The Perfection Campaign

About this event

Jill Vanneman, author of The Perfection Campaign, was born and raised in Evanston. She was the ambivalent beneficiary of overachieving, very capable, civic-minded parents who wanted to have children who were above average and who would go on to do great things. Find out what happens when one feels stifled by the very success of these overachieving parents and of the community that raised her. Learn how shame can devastate a person’s life when one is so defined by expectations, and how Jill found her way to her own authentic self. Jill will be in conversation with Evanston therapist Priya Kapoor. Jill and Priya will discuss the ways that high expectations and lack of acceptance can lead to shame; how struggling to accept oneself can contribute to depression and disconnection; and how to move from shame to a place of authenticity and self-worth. Jill Vanneman, who grew up in Evanston and is the daughter of former Evanston Mayor Edgar Vanneman Jr, is a former prosecutor and police legal adviser, as well as a legal adviser for a major city’s planning and development department. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Whitman College, a Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from the University of Puget Sound. Her short fiction has been featured in True Stories (Volumes IV, V, and VI) and Oaxaca: A Wayfaring Writers’ Anthology. Her nonfiction work has appeared in publications such as the Citizen Patriot, Miles City Tribune, Livingston Enterprise, and Focus Midwest. She currently resides in the Seattle area with her aging tuxedo cat, Pablo, and her rescue dog, Honey. Priya Kapor is a therapist of 20 years who has worked with individuals aged 3 through adulthood, supporting them through family and relationship challenges, identify formation, and transitional life periods. She has spent her career helping people find and live their own values, while addressing the shame and trauma of many members of marginalized communities. The City of…

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