We were children of the 1970s, children of divorce and children of an age, not of innocence, but of bravado. While we recognised dangers, we felt impervious to them. Lisa lived in the same apartment complex as Leslie and me. She lived with her divorced mom; we lived with our…

Running in bare feet, Geri Evans pumps her legs as fast as she can down the hot asphalt hill. The noonday sun has baked the ground beneath her, burning the soles of her feet. So hot is the ground that the hill appears to lengthen as she races in brief…

Tips and tricks to stay organized with depression and PTSD I experienced my first panic attack at the age of twenty-two. As a single mother with three children under three, it suddenly dawned on me at that moment that my life choices lacked foresight. In the end, we all survived…

Some matrimonial family herstory — Virginia Coleman had five husbands. Not simultaneously, though many suspect an overlap between at least two. These stories get muddled through the years, and the strange details of Virginia’s five husbands, apart from their number, remains obscure.

SHOPPING IN THE HAPPINESS MARKETPLACE · — Introduction What does it mean to find happiness? Is happiness the opposite of sadness? Does happily ever after exist? As someone who struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety for many years, I convinced myself that if only I could achieve A, B, or C, I would defeat my depression and…

Cosplay chivalry in the state of Texas — Dear Governor Abbott and your vigilante mob of litigious busybodies: You do not own me. You do not protect and defend me and my ‘honor’. I do not choose you as my champion and faithful knight. I could not give two fucks about your masculine sensibilities or your religious convictions…

Diary of an impractical hen keeper — I self-identify as a farmer. I have a farmer hat, two pairs of wellies, and a compost pile. Others might call me a pseudo farmer or a hobby chicken-keeper who incidentally grows spectacular tomatoes. I call myself a chicken farmer. I acquired my enthusiasm for farming in late middle age…