Nearby, a man looked at me, then at my sister, then back at me. My tear-stained cheeks perplexed him. He didn’t understand how her victory was my victory–her happiness, my happiness. He was not a sister.
-Heather Anne, heatherannehogan.com

You’re naked right now. You’ll be born naked. I assume in your childish glee, you’ll run around naked. And someone will probably mutter under their breath about how your naked body is obscene, indecent and profane. But I will think it’s a miracle.
-Helen Jane, helenjane.com

It’s a blustery Friday night. A friend and I listen to Garrison Keillor on NPR as she teaches me how to fry zucchini. We look out into the blowing snow and pop hot green circles in our mouths. For the first time in months, I don’t feel lonely.
-Moose, MooseInTheKitchen.com

Now I skate me out to track,
please help me hit them bitches back.
But should they see right through my fake,
do not let my femur break.
Schnozz, Schnozzfest.com

I remember back in my day, when I participated in NaBloPoMo. I approached it the way young people in those days approached everything: with gusto and a can-do attitude. There was none of this “I have nothing to say” or “I’m not going to make it” … especially not by day three, for the love [...]

“No matter what the boys told you down at the Auto Zone, no woman wants to see you flexing in front of your Jeep. Because we know you’ll inevitably end up looking more at yourself than looking at us. And we suspect that you might watch MTV Spring Break specials well into your 50s. And [...]

“I have always feared intimacy for the way it leaves us exposed, our flaws so shamelessly displayed, vulnerable to criticism and disgust. And I have avoided becoming that intimate, opening myself up to the possibility of rejection should my shortcomings be revealed. But I admire so much the honesty and exposure and trust present in [...]

“When I think of torture techniques, I imagine that being forced to eat a giant ball of hair would have me spilling every single one of my secrets. What? Who thinks about a. torture and b. giant balls of hair?”
-The wonderful Jeanine, from BohemianCreations.ca

“The concept of clean and unclean is rarely even considered during those formative years. Take showering, for instance. The idea that, at any point, one would need to clean one’s washcloth and towel seemed preposterous. Washcloth even has the word “wash” right there in it, if you look closely. Your washcloth and towel are constantly [...]

“In my time away from blogging I’ve been doing a lot of hippy introspection. As I’ve worked to learn me and love me, I’ve made some remarkable discoveries like: the unexamined life is not worth living, people only change when their present situation is more painful than what they’re afraid to face, and, most astoundingly, [...]