What Didn’t Kill Her By Bernice L. McFadden Feature Bernice L. McFadden ruminates on all the things her mother has endured only to find herself spending her golden years in the midst of a deadly plague and state-sanctioned racism.
Whatever Happened to ______ ? By Longreads Feature Envy over her success led her husband, also a writer, to become violent. She fights every day for her safety — and to avoid being relegated to obscurity like so many writers who are mothers.
Leaning In with Alex P. Keaton By Nicole Cyrus Feature Born with serious CEO aspirations, Nicole Cyrus found her role model in a white kid from an ’80s sitcom.
Woman Writes Story Challenging Gender Dynamics; Is Thwarted by…Long-Standing Gender Dynamics By Sari Botton Highlight How can we combat sexism in publishing if we’re so worried about damaging the reputations of offending men?
Brigid, Magdalene, My Mother, and Me By Carmel Mc Mahon Feature Carmel Mc Mahon contemplates the legacy of trauma passed down through generations of Irish women.
David Letterman Is Truly Sorry By Sari Botton Highlight Ten years after calling Letterman out for creating a hostile work environment for women, Nell Scovell gets to talk with him about it.
Bikini Kill — and My Bunkmates — Taught Me How to Unleash My Anger By Longreads Feature While away at summer camp, Melissa Febos discovers the power of her generation’s rage and feminism.
The Bread Thread By Emily Weitzman Feature Emily Weitzman condemns the persistence of slut shaming over different stages in her life, and combats it with humor and…bread.
Prayers to Lucia By Heather Quinn Feature When a high-risk pregnancy jeopardizes their eyesight, Heather Quinn explores the expectations of motherhood and finds common ground with a patron saint.
The Occupation of a Woman Writer By Kiley Bense Feature Our inherited biases about who should write what live deeper than most of us realize or want to acknowledge.
On Silence (or, Speak Again) By Elissa Bassist Feature Elissa Bassist breaks her silence about everything she’s not supposed to talk about and comes out alive.
Whole 60 By Laura Lippman Feature The Laura Lippman plan requires that you eat whatever you want whenever you want to eat it, and declare yourself beautiful. We’re not going to lie — it’s really hard.
The Cost of Reading By Ayşegül Savaş Feature Ayşegül Savaş contemplates the way women’s and men’s time is valued and the uneven burden taken by women writers in literary citizenship.
Re: Hate Mail By Amy Kurzweil Feature After receiving a string of menacing emails, Amy Kurzweil wonders: Can she safely extend a writer’s empathy to men who harass her on the internet?
A Woman Becomes a Nightingale By Carolita Johnson Feature Carolita Johnson reviews the ugly history of rape being weaponized — and politicized — as a means of silencing women.
The Killer Who Spared My Mother By Diana Whitney Feature In an attempt to understand her own chronic pain, Diana Whitney uncovers a violent trauma from her mother’s past.
A Woman’s Work: The Art of the Day Job By Carolita Johnson Feature Carolita Johnson looks back on the many ways she’s tried to juggle work with her *work.*
The Rub of Rough Sex By Chelsea G. Summers Feature Chelsea G. Summers considers the ways in which outwardly ‘progressive’ men like former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman use kink as a cover for abuse.
Peterson’s Complaint By Laurie Penny Feature There’s no use debating a feeling. It’s time to change how we engage with Jordan Peterson.
Gone Gray By Jessica Berger Gross Feature Jessica Berger Gross reflects on what letting her roots grow in at age 45 has meant, in terms of feminism and resistance.
Sex Workers vs. The Internet By Rick Paulas Feature Since the dawn of the internet, online platforms have allowed clients to take advantage of sex workers. Now, they’re fighting back.
To Hug, or Not to Hug? By Emily Meg Weinstein Feature Emily Meg Weinstein considers the complexities of meeting and greeting in this #MeToo moment.
Lurve You? Or Loathe You? By Sari Botton Highlight Maybe Woody Allen’s romantic comedies weren’t terribly romantic after all.
Reclaiming Our Rage By Sari Botton Highlight Here’s to more women embracing their anger instead of defaulting to sadness.
How Are There Still Beauty Pageants When Feminists Have Been Protesting Them for 50 Years? By Sari Botton Highlight Roxane Gay considers the lasting impact of protests against the Miss America Pageant that took place half a century ago.
Observe the Bumbler’s One Weakness By Michelle Weber Highlight Bumbles sink. (Hopefully.) On men, sexual violence, and feigned ignorance.
The Female Fracker: A Rare Species in North Dakota By Krista Stevens Highlight Imagine being the only woman living with 200 roughnecks — risking your personal safety every day — just to make a buck.
The Horizon of Desire By Laurie Penny Feature Laurie Penny wants a new conversation about women, men, consent, desire, and autonomy.
When ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Isn’t Fiction By Pam Mandel Highlight Growing up in the fundamentalist Christian “Quiverfull” movement, Hännah Ettinger saw her own story in Atwood’s vision.
Filmmaker Kyrre Lien Traveled the World Interviewing Internet Trolls in Person By Krista Stevens Highlight Filmmaker Kyrre Lien was curious about what drives people who make hateful comments online, so he traveled the world to interview internet trolls in person.