24 May 2013
Kristen E. Nelson is the author of Write, Dad (Unthinkable Creatures Press, 2012). She has recently published work in The Volta, Denver Quarterly, Drunken Boat, Tarpaulin Sky Journal, Trickhouse, and Everyday Genius, among others. She is a founder and the Executive Director of Casa Libre en la Solana, a non-profit writing center in Tucson, Arizona; a production editor for Tarpaulin [...]
22 May 2013
By Elizabeth Dorssom I first started referring to myself as a feminist when I was 17. Even though I didn’t identify as a feminist until I was older I was definitely a feminist from a very young age. When I was in elementary school I enjoyed playing with Hot Wheels cars instead [...]
20 May 2013
By Molly Baker On April 23, University of Arizona student Dean Saxton, better known as Brother Dean, stood on a bench brandishing a sign that bluntly stated in bold, black letters “You Deserve Rape.” Saxton proceeded to verbally harass many women that walked by on their way to class, calling them [...]
15 May 2013
By Mohadesa Najumi When I think about what modesty means in today’s political, cultural and religious environment, I am inclined to believe that the concept itself does not involve choice, or any dimension of freedom or independent thought. Rather, modesty constitutes a dictatorial concept forced upon women whether they agree [...]
7 May 2013
*Trigger warning* Sometimes I feel like the NRA is actively just trying to lose all the credibility it has left in this world. Just when you thought the NRA’s annual convention in Houston this weekend couldn’t draw any more negative attention, it goes out and casually promotes a company selling a product [...]
29 Mar 2013
By Monica Torres When I sign my name, it’s Monica, not Mónica. When I order pupusas at my favorite restaurant, the waiter will give my accent an approving nod, as if to say, you’re one of us. But it will only take a harder question for me to reveal the [...]
18 Mar 2013
By Alexa Lambertis At an early age, I was exposed to a woman who essentially changed my life. A sweet lady with a southern background, she was introduced to me as a family friend. I met her in her own home, where we would spend a majority of our time [...]
By Jardana Peacock Some stories you don’t want to tell. Some places you just don’t want to return to. But some stories destroy you unless they are shared. The story I have to tell is one of trauma, yoga, community organizing, de-colonizing wellness, and healing. This story begins in 2001, several months after I...
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By Ynanna Djehuty I like to open with definitions. The usage of words and knowing the weight they hold is important to all discourse, regardless of whether we are conscious of their weight or not. For this piece, I want to define the key words in its title so I may offer the reader...
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From the editors: Here at TFW, we have many, many email and phone conversations that never make their way onto our site. We bounce ideas off of each other, share thoughts and life updates, and also process how we’re feeling about goings-on in the world. And as with many families/communities, our exchanges are messy,...
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By Erin “Mari” Morales-Williams Right now I am depressed. My aunt’s husband sexually violated me when I was a teenager, and since she is still with him and he still comes to family events, I am forced to mentally split if I am to still enjoy my family. He was in my house for...
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By Sandra E. Weissinger I started my career as a sociologist in New Orleans five years after Hurricane Katrina. The school I worked at still held classes in trailers. The trailers were old. The interiors would get wet when it rained. Doors would not close. Several were said to have a mold problem. The...
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By Melva L. Sampson I am exhausted! It is exhaustion that overwhelms and overruns me because of its deep-seated roots. Roots that make one question her presence in the Academy while simultaneously questioning her ability to be a mother. How is it that I can maintain my authentic voice within a space where my...
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By Gretchen Davidson There are moments in life that lift a curtain and give us a glimpse of what is really propelling us through this world. Reflecting on and processing the births of my three children is a series of those moments for me as a mother and as a survivor of sexual violence....
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By Amy Hodges Hamilton I rushed into the classroom, organizing my books and notes while welcoming students to class. As I placed my bag under the desk and began the day’s writing exercise, I remembered I hadn’t silenced my cell phone. So I pushed one button and began teaching. After class ended, I wished...
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22 May 2013
By Aditi Rao Dear Mr. Yadav, I too am an Indian Woman “Referring to the recent ‘Slut Walk’ held in the Capital, Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav said we had naked women walking down the streets with tattoos on their cheeks, whereas Indian women did not even look up while [...]
17 May 2013
Assata do not dry like dissipated plums under castro’s bronzing sun you mural fortress you live memorial spirited artifice rouged sea salt that marinates america’s wound Assata you like stripped bone road unaware of which exit is free birth brown coagulated rhythm redefined reborn rumba queen Assata dusk breath [...]
16 May 2013
“Affirmation” by Assata Shakur* ___ I believe in living. I believe in the spectrum of Beta days and Gamma people. I believe in sunshine. In windmills and waterfalls, tricycles and rocking chairs. And i believe that seeds grow into sprouts. And sprouts grow into trees. I believe in the magic [...]
7 May 2013
7 May 2013
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The Guardian