Thermage

Lying on the thin white cotton pillow of the procedure room / the nurse hands me the stress ball / swaddled in a blue latex glove / a nod to the virus still rampaging through the unvaccinated / The ball is for me to mash in my clenched fist / Read more

Rebecca Lee

Rebecca Lee is a public interest lawyer by day and writer of poetry and prose by night. A queer writer of color, she is a graduate of Yale College and UC Berkeley School of Law, where she was Senior Articles Editor of the California Law Review and co-Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice. Her poetry is forthcoming in Dispatches from Quarantine. She lives in San Francisco with her fiancé and their Goldendoodle, Justice.

Going Gray

You want to be a part of me, your absence of color like spider’s silk growing, surrounded by a sea of dark strands, lonely. Patiently, you wait for me to find you, but my job, chores, phone calls, and the rest of routine that comes with family keep me distracted Read more

Eloisa Perez-Lozano

Eloísa Pérez-Lozano writes poems and essays about Mexican-American identity, women’s issues, and motherhood. She graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in psychology and an M.S. in journalism and mass communications. A 2016 Sundress Publications Best of the Net nominee, her work has been featured in “The Texas Observer,” “Houston Chronicle,” and “Poets Reading the News,” among others. She lives with her family in Houston, Texas.

Lies

Most people don’t notice that I’m constantly ready to run. That my shoulders are tense. My eyes watching for danger. My breath shallow. My brain working on overdrive. What do I do next? Am I saying the wrong thing? Are people looking at me? Do I look okay? Does everyone Read more

Myrna CG Mibus

Myrna CG Mibus is a writer and bookseller who lives in Northfield, Minnesota. She writes articles on topics ranging from aviation to afternoon tea and essays on family, motherhood, and life. Her essays and articles have been published in a variety of publications including Feminine Collective, Grown & Flown, Minneapolis StarTribune and Wanderlust Journal. When she’s not writing, Myrna enjoys baking, bicycling, gardening, reading and being mom to her two young adult children.

Falling Out

Will I stop disappearing if I get Botox, or whiten my teeth, or thicken my thinning hair with extensions? Will I stop disappearing if I highlight under my eyes or draw in my eyebrows? What if I strap on tights, a push-up bra and high heels? Will I stop disappearing Read more

Alice Barstow

Alice has had a handful of careers and pursuits over the years with writing being a constant friend throughout all journeys, and the place that feels the most at home. Aside from articles and columns published on local news outlets, her work also appears in the anthology "This One Has No Name"- a collection of works by a small group of writers she happily meets and writes with monthly. Alice resides in a hilly New England town mothering two fascinating daughters, an overly excitable dog, and a moody cat, alongside her thankfully very patient husband.

Losing Myself to Body Shaming

My body is mine, yet everyone is so judgmental about it. But the real judge is me. I’m surrounded by people who care so much about their looks and having the perfect body that it is starting to rub off on me. I used to feel so confident in my Read more

Sophie Winik

I was a writer for I Am That Girl, a place that helps empower young girls. A place that was so safe I knew I could write about personal things and feel safe in doing so. Not only that but a place where my words would make a difference. And that is something I continue to be passionate about. To share my truth, even if it means I have to show my own vulnerability, and make a difference. To use my voice as an outlook for others. To help inspire and encourage others to share their truth. If I have made a difference to one single person, I know I have done good.

Who’s really paying the price for those beautiful nails?

My favorite Saturday morning routine starts with a good cup of coffee, manicure, and a nice pedicure. Not unlike a lot of women, it takes me an hour to look at the different shades of colors at the salon, only to end up choosing the same color every time. To 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.

That Bitch Called Media

So many girls get trapped by that bitch called Media and her virtual cage. Her spider web of filters latch on filtering out flaws and imperfections, any chance of personality and direction. That bitch called Media tags you in photos, picks Facebook fights with you, distracts you from your life Read more

Rebecca Charlotte

Rebecca Charlotte is a recent graduate of Westfield State University, a small liberal arts school in New England, where she majored in English with a concentration in literature. Currently, she works at two libraries. By day, Rebecca is a nerdy librarian, by night she is a nerdy librarian who devours books and superhero shows. Her work has appeared in BUST, elephant journal, Her Campus, and will be included in the upcoming issue of Doll Hospital Journal.

My Body is a Poem

I’m beautiful. I say it under the dim bathroom light: I. Am. Beautiful. I take solace in the light on my face. I take solace in the light on my skin, on the fat that creases and bulges. I hold my stomach in my hands, squish and squash my love Read more

Loren Kleinman

Loren Kleinman’s poetry has appeared in journals such ADANNA, Drunken Boat, The Moth, Domestic Cherry, Blue Lake Review, Catch & Release (Columbia University), LEVURE LITTÉRAIRE, Nimrod, Wilderness House Literary Review, Narrative Northeast, Writer’s Bloc, Journal of New Jersey Poets, Paterson Literary Review (PLR), Resurgence (UK), HerCircleEzine and Aesthetica Annual. Her interviews appeared in IndieReader, USA Today, and The Huffington Post. She’s also published essays in Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Seventeen Magazine. She is the author of Flamenco Sketches and Indie Authors Naked, which was an Amazon Top 100 bestseller in Journalism in the UK and USA. Kleinman’s The Dark Cave Between My Ribs was named one the best poetry book of 2014 by Entropy Magazine. Her third collection of poetry Breakable Things released via Winter Goose Publishing in March 2015. Her first novel This Way to Forever just released via Evatopia Press.