Tag: generational trauma
How to become a feminist horror writer
It’s the early 90’s. You watch “Gremlins” at a sleepover at your best friend’s house. You love sleepovers; you secretly pray you’ll never have...
A legacy of abuse: Telling on my brother
A deathbed confession, 1997 Mom unburdens herself only weeks before she dies. She tells me about Mike’s abuse against his children. Her revelations confirm...
When Mom stood by
Detecting abusers is a complex problem. Who is the real villain in the story? As a survivor of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse,...
What needs to be said
What needs to be said that you haven’t yet talked about?” the woman from hospice looked at me. I suspected I knew but remained...
An old woman survivor: my story
I reached far back under the bed and pulled the orange out into the light of the small bedroom. The mold had grown since...
Essays in search of identity after cult, abuse
Part memoir, part essay collection, Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing is a fearless book.
Dream mother
I had a dream that you were proud of me. You walked next to me and smiled and squeezed my hand, and that’s how I knew it...
Dish towels
The first lesson you taught me was how to fold the dish towels: First in half then one more half, and if I mess it up again, you’ll...
A woman’s place
Into the mouths of babes, the bottomless craw of a needy child; they cluster at my hip, wanting more. Here, I pay and pay for sins I did...
Where the grass is really greener
I feared there would be nothing left when I walked away from all the systems I knew so well.
Recommended Reading
The acknowledgement
I’m trying to be gentle with myself, but what if I never believe my body when it tells me what happened?
Have the time of your life!*
*Common side effects may include but are not limited to: harassment, stalking, getting drugged, passing out in...
To the fathers who do not abuse their daughters
On my street I am witness to the young men who carry the pink-flowered backpacks of little girls, who...
