The Unicorn Project Will Provide Hope And Healing for Abuse Victims

Author and abuse survivor Angelica Harris plans to open a crisis center where women and teens suffering from domestic violence or sexual assault can hear, "It's not your fault."

In December, Glendale resident Angelica Harris, author of the sci-fi Excalibur book trilogy, released her memoir "Living With Rage: A Quest For Solace," which chronicles her personal journey through domestic violence and sexual assault. Now, Harris plans to open a crisis center for abuse victims in Queens, with the hope that no woman will have to experience the feelings of shame and abandonment that she documents in her memoir.

Angelica Harris (front right) with her husband John L. LoCascio and children John Anthony and Andrea LoCascio. Courtesy Angelica Harris.

Using her novels as a jump-off point, Harris created the Excalibur Reading Program out of her home and has spent the past five years tutoring children with special needs and their families, helping them use writing to express themselves. "Writing has always been the way I could speak my voice without getting in trouble," Harris says. Her readers recognized darker themes in her Excalibur novels and reached out to her, asking if she herself experienced trauma and often asking for advice or solace. "I never realized my words would be so powerful," she says. Now, Harris hopes to use that power to help others in a more tangible way.