Alisen’s sense of time and existence spun into chaos a few years ago after she experienced several back-to-back deaths and other significant losses that occurred within six months. These events were followed by a serious health scare that further uprooted her life. Through a deeply layered and meaningful grief process, the urgency for her to complete a memoir—something she began writing decades ago—was overwhelming. Her story explores family and religious betrayal, as well as the impact of intergenerational child sexual abuse. Alisen was invited to read an excerpt of her memoir at the Vancouver Writer’s Festival in October 2022, which was deeply meaningful. This piece was published in emerge 22.

She is currently in the final stretch of completing her memoir.