Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
If I suffer from another spazz-fest, I’m gonna slap myself in the face – hard. I am friggin’ sick and tired of dealing with my hyper-sensitive reactions – especially when I’m consciously aware I have an ongoing habit of overreacting to, well, almost anything. Consumed by worry and exhausted from Read more
Since the beginning, I can remember I’ve always hated the Church. I just could not stand it. Way before I first watched Joel Osteen and his Mega Church extravaganza and way before I first watched that sack of shit faith healer Benny Hinn fake heal someone, I never liked the Read more
Ricky De Fino grew up in New York City and currently resides in Buffalo NY. When he isn’t writing about his anxiety and his crazy Bronx upbringing, he enjoys watching countless hours of television with his wife Andrea, cat Bebe and dog Zeke. Two years sober, good coffee and veganism keeps him sane. His work can be found in Two Cities Review, tNY Press, Purple Pig Lit, Dialougal and Cycatrix Press.
As a small child, I tentatively
reached my feet toward the floor
apprehensive of the crevice,
the mere inches
where darkness bleeds until
my monster emerged
Nicole (Coley) Zwolinski earned a BA in Creative Writing with a focus in poetry and Mass Communications – Journalism. Coley’s pieces have been published in Firewords Quarterly, Flash Fiction Magazine, Bare Hands, and NEAT. She’s a multipotentialite and when she is not working in an office or writing, she can be found instructing yoga or wrangling her young son, who inherited her husband’s adventurous nature - like scaling the toilet and riding the dog (son, not husband.) Their son is Germericanishishish – a conglomeration of their German, American, Polish, Irish, and English heritages. Her husband is already planning their son’s championship in the Germericanishishish Ninja Warriors competition which will take place, most likely, in their backyard.
Some places in my mind are cerebral neighborhoods best left not to walk through alone. In dreams I am jolted by vivid thoughts I sprint away as if racing could bring escape. The wearisome part then settles in as memories declare we are here to stay we are not leaving, 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.
I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) nearly three years ago. It was a few days before Christmas. PH is a rare, life-threatening heart-lung condition that is incurable, and often fatal. My family and I received the news that I had five years to live, maybe ten, and Read more
Tea snob and pastry enthusiast. Artist turned activist. Freelance writer. Boston Terrier mama and bubble bath queen. Raising awareness, advocacy and patient support for pulmonary hypertension
Anxiety isn’t something one decides; “Hey, yeah, I think I’ll be a fucking mess today. Epic idea.” It seeps into your extremities, the tingling ache, and itch; the desperate need to escape the skin you live in. The physical yearning for that little calming blue pill to squash it, stamp Read more
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.
I started writing an article about being too quick to medicate children. I often wonder about the damage done to my developing mind from all the medications given to me as a child (some prescribed for me some for my mother). I find myself questioning how much of my anxiety Read more
Jayme Beddingfield is the host and producer of 'Too Many Words' a comedy interview podcast. She is also the creator of 'Elliot Granger and The Clueless Brigade', which is a weekly serial that follows Elliot Granger as she stumbles through grief and growing up. The series is featured as both a fictional podcast and written story that appears on The Scribbler. Jayme has been crafting stories since her third-grade assignment to write her own fairy tale. She prefers to work from the sofa with her dogs by her feet. Originally from Northern New Jersey, she now lives in Seattle, the city of her dreams. She lives with her husband, two children, and a slew of adopted pets. She is completely post-apocalyptic obsessed and also admits to being an audio enthusiast and recovering supervillain.
Mindfulness. Be mindful. Thoughtful. Thorough. These words mean the world to me, my brain cells are on fire. Crispy snapping sounds sizzle in my ears. All because my mind never shuts down. I am always on alert for other people’s feelings, ever present as a catch-all for other people’s problems. 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.
