Being Jane Doe – the mind of a woman through the eyes of a man

KIONNA HALL

Eduardo Galeano says, “many small people, in small places, doing small things, can change the world.”

That is the aim of Being Jane Doe author, Anthony Mc Collin, who wants women to connect. Being Jane Doe is a book with just over 70 poems written from the real-life experiences of women and girls. It captures the essence of femininity by exploring themes like love, sexuality, maternity and abuse.

What were once traumatic, unspoken events, are now tales being used to start conversations that can foster empathy, connection and societal change.

“I want to contribute to society and I’m going to do it from a place where I know I can do it best," Mc Collin said on the mission of his book. Jane Doe is the placeholder name used for an unidentified woman and Mc Collin wants his readers to divorce their identity and see where they can place themselves in his writing.

“We need to understand that we’re not in this world alone and the experiences of one woman can connect with many other women.” he said to Newsday. “Throughout my research process, when I interviewed one woman, or another, there were similar themes of sexuality, sexual abuse, poverty.”

Mc Collin says this is a representation of the conversations that need to be started in Trinidad and Tobago. He wants TT to reflect on the way children are raised and acknowledge the societal norms that can be interpreted as violent behaviour. On the topic of violent behaviour, he agrees that perpetrators should be punished but a more holistic approach should be taken.

“We should improve laws but we should also adjust our thinking as a society,” he said.

As a researcher and educator, Mc Collin gathered these stories through a series of snowball sampling interviews, discussions and observations. He interviewed women from the Caribbean, United States and the United Kingdom.

During his interviews, he learned he was called to help, not by getting directly involved, but by passing the mic. Mc Collin prepared questions for his interviewees beforehand, but when they started talking he had to listen without interrupting for them to share their stories.

“Either I got more questions or I left with a recording of someone who simply needed to share their experience.”

For some women, it was their first opportunity to share their stories. This changed their lives as they had a safe space with connection and empathy. For one interviewee, it felt like she saw the experience for the first time, staring back at her.

“I met people where they were willing to be open even if that might be in their workplace, coffee shops, or my car.”

Mc Collin, who grew up in Laventille, is an alumnus of UWI, St Augustine, and the University of the Southern Caribbean. He holds a BSc in social studies and an MSc in government.

He worked at Corpus Christi College in Diego Martin for eight years where he performed in different capacities, first as a social studies teacher, then as the acting vice-principal. He was also a board member for another educational institution for four years. Nowadays, he works full time in human resources.

The 31 year old has been writing for almost ten years but described himself as a closet poet because he once felt intimidated sharing his love for writing, but as time progressed, he started sharing his work with close friends. This benefited him as he was able to get constructive criticism and he grew more confident in himself and his work.

Being Jane Doe was published by Austin Macauley Publishers based in the United Kingdom and was released in November. While the book isn't available in physical stores in TT as yet, it is available on Amazon.com, Waterstones.com and Barnes and Noble.com.