Category: Featured

Destroying Patriarchy with its Gift

Sara Easterly

Why am I so triggered by the Kavanaugh news? Why can’t I pull myself away from it all? “Did someone ever sexually assault you?” my husband worries over tea this morning after I wake up at 4:16 am, feeling helpless and unable to sleep. “No,” I say. “But I know Read more

Sara Easterly

Sara Easterly lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has published various articles and essays on motherhood, as well as a children’s book, and is currently working on a mother-daughter memoir. Previously Sara led one of the largest chapters of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and she was recognized as 2009 SCBWI Member of the Year. Visit her at www.saraeasterly.com

I Spoke Up: An Un-Famous Woman’s Tale of Sexual Harassment & The Backlash

Terry Martin

Am I really looking at Bill Cosby in chains headed to prison? I am, and I can’t stop crying. Bill Cosby’s sentencing has stirred up so many feelings in me about the bravery of “speaking up.”  I’m going to share my dark, shameful secret with you. I was sexually harassed by my Read more

Terry Martin

Why Did He Stop?

Kristin Garth

I ask myself a lot  why did he stop? Did I make too much noise? Did he hear other boys stir, their sleeping bags flop, anticipating eavesdrops? Too dark to see what he was turning me into beneath black nylon, stars. Do choked sobs travel far? A body he pulled from a Read more

Kristin Garth

Kristin Garth is a poet from Pensacola, Florida. She is a knee sock aficionado and a sonnet stalker. Her sonnets have stalked the pages of Luna Luna, Occulum, Anti-Heroin Chic, Ghost City Review, Drunk Monkeys, TERSE, Journal and many other publications. Her chapbook Pink Plastic House is available through maverickduckpress.com

The “Yes” Woman

Stephanie Ortez

“It’s all about you, how can you be living a life filled with such self-indulgence ignoring the rest of us mortals?” I could not tell you how many times this mere thought had crossed my mind in the last couple years. Not long ago, I was accused of such indolence, 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.

Arizona Heat

Dori Owen

I never really minded the heat growing up in Arizona. It was just how it was. Cold in the winter and hot in the summer. When I met him, it was a hot summer day. At first, I was curious, and then the thunderbolt hit me. It hit him, too, 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.

Baby,Don’t You Know?

Julie Anderson

My eyes are stars and my vision impaired. You speak of love, washed over with a glaze of indifference, I see your lips move, but I think that perhaps you have me all wrong. I told you before in various ways, I showed you before with the movements of my 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.

Dear Limbo

Jacquie Prebich

Last life I danced on empty pages waiting for love a solo ballet an unfinished symphony tormented by silence sadness madness I ripped queer stars from the red moon sky they bled black there is no ending no last call no exit I waited waded created I danced the art Read more

Jacquie Prebich

Jacquie Prebich was raised in New York City and currently resides in Los Angeles. She started ballet at age five and danced until her first pregnancy. Jacquie loves writing, producing, and directing. She created Ballet Theatre in 2006, a new performance concept combining classical ballet with acting, singing, and live music. Jacquie began writing poetry after undergoing rehab for prescription pain pills— an addiction that developed as a result of dance injuries. Jacquie lives in a scenic canyon with her family and rescue animals. She is currently working on her first poetry book. Follow Jacquie on Twitter @JwPrebich

25 Miles To Go Now

Carol Segal

“…..Twenty-five miles from home, girl…..my feet are hurtin’ mighty bad…” Maryanne’s ample buttocks shake and bobble. Her dark black satin skin glistens with sweat, and her teeth flash extra white against it. Her smile is infectious and spontaneous. She is immersed in the music. I am captivated. She dances with Read more

Carol Segal

Carol Segal was born and raised in Portland, Oregon where she was a dancer with the Portland Ballet Company in the 1970’s. After college, her expectations of a brief time in New York City turned into a lasting marriage, two children, two grandchildren, and a continually flourishing business as a Personal Trainer for nearly four decades.