Blues Bayou

Open your heart, and let it slide. The giving keys swing to and fro in the late eve, and the brisk frost feels just like an old, clapboard green, stars, moon, and seaside funny, cricket home alive. A heartbeat, familiar kismet kind of old soul love. Pink dew, the lyrical Read more

Jacqueline Cioffa

A retired, international model, and celebrity makeup artist. Co-Author of Model Citi Zen, the guide. Founder of http://modelcitizenmakeup.blogspot.com/. Author of numerous prose pieces in various literary magazines. Most recently published in Little Episodes Brainstorms the anthology, among esteemed artists Sadie Frost, Melvin Burgess and Todd Swift.

Latina Entrepreneurs: We are Ready to be Heard

You have probably seen them before: Latina professionals depicted as sexy vixens on TV, wearing miniskirts or tight dresses; the sassy secretary with a naive style; the nightmare boss’s wife. Although the Hispanic community has become the largest minority group in the US, Latinas, in particular, have to fight against stereotypes 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.

I See Her

“Aren’t you angry with her?” my best friend asks. I shrug. I am angry about some things, sometimes. I am angry that when she picked us up from school, her water was not really water. I am angry that when I went into labor with my second child and left Read more

Lauren Halsted

Lauren Halsted Burroughs teaches English at Cuyamaca Community College in San Diego, CA. She began her career in writing as an editorial assistant at Surfing Girl Magazine almost two decades ago, and has worked as a journalist, grant writer, online content writer, and has dabbled in research and academic publishing. She is happiest when spending time with her two young children, family, and friends and/or playing in the ocean.

Adult World

I have crossed the threshold from teenager to adult. Much to my dismay, I’ve found it’s a weird world over here. My first year of college is ending, and many may argue that I’m still a child— and in some ways I am. But I’ve always thought of adulthood as Read more

Tennessee Hill

Tennessee Hill is a sophomore at Stephen F. Austin State University working toward her BFA in Creative Writing. She has been featured in Elke Journal, Kaaterskill Basin, and HUMID. She is also a featured contributor on Teen Collective (teencollective.me), Feminine Collective's blog written by teens for teens.

5 Signs You’re Dating The Wrong Person

Lust. Dating. Romance. Love.  (Sprinkle sex in between or at the beginning,) We all need companionship. Most of us start looking for love when our hormones peak during the goofy years of teendom. Who we end up with, casually or for the long haul, depends on what we believe we deserve. I kid Read more

Julie Anderson

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.

We Lost Our Rings But Not Our Commitment

My husband’s gold wedding band disappeared early in our marriage. My dad lost his as a newlywed, too, leaving it on a public restroom sink. I chalked up their carelessness to being men who weren’t used to wearing jewelry and, even though I was a bit disappointed in my husband, Read more

Mary Novaria

Mary Novaria's is a two-time Writer's Digest award winner whose work has been featured in Oprah Daily, Washington Post, Spirituality & Health, Cosmopolitan, Feminine Collective, FF2 Media, HuffPost, and elsewhere. She and her husband are empty nesters who live in the mountains of Colorado with their rescue dog, Rooney. She is currently working on a novel.

Crazy Girl Summer Camp

“When I compliment her she won’t believe me And it’s so, it’s so Sad to think that she don’t see what I see But every time she asks me, “Do I look okay?” —Bruno Mars, Just The Way You Are When I moved back to Arizona from California, where I 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.

Liberal Mom (cw: 18+)

He thinks it’s because she’s “a pragmatic” and he’s “an idealist” and that she just couldn’t keep up with his irrational pursuit of all things narcissistic. They really just had “clashing core philosophies” and how do you raise a kid with parents that have clashing values?

Emily Brout

Emily Brout was prematurely born in New York City's Beth Israel Hospital 21 years ago, alongside her two siblings who were taking up an awful amount of space in the womb. She was the lead singer of the rock band The Indecent and is presently the front person for the NYC Artcore group Ludlow Ejacula. She currently attends N.Y.U for practical reasons and writes for selfish ones.