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You’ve come to the right place to learn about faces, especially ones that stand out in a crowd—the good, the bad, and the “ugly.” Together we’ll learn and share insights—via blogs, guest blogs, comments, and even painted portraits—about the social and psychological aspects of living with “facial differences” in a world that emphasizes looks.
What you bring to the discussion:
- a lifetime of experience looking at and reacting to faces
- a willingness to be open-minded and to engage and comment when so moved.
What I bring:
- I’ve produced TV documentaries on the stigmatizing effects of oral-facial disorders and the psychological issues around reconstructive surgery.
- Because I grew up with a cleft lip and palate, I’ve studied the social-psychological aspects of facial differences and painted many portraits celebrating faces.
- I’ve written a memoir, Cleft Heart: Chasing Normal, which conveys my experiences as a cleft kid. It is the first published memoir by a cleft about the cleft experience.
When Wayman Publishing released the book, rave reviews poured in. Cleft Heart shows bullied clefts and others that they can survive and thrive, giving them and their loved ones hope that they can live normal lives.
In Cleft Heart, among other things, I identify the heroes, villains, and fools (usually, me) I encountered coming of age. The photos above and my slideshow paintings to the left show heroes, villains, and fools many of us recognize. . . and even argue over. For info about why we argue about them, go here. For the identities of the painted images, hit the FAQ tab on the menu bar above.
With your help, we can:
- recognize the heroes—especially the loved ones, surgeons, dentists, and speech therapists—who help so many born with facial differences,
- confront the villains and bullies who make life hard for those with facial issues,
- celebrate fools, because every life deserves laughter, and
share ideas, insights, opinions, and even portrait paintings regarding the intriguing world of faces and facial differences.
So, welcome. Please read, comment, and even write a guest blog. Looking for photos from Cleft Heart? Here are photos from the start of Cleft Heart, from the next part, the next, and from the end of the book.
My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.
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