Piper’s Ex
In her 2013 TED talk, Piper Kerman spoke of the prison system and her own experience. She went into the people from her life who inspired characters on the show. So, yes she spoke of her former lover. Apparently, confronting her ex in prison helped her confront her past, metaphorically and literally. The real life Alex (played by Laura Prepon on the show) is based on the heroin dealer, Catherine ‘Cleary’ Wolters. Clearly had been working for a Nigerian kingpin and then spent 65 months in prison.
Piper’s Ex
Letting Go
Piper Kerman went on in her TED talk to explain how coming face to face with Cleary helped her. Both women were staying in a six woman cell for a crime from over a decade ago. Kerman explained the most important lesson learned was to “to let go of blame for her or anyone else about where I was.” Then her ex-lover, Cleary got shipped out to do more time in prison while Piper was getting released. Actually, she felt overcome by emotions and cried after saying goodbye. According to Kerman, they had reached a point where she “recognized our shared fate and humanity.”
Letting Go