High Noon: Navigating the Aftermath, From ICU Nurse to Creative Catalyst

Join ICU nurse, mother, and author Nadeane Jackson for a raw, illuminating High Noon discussion on navigating the invisible emotional crises of medical trauma and how the arts can help. Drawing from over a decade of critical care nursing and her own high-risk pregnancy and prolonged NICU journey with her daughter, Nadeane uncovers the striking parallels between the NICU experience and a child’s battle with cancer. Through her new company, Onyx Ink Press, and the North Star Book Series, she uses vulnerable poetry and storytelling to bridge what she has named “The Survival Gap” — the emotional architecture of clinical trauma. Noting that the psychological terrain we must cross during trauma remains the same regardless of the diagnosis. Discover how the St. Louis arts community serves as a vital sanctuary for translating cold clinical sterility into community healing, featuring readings from her book The Aftermath. Whether you are in crisis or part of the support village, this talk is an essential roadmap for turning heavy, isolated trauma into a shared creative release. Books will be available for sale and signing.