After being abused for 21 years, Cartier found solace in her writing, becoming a journalist and later a poet. Since the career change, Cartier's creativity and popularity have soared -- she has since published poetry, short stories and plays.
Out of her own struggles with thoughts of suicide, Cartier has developed the "Dandelion Warriors Movement," in which incest survivors vow not to kill themselves. She advocates taking charge of life, eliminating the choice of suicide and surviving with pride.
From nursing homes to prisons she presents her poetry using costume changes, karate demonstrations and monologues in voices of both a seven-year old and a 21-year-old.
She is working on "Dandelion Warrior Series: Books for the Incest Survivor Liberation Movement," and is performing for schools and organizations in California and Colorado. At UCLA, she teaches a course on the culture and politics of incest and lectures on screenwriting at UC Irvine.
The event, sponsored by Cal State Northridge's Women's Center and Queer Latinos Unidos, is open to the public and admission is free.