Speaker Series is a compelling program designed to engage and inform those interested in adoption, kinship, and foster care. Held most Monday evenings from 8 - 9 PM ET on Zoom, the series presents a broad array of topics relevant to the adoption constellation, from personal narratives to expert insights. Each session offers a unique opportunity for learning and reflection within the community.
“We work hard to curate content from as many different angles of the adoption experience as possible so that we can learn from and understand each other better,” says Ty Cliffel, Director of Programs. “We try to balance content so that many perspectives and points of view are shared.”
The series originated in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March of 2020, Adoption Network Cleveland was in the difficult position of pulling the plug on a long-planned conference as the world shut down. “I wanted to find a way to keep our community together, to keep people connected, and to find outlets for all the anxiety,” says Betsie Norris, Executive Director. Some of the initial speakers were people who had been planned presenters for the conference, and Betsie was able to leverage national and international relationships to schedule and host speakers from all over. Betsie says, “I wanted to seize the moment. I’d never used Zoom but figured we were all in this together, so if I failed, people would be forgiving. We had wanted to launch virtual programming for a long time, so this was the moment to take the leap.” Since then, it has evolved into a regular feature, with recordings available on YouTube for those who wish to view them later.
“We love that we are able to offer this content on demand through our YouTube channel, so no one misses out,” says Ty. “We are also grateful for our presenters who join us as volunteers and share our goal of providing education and support in the adoption community.”
We are pleased to announce an exciting lineup of presenters for the fall session, featuring sessions on adoption memoirs, reflections on working in the field, the use of comedy to discuss difficult topics, adoption and suicidality, discussions with authors and filmmakers, and more. We invite you to join us for one or all of these events. Our sincere thanks go to the presenters and attendees who continue to make this program a success. Read on to learn more about our upcoming Monday Evening Speaker Series presentations.
Adoption Memoirs: Inside Stories with Marianne Novy
Monday, September 9, 2024
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Marianne will discuss her book Adoption Memoirs: Inside Stories (Temple University Press, 2024), which discusses 45 published books and two memoir-like films, by birth mothers, adoptees, and adoptive parents, about adoptions including same-race and transracial, domestic and international, with the largest number written in the 21st century. These memoirs depict happy moments but also the lasting pain of relinquishment, the racism and trauma that some adoptees experienced, and unexpected complexities of adoptive child-rearing for which parents were insufficiently prepared. A few adoptions portrayed were open from the start; most of the memoirs by adoptees and birth mothers and some by adoptive parents recount searches and the development of relationships after reunion. Learn more about Marianne here.
An Adoptee's Reflections on Working in Adoption and Foster Care with Sandi Caesar
Monday, September 23, 2024
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Sandra “Sandi” Caesar is an adoptee and, for many years worked as an adoption professional. She was born Cristina Rodriguez in Panama to a 14-year-old girl who parented her for most of her 1st year. Ultimately, she was placed for adoption by her maternal grandmother without the knowledge or consent of her birth mother. Sandi was adopted by a Black US Air Force family stationed in Panama at the time. Sandi was naturalized as a US citizen at age 2 and moved to Dayton, Ohio at 3 years old. Sandi has been reunited with her birthmother and maternal family in Panama since 2004. Sandi holds a B.S. degree in Human Development from Howard University and an M.S.W. from Indiana University. Like many people in social work, Sandi has found parallels between the work she was drawn to and her personal life – finding answers to many of her own life questions while working with people who are often at their most vulnerable. Sandi is excited to share her own evolution of thought, insights, and experiences working in foster care and adoption as an adoptee with you. Learn more about Sandra here.
How to Bring Lightness to the Tough Stuff with Lauren LoGuidice
Monday, October 7, 2024
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Comedian Lauren LoGiudice loves delving into difficult topics. A few years ago, she found out she was donor conceived after a lifetime wondering why she was the odd-one-out in an Italian-American family, and has been creating comedy about it ever since. During the day she teaches comedy to non-comedians who are seeking to bring similar lightness to their story and in the process has discovered patterns and tools that can help you do the same. Learn more about Lauren here.
The Gathering Place with Emma Stevens aka Linda Pevac
Monday, October 14, 2024
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Emma Stevens aka Linda Pevac is the author of two memoirs, The Gathering Place and A Fire is Coming. Her adoption journey began with being relinquished as an infant and adopted by a mom and dad, with an adoptive brother who had also been adopted two and a half years prior. It’s only in hindsight that Emma has been able to see how her entire life has been colored and altered by being an adoptee. In her first memoir, The Gathering Place, she shares of a magical place she’s created where healing, comfort, and repair take place for the younger parts of herself who never felt safe, seen, heard, or understood. This past March, Emma was named as an Independent Author Award winner in Tucson’s 2024 Festival of Books. Her second book, A Fire is Coming, was just named as a Finalist in the 18th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. Learn more about Emma here.
Adoption and Suicidality Panel with Beth Syverson
Monday, October 21, 2024
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM ET
Adoption and Suicidality: Adopted people are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-adopted peers. Join the contributors to a new book, Adoption and Suicidality, in a discussion about how adoption impacts adoptees' mental health, and how we can all help prevent suicide. The panel, moderated by adoptive mom Beth Syverson, will consist of adoptees who have survived suicide attempts or chronic suicidality and parents whose child struggled with suicidality. Learn more about Beth here.
Stay up to date with current presentations by visiting our Monday Evening Speaker Series webpage.
Listen or watch from our catalog of past recordings by visiting our YouTube channel.
