Tami Ryan is an award winning freelance writer and poet.  Her poetry has been published in the small press and in a few online sources. Her short story, "Only Opportunities" was featured in June 2007 in the Della Donna e-zine. Tami is the editor of The Sacred Female, a novel of sexuality and spirituality, which was released in July 2007. Ryan is also a nationally certified counselor of both sexual assault and domestic violence.  She often uses her poetry to give voice to victims, particularly those of sexual abuse. For the past nine years, Tami has also been the Director of Opportunities, Sales Manager, and Editor for "Your Community Women's Journal", a women's magazine that is dedicated to health and wellness information. The longing to write and the intent to do so had been in floating around in my cerebrum, and I carried a haunting, of sorts, within my psyche for many years – I had to get it out.  I had written bits and pieces over a period of time, but ultimately, interactions with several significant men helped to propel me into (further) action, to push forward...  to continue writing. The affects that both Bendeleh and Bramwell have had on me are absolutely inexplicable for me – in any amount of words.  They’ve inspired, encouraged, and believed in me.  They’ve helped to reawaken what lay dormant within me for an unspeakable, unacceptable amount of time.  I will be eternally grateful to them both for helping me to recognize and remember what has been within me all along.  I extend my heart to both of them for forever etching themselves within me – their thoughts, their theories, their ideologies, their spirits, their hearts, and who they are.