Ginger Gaffney discusses 'Half Broke: A Memoir'

Gaffney will talk with Ayla Jarvis.This event is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation, author series sponsors the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation, and Seattle City of Literature. Thanks to media sponsor The Seattle Times. The event is presented in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company. Books will be available for purchase at the event.ABOUT THE BOOK:At the start of this remarkable story of recovery, healing, and redemption, Ginger Gaffney answers a call to help retrain the troubled horses at an alternative prison ranch in New Mexico, a facility run entirely by the prisoners. The horses are scavenging through the dumpsters, kicking and running down the residents when they bring the trash out after meals. One horse is severely injured.The horses and residents arrive at the ranch broken in one way or many: the horses are defensive and terrified, while the residents, some battling drug and alcohol addictions, are emotionally and physically shattered. With deep insight into how animals and humans communicate through posture, body language, and honesty of spirit, Gaffney walks us through her struggle to train the untrainable.Gaffney peels away the layers of her own story--a solitary childhood, painful introversion, and a transformative connection with her first horse, a filly named Belle--and she, too, learns to trust people as much as she trusts horses. As her year-long odyssey builds toward a dramatic conclusion, the group experiences triumphs and failures, brave recoveries and relapses, as well as betrayals and moving stories of trust and belonging.Resonant, smart, and beautifully written, Half Broke tears at the heart of what it takes to find wholeness after years of trauma and addiction and offers profound insight on how working with animals can satisfy our universal need for connection.ABOUT THE SPEAKER:Ginger Gaffney is a top-ranked horse trainer. She received an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and her work has been published in Tin House and Utne Reader. She lives in Velarde, New Mexico.Ayla Jarvis was born into a family of organized crime. Dealing with the stresses of a dualistic life, hiding her family’s truth from friends and teachers, she became addicted to drugs as a teenager. In and out of rehab and juvy nothing abated her drug abuse. Her early 20’s was spent in and out of prison and rehab. This pattern continued until she made her way to Delancey Street. Her first year there she met Ginger Gaffney and began her work with the horses. She was plagued with self-loathing and could not connect with living beings. The horses started to transform her, and the rigors of the program taught her new habits. Through tough love from others and the help of horses, Ayla became a leader in the program mentoring other young women. After 5 years Ayla graduated and now runs a successful farrier business, a beekeeping business, goes to college, and is a full-time wedding planner. She learned all these skills at Delancey. She is a role model for her family members and friends who are attempting to escape addiction and helps residents who leave Delancey to obtain employment. With nearly 8 years sober Ayla has shown the world that where there is life there is hope.