Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
A rainbow flag hung outside above the church. Inside, I was naked. I’d removed my glasses so the room was fuzzy. I couldn’t see them, but I sensed the pencils scratching away at paper, trying to capture my nineteen-year-old curves. The only thing in focus was me. I looked down, Read more
If you missed HBO’s three seasons of the tragicomedy Getting On, you’re missing a glimpse of the future, maybe not yours but more than likely one or both of your parent’s. Starring the soulful comedienne, Laurie Metcalfe, and a stellar supporting cast, the series dishes up a brutally funny view Read more
After more than thirty years as a model and actor, JR moved to the Hudson Valley in 2006. She lives in an 1880 renovated barn with her husband and young daughter and three crazy bengal cats. She received her B.A. in creative writing from NYU and has written a memoir about her teenage years spent sailing on the high seas. She is thrilled to be writing for the Feminine Collective.
Since the age of ten, she has worn a scarf over her head. At 16, she had an image in her head of how she would dress when she was “grown up.” She’d be hugging books to her chest and wearing a light blue, floral, ankle length skirt, a blue Read more
Nabilah Safa lives in Michigan. Her writing has appeared on Stigma Fighters and OCH Literary Society. When she's not reading or writing, she's tweeting about food and mental health or baking cookies.
I told you once a long time ago. Truth be told I’ve told you so many times. Stay away. Keep your distance. You know the consequences of getting too close. I run, yet you wonder why. And so it goes. If you only knew what I could give if I Read more
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.
He was an avid reader. New York Times every morning, front to back. He rode his bike to and from school, work, and the market. He ate maple pecan granola each morning. He was a coffee snob. He believed in spending $300 on a nice dinner without it having to Read more
Kelley Cooper is a life coach who guides women to connect with every part of who they are. She serves as a guide through the personal transformation journey of finding your inner wise woman. Through her live events, she creates space for women to play, connect, inspire one another, and heal. Kelley lives in Lake Tahoe, CA, with her husband and dog, Huey. Her happy place is deep in the forest among the trees and river.
I taste the dirt you left in my mouth Infected with injury, grit-stained teeth You lied, and I purchased each facade Opening my aching, needy soul Turning my words into blood, for the devil Don’t call me baby, or girl Your ego needed me to feel complete And while I Read more
Darla Halyk is the Mom of a Teenage boy and Girl. She is a lover of verbal irony, which currently drives her two children insane. You can find her writing on the Elephant Journal, Sammiches and Psyche Meds, Mrs.Muffin Top, BLUNTmoms, Scary Mommy, Original Bunker Punks and has been featured on Blogher. She is a regular contributor and Editor to The Soap Box and currently writes for her blog at NewWorldMom. Bringing a fresh, honest and humorous take on parenting, women's issues, relationships, divorce, and life in general.
I am no longer “too thin.” My clothes are no longer hanging from the bones protruding from my hips. I do not count ice cubes and broth as “meals” anymore. That does not mean that this addiction does not haunt me still. The disorder craves control. It is here with Read more
Aside from writing, Melissa is an advocate for mental health and wellness - fighting against the stigma of mental illness. Focusing on mindfulness, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, eating disorders, ADHD, addiction, PTSD, emotional abuse, domestic violence, trauma, and recovery. She has a slight (okay, huge) obsession with coffee and all things pumpkin.
My obsession to trace my family’s genealogical roots began when I was a little kid. I sat wide-eyed and all ears on the floor next to my Grandad Willard’s (my father’s father) chair, eagerly lapping up every story he told about his youth. Born in 1908, he had quite a few Read more
Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.
