A Toast to…Kaighla Rises

Kaighla Rises lives up to her pen name. She’s a local author and poet who has lived a lot of life in her short years. Her journey started in a small town in Central Illinois, and she’s traveled all over the world searching for purpose, and connection.

One chapter in that journey included a life-changing conversion to conservative Islam.
Kaighla soon married a Muslim man and moved to Egypt where she found herself struggling to come to terms with the fact that she was his second wife in a polygynous family.

Kaighla describes her time in Egypt as some of the hardest and darkest days she’s encountered. She also shares an incredible story of when she was pregnant with her third child, and had major concerns about the cleanliness at the local hospital. Kaighla went into labor in the middle of the night, and was forced to give birth at home. Alone.

Her marriage soured, and her husband later fled the country, fearing for his life following a government uprising. Kaighla eventually came back to the United States to start over.
 Returning to Illinois wasn’t easy, but it has proven to be fruitful for her and the family she’s created.
A toast to Kaighla Rises!

Visit Kaighla's website at www.kaighlarises.com

Listen to the FULL interview with Kaighla Rises HERE

Be sure to catch a new episode of Prairie Fire on the Third Thursday of each month on WILL-TV.  You can also stream it anytime on Youtube or the PBS App!