SLE Salon with poet and grief counselor, Jess Semaan. Jess Semaan is a queer Lebanese poet, psychotherapist, group facilitator and speaker. She researches, writes and speaks on subjects of healing from complex trauma, immigration, war and belonging. Semaan will speak to students about the relationships between grieving, writing poetry, and healing, especially in the context of exile or diaspora. Child of the Moon is an illustrated poetry collection about finding light in the darkness. Set against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War and the author’s turbulent family life, Child of the Moon is a powerful reflection on her journey through fear, shame and despair, and the unconditional love that helped her begin to heal from childhood trauma.