Tag Archives: emotions

Symphony No. 1

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Callen Harty

As I lay in bed in the middle of the night, my thoughts accompanied by Schubert, my mind flashes back to a revelatory moment of my youth. I was playing with my radio, tuning in distant stations as I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged books, classical music, Dean Martin, Denver, emotions, feeling, flutes, Frank Sinatra, French horns, instruments, joy, landscape portrait, Litle Rock, music, Nat King Cole, oboes, portrait, radio, Ray Conniff Singers, reading, Schubert, Singing Nun, sound, sound waves, symphony, timpani, violins, Wayne Newton, youth | Leave a comment

On Dying and Living

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Callen Harty

Let’s start with the basics. You need death to come into your life to know about mortality. Once you accept your own mortality, then you understand you are dying. And with the knowledge of your own movement toward your final … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ability, adventures, alcoholism, alive, anxious, assured, being, bills, brother, cancer, car wrecks, childhood sexual abuse, choice, colon cancer, create, creation, crochet, death, deathbed, depression, dollars, Dr. Garland, dust, emotions, energy, escape, everlasting, existence, experience, father, fear, fearless, feel, gift, grandparents, grave, hate, heart attack, Heaven, here and now, human, illnesses, immortal, joy, life, light, living, llife, love, memories, meningitis, mentor, millionaire, miracle, moment, mortality, mother, mumps, negative, nutrients, old, plane, postive, realization, regrets, reincarnated, scared, scarlet fever, sleep, suicide, survivor, television, things, think, thriving, time, toddler, tomorrow, transforms, universe, vacation, Vietnam, wealth, weekend, wheelchairs, will to live | Leave a comment

The Zen of Ostomy

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Callen Harty

I believe, among other things, that this is a lesson in humility. When the doctor first mentioned the possibility of an ostomy as part of an upcoming procedure my first reaction was one of embarrassment and shame. It sounded gross. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged colostomy bag, death, ego, embarrassment, emotions, equalizer, fear, gratitude, growth, humility, opportunity, ostomy, potential, relationships, selt-pity, shame, thankful, understanding, waste | Leave a comment

On the Child Victims Act

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Callen Harty

This morning, Wisconsin State Representatives Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent and State Senator Lena Taylor introduced two bills at a press conference at the State Capitol. The first was the Child Victims Act, which eliminates the statute of limitations … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, adult survivor, alcohol, bipartisan support, child sex abuse, child sexual assault, Child Victims Act, Chris Taylor, civil suits, clergy, compassion, drugs, emotions, exemptions, flashbacks, helping professions, innocence, Legislature, male survivors, mandatory reporters, Melissa Sargent, recovery, secret, State Capitol, State Senator Lena Taylor, statute of limitations, suicide, survivors, trust, victims, Wisconsin State Representatives | Leave a comment

Pictures of a Lost Youth

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Callen Harty

Trigger warning: This post talks about child sex abuse. Please take care of yourself. My sister has been looking through old photos that my mother had and posting some online for those who are pictured in them. Recently she posted … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aftereffects, Anne Frank, boy, child sex abuse, childhood, emotions, fear, goodness, guilt, happy, high school graduation, hopeful, idealistic, lost innocence, memories, pain, photo, pictures, positive, rape, sadness, sexual abuse, shame, smile, survivors, teen years, trigger warning, vulnerable | Leave a comment

Paths to Healing Keynote Speech

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Callen Harty

At this year’s Paths to Healing conference on male survivors of child sex assault I was the keynote speaker. This is the text of the speech I delivered today. Good morning. I’d like to start by thanking Chris Taylor, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MeToo, 9/11, A Single Bluebird, adult survivor, African-American, alcoholism, allies, altar boy, American Family Insurance, angels, anger issues, articles, arts, becoming, black man, blog, books, brotherhood, Canopy Center, casual sex, child sex abuse, child sex assault, childhoiod, Chris Taylor, class, collective spirit, color, come out, compassion, control, courage, creed, Dane County Rape Crisis Center, DEnim Day, depression, disabled, domestic abuse, drug abuse, emotions, empathy, Empty Playground, equality, essays, faith, Family Sexual Abuse Treatment, forgive, forgiveness, Friends of the State Street Family, gay man, gender, gender identity, harassment, Harvey Milk, hatred, healing, heart attack, Henry David Thoreau, Hmong, Ho-Chunk Nation, honest, hope, horror, human, human connection, human spirit, humanity, inner child, innocence, Invisible Boy, Irish-Catholic, Jesus, Journalism, journey, joy, justice, keynote speech, Latino, LGBT, Madison, male survivor, masculinity, memoir, meningitis, minority, monologues, mumps, Native American, neighbors, orientation, OutReach, Paradise, Paths to Healing, peace, perpetrator, person of color, personhood, plays, playwriting, poetry, positive energy, post traumatic stress disorder, power, promiscuity, prostitution, Proud Theater, queer, race, recovering alcoholic, reocvery, rights, scarlet fever, secrets, self-abuse, self-care, self-hatred, sex, sexual abuse, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexuality, shame, siblings, silence, social drinking, Solidarity with Child Abuse Victims/Survivors, sorrow, spirituality, State Capitol, straight, suffering, suicidal ideation, teach, therapy, threats, trans, trigger warning, truth, underserved communities, UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, universal truths, Utopia, UW-EauClaire, victims, violence, Voices of Courage, Waylon Pahona, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, writer | Leave a comment

On Suicide

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Callen Harty

Trigger warning for suicide/suicidal ideation. When I was living in my dorm in college one of the men at the other end of the long hall on our floor killed himself. In retrospect it was not a sudden thing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abused, acquaintance, alcohol, alone, angels, best friend, child, choice, crisis line volunteer, depressed, depression, despair, drugs, emotions, family member, feeling, friend, gift, healing, hope, human being, human connection, Invisible Boy, light, love, minister, molested, pain, prostitution, protection, self-abuse, sex addiction, silence, suicidal ideation, suicide, survivor, teacher, touch, trust, turning point, whole person, worthless, wounded child | Leave a comment

The Gift

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Callen Harty

April 18, 1989. A gay bar in Denver, the Triangle. A can of beer in hand, cigarette in the other. I was there alone, so I wasn’t there to be with friends, I wasn’t there looking for someone for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alcohol, alcoholic, bar, beer, blackouts, childhood, cigarette, Colfax Avenue, Denver, depressed, downward spiral, drink, drugs, drunk, emotions, faith, gay bar, gift, good will, hair of the dog, hangovers, human, human rights, insecure, Irishman, jobs, joy, just laws, life, love, mistakes, mixed drinks, numbness, pain, pleasure, public speaking, rock bottom, sobriety, social drinking, sorrow, stubbornness, suicide, theater, trauma, Triangle, understanding, Wisconsin, worthless, writing | Leave a comment

Bolton Refuge House Fall Gala Speech

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Callen Harty

I was invited by Bolton Refuge House to be their keynote speaker at their annual Fall Gala. Bolton is the oldest domestic violence shelter in the state and is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They also provide services for sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MeToo, 9/11, A Single Bluebird, adult survivor, advocacy, alcoholism, allies, angels, anger issues, arts, assassinations, blog, Bolton Refuge House, Brian, Buffalo County, child sex abuse, childhood, coming out, compassion, control, cops and robbers, courage, cowboys and Indians, death, DEnim Day, domestic violence, domestic violence shelter, drug abuse, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, education, emotions, Empty Playground, equality, Facebook, Fall Gala, fear, forgiveness, gay, gender, Harvey Milk, healing, heart attack, Henry David Thoreau, hope, human connection, human spirit, humanity, inner child, Invisible Boy, Irish-Catholic, Jackson County, Jesus, Journalism, justice, life, love, Madison, male survivor, masculinity, meaning, molested, monologue, opening night, Paradise, Pat Stein, peace, perpetrator, personhood, playwriting, poetry, positive energy, power, promiscuity, prostitution, Proud Theater, PTSD, queer, recovering alcoholic, recovery, rights, safety, self-abuse, self-care, self-hatred, sex, sexual assault, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexuality, shame, shelter, short stories, silence, southwestern Wisconsin, speech, spirituality, State Capitol, suicidal ideation, support groups, survivors, Tanya Potter, therapy, threats, trigger warning, truth, Utopia, UW-Eau Claire, victim, violence, Voices of Courage, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, writer | Leave a comment

Survivor Story

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Callen Harty

Trigger Warning: Parts of this blog post may be triggering. Please take care of yourself and seek out help if you can. A couple months ago I was invited to do a presentation at Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s “Sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, advocates, alcoholism, anger, arts, child sex abuse, coming out, drug abuse, emotions, femininity, forgiveness, gender, gender roles, heart attack, homophobia, Invisible Boy, male survivor, masculinity, play, promiscuity, prostitution, PTSD, rape, self-abuse, self-blame, self-hatred, sex abuse, Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy School, sexuality, spirituality, suicide, survivor, therapy, victim, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA), writing | 9 Comments

On Becoming an Orphan

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Callen Harty

Little boys can have all sorts of unimaginable fears. There can be monsters in the closet or under the bed, temptations of the devil, bullies on the street, bad guys in general, even the horrors of spinach or other foods … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brothers, dad, death, dementia, emotions, family, father, fears, grandparents, hero, heroic, human, little boys, living, love, Mom, mother, orphan, sister | 6 Comments