Category: Women’s Issues + Awareness

What Happened Last Night at Maria’s

GKS Waller

I wanted to keep playing Kick the Can, but the other girls said they were too hot, and it was getting too dark, and they were tired from running and didn’t want to be surprised like that anymore. We were sweating. So were the boys. It was an almost-summer Sunday Read more

GKS Waller

GKS Waller’s career path veered dramatically when, at age 10, she realized being a veterinarian would mean she'd have to put animals to sleep. Inspired by her cartoon idol, the savvy red-headed reporter Brenda Starr, she heeded the call to embark upon the life of a scribe and tale teller. A year later, Waller created her first job as sole founder, writer, editor, designer and salesperson of The Claremont Review, named so in honor of the Chicago avenue she called home. The literary and artistic experiences of her youth led her to pursue journalism, oral storytelling, photography, printmaking and teaching. She continues to find inspiration from seemingly everyday moments and views along the many roads she's traveled through the world. Waller was named a runner-up for the Chicago Tribune 2018 Nelson Algren Literary Award, a finalist in the 2018 Hemingway Shorts contest, and most recently has been published in The Timberline Review. She’s online at @GKSWriter but most days you will find her working on her short story collection and fine tuning the draft of her first novel, in a cozy workspace not far from Claremont Avenue.

Yo también

Krystal Beatriz Galvis

No. Do you want to hear in it Spanish?             No. My clothes             mi ropa My words             mis palabras My lips             mis labios And my looks             y mis aspectos does not mean you can touch,             grab,             pull me like a desirable toy at a playground. To take my body and treat Read more

Krystal Beatriz Galvis

Krystal Beatriz Galvis, born and raised in San Diego, California, is a writer fascinated with magic, fantasy, and darkness. She is a MFA graduate student at San Diego State University studying creative writing. Outside from writing short stories, she researches any Latinx fables or myths and writes small poems on her Instagram page under the hashtag #krystalg.

My Mother in the Afterlife

Adrienne Pine

When my mother died, the vast weather of anger surrounding her like a force of nature dissolved and disappeared as if overnight. The change was astonishing. My father had his difficulties, but a constant display of anger was not one of them. In the old days, I might have gone Read more

Adrienne Pine

Adrienne Pine's creative nonfiction has been published in The Write Place at the Write Time, Tale of Four Cities, The Yale Journal of Humanities in Medicine, and other venues.

The Woman Who Wants To Change How We Look At Teen Pregnancy And Teen Parenthood: Rosemary Oglesby-Henry

John Michael Antonio

Rosemary’s Babies Co. is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Rosemary Oglesby-Henry with the specific purpose of helping teen parents navigate the treacherous and often frightening world of teen parenthood. Armed with the mantra of being able to help change the life trajectory of young parents Read more

John Michael Antonio

John Michael Antonio is a freelance writer, photographer, poet and screenwriter. He claims his Midwestern roots while at the same time admitting his incurable and insatiable love and addiction for all things New York City. He has been the husband to his wife, the love of his life, for almost thirty years and is a father of three wonderful children. He is an unapologetic male feminist as well as a passionate lover of fashion, art, movies and music from all eras and genres. An endless dreamer, John Michael is also an avid historian, ex-punk rocker and a legendary Internet surfer who sleeps, on average, about four hours a day. His work has also been featured on The Good Men Project.

The World We Live In

Lora Boe

“Mommy, there’s a shooter,” my daughter whispers through the phone.  I’m dumbfounded. I recently took a class at work about active shooters and what to do if you run into one. I try to remember what I learned.  “Hide,” I say. “Get down and be quiet.”  I can tell she’s Read more

Lora Boe

Lora Boe resides on the coast in Northern California with her family, two dogs, and a cat. She has been a technical writer for over 20 years. She loves to hike (when she's not suffering from age-related injuries) read, and laugh.

Learning to Walk

Savannah Carlin

at 19 Wearing a red sundress, walking out of Grand Central into the heavy air of August, my reflection on so many glossy windows, doors, walls. Walking through millions of myself, each one flashing past. And on the sidewalk, so many male eyes—a gaze that seems it should feel better Read more

Savannah Carlin

Savannah Carlin is a poet and essayist who graduated in 2016 from Babson College with a degree in business. She works as a designer in New York. Her work has been published in JuxtaProse magazine and Sunspot Lit.

Rumor has it… the ugly side of Gossip

Stephanie Ortez

“Gossiping and lying go hand in hand.” Proverb I have always lived by the philosophy that if someone has a problem with me, then they should tell me. Not tell everyone else.  Unfortunately, all humans do have their flaws, and more often than not, they end up telling everyone else Read more

Stephanie Ortez

Stephanie is a highly caffeinated mother of two wonderful boys. She is hopelessly addicted to non-fiction books and literature that moves her to tears. She is an admissions advisor for George Washington University online where she assists homeschooled students internationally. Stephanie lives with Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She is a passionate mental health advocate, member of Stigma Fighters. Her writing has been featured on The Elephant Journal, The Mighty, The Organic Coffee Haphazardly and Feminine Collective.

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: Catholic Girl Essays

Dori Owen

I am the oldest of three children. My brother Danny is a year younger than me, and we grew up, mostly, as tight comrades. We were a moderately happy family of evenly numbered four. I love even numbers. When I turn up the television volume, it must be by an Read more

Dori Owen

Dori Owen is a storyteller, writing from small town Arizona, after living a few decades in California as an LA Wild Child, with a brief stop in Reno. She settled into grownup life as a project manager, collecting an MBA and a few husbands along the way. She is a shown artist and her favorite pastime is upcycling old furniture and decor she finds from thrift stores. She lives with the cat who came to visit but stayed. The love of her life is her grown son who lives in Portland, Oregon. Her essays and poems have been published in RAW&UNFILTERED VOL I, StigmaFighters Vol 2, and Love Notes From Humanity. Her blogs have been featured on The Lithium Chronicles, Open Thought Vortex, Sudden Denouement, and The Mighty.