Listen now to show on KPFA.org 94.1FM- 7/1/24
https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=425529
Claudia Marseille’s memoir portrays her life with a severe hearing loss. Her parents immigrated to America after WWII, and faced the challenges of being in a new country and surviving the horrors of the Holocaust. At first they didn’t realize that their daughter was not speaking at age four, but eventually they had her tested and discovered her severe hearing loss. She often felt isolated and lonely at school and at home, not wanting to tell people about her inability to hear. Her story is one of courage, creativity, and persistence, as well as shame and struggle.
We will discuss how a hidden disability can influence a person’s sense of self and complicate their relationship to the people they know or wish to know.
Guest:
Claudia Marseille
After earning master’s degrees in archaeology and in public policy, and finally an MFA, she developed a career in photography and painting, a profession compatible with a hearing loss. Claudia ran a fine art portrait photography studio for fifteen years before becoming a full-time painter. Since 2001 her paintings have been represented by the Seager Gray gallery in Mill Valley, CA.
Her memoir won a Gold Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards for Best First Book in Non-Fiction, and also a starred review from Library Journal. You can find out more on her author website: www.claudiamarseilleauthor.com
She has played classical piano much of her life; in her free time she loves to read, watch movies, travel, spend time with friends, and attend concerts and art exhibits. She and her husband live in Oakland and have one grown daughter.
