Division without Separation

My mom claims that when we were young, she would occasionally go into her bedroom with a book, lock the door behind her and leave my dad in charge of us on those days when, as she said, “I thought I would lose my mind.” I’d often heard my mom Read more

Darcy Lohmiller

Darcy Lohmiller is a middle school librarian in Bozeman, Montana. ​ Her essays about fishing, hunting, dogs, and trailers have appeared in The Drake, The Flyfish Journal, Shooting Sportsman Magazine, and The Big Sky Journal. You can read her essays at https://www.clippings.me/dlohmiller

I Am Jodi Arias’s Mother

This interview is the first time Sandy Arias has spoken publicly about her daughter Jodi Arias. Sandra Dee Allen was born in 1958 in a small Northern California town. I love to call her Sandy Dee. It fits, somehow. I met Sandy at Jodi Arias’s sentencing trial, in September 2014. She 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.

Hey, Mom Next Door – I See You

I admit I didn’t really like you when we first met. We had only been in the house a month when you came over with your 12-year-old son, Kyle. You introduced yourself, welcoming us to the neighborhood. You gave us a quick, but very detailed, oral tour of the houses Read more

Sheila Moeschen

My name is Sheila, I'm a Boston-based writer and regular contributor to the Huffington Post; I primarily write creative nonfiction. My work has appeared on MariaShriver.com, Niche Literary Journal, and Red Line Roots. In 2015 my blog, Spirit Meets Bone was awarded a WordPress Freshly Pressed designation and featured as part of their Discover New Writers gallery.

Good Enough Mother

Advice to back off Advice to do more Be a good enough mother Not too good Don’t overdo it Don’t make him dependent on you He will never be able to care for himself He’ll end up in codependent relationships From other health care professionals Make sure he eats three Read more

Kitt O'Malley

If you check out Kitt O'Malley on LinkedIn, you'll see that she has worked as a legal assistant, psychotherapist, and commercial real estate professional before reinventing herself as a mental health advocate. As a mental health advocate, wife and mother, she neglects housework as she blogs at kittomalley.com about living with bipolar disorder, parenting an adolescent migraineur with social anxiety, and being caregiver of aging parents - one with alcohol-related dementia and the other with vascular dementia secondary to stroke. She's overwhelmed, to say the least.

Love in the Time of Dementia

My mom desires a closeness with me now that she never did when I was young. I’d long suspected my mother didn’t embrace parenting in that fervent, born-for-this way that some of us do. Still, I was stunned the day she actually confirmed just how trapped she’d felt in the 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.

I Am Your Mother

I’m your mother, but no I’m not listening. You’re talking in the backseat of the car. I hear you, barely. I’m your mother. You say my name “Mom? Mom!” I can’t really hear you, not really. But I will always be your mother. You’re talking more in the backseat of Read more

The Weight of Being a Woman

As I sit here six months pregnant, I ponder about my life and what my existence has become. So many women have told me how beautiful the gift of life is, and “just wait until you look at your baby for the first time,” how magical it will be. It’s Read more

Hannah Forkel-Matte

Hannah Forkel-Matte is a writer and legal assistant in Evansville, Indiana. She graduated in 2014, with her Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of Southern Indiana. She mainly writes to share her experiences through non-fiction work, but also dabbles in fiction when a solid idea strikes.

A Letter To My Recently Separated Friend

We spoke this morning. You wept tears of confusion, hurt, and fear. I want you to know: I AM HERE. I may not have the answers, but I will always have the desire to listen; a shoulder to lean on, an open heart to feel your pain. I am your Read more

Renee DeMont

Renee DeMont is a SURVIVOR. She was born into poverty; spent much of her childhood homeless, living on the streets of Los Angeles, and in foster care. Renee learned early on: life is about adapting to adversity. The greatest gift she ever received? No one expected anything from her. By 18, she was ready to experience life on her own terms. First one in her family to attend college. After college, her focus and determination earned her a spot working at Paramount Studios, on the #1 show in television, "Cheers". At 29, Renee gave entrepreneurship a go and began a Biomedical engineering business out of her garage. Twenty years later, that risky venture grew into 8,000 square feet of success. She broke the cycle of poverty that plagued her family for generations. Recently, Renee turned fifty, filed for divorce (he declared WAR), and trudged through a debilitating nervous breakdown. Through therapy and writing, she reclaimed her sanity. Sold her half of the business to the ex, and now she has clarity and choices. Renee is personally and financially independent. With her new found freedom, she chooses to write in a sincere effort to reconcile her past with her present. Hopefully, through this cathartic process, the second half of her life will be led by her soul's desire, rather than by the fears and doubts of her first half. Currently, she lives in South Orange County with her teenage son and daughter, and her high maintenance yet lovable dog, Joe. Soon to be an empty nester, she plans to downsize the big house in the OC bubble, for a bigger life in the real world. Her days are spent gently launching her almost grown children into adulthood, and passionately penning her memoir. In the mean time, you can find her essays on pain, positivity, and empowerment at: onedropofgrace.blogspot.com