by Martha Ellen Johnson Martha Ellen Johnson lives alone in an old Victorian house on a hill on the Oregon coast. She is a social worker...

by Ben Cowan Ben Cowan is a survivor of childhood sex abuse. Part of his recovery is sharing his story to support others. He is retired,...

by Jenny Olson Jenny Olson wants her words to make people feel and think. From human trafficking tofreedom, addiction to recovery, from...

by Lori Nunnink Lori Nunnink is the Sr. Victim Advocate with the Nevada County, California Victim Assistance Center, advocating for...

by Odi Welter Odi Welter (they/she/he) is a queer, neurodivergent author with a Bachelors in Film and Creative Writing from the...

by Tracie Nichols Tracie Nichols, M.A., is a Transformative Language Artist writing poetry and facilitating writing experiences from her...

by Alexandria Yakes Alexandria is new to the public writing world. This is her first non-academic publication, and she is proud to be...

by Sister Lou Ella Hickman Sister Lou Ella Hickman, OVISS is a former teacher and librarian whose writings have appeared in numerous...

by Allen Means Allen Means is a queer, trans poet from Boulder, Colorado, currently living in Philadelphia. He holds an MFA from the...

by Kelly Lynn Kelly Lynn is an internationally renowned author who hasn’t yet been published. She specializes in wishful thinking. In...

by Steve Hawe Steve Hawe wore many hats over a lifetime in the bush. Time out now is strumming his guitar, reinventing the wheel at his...

by Caralyn Dreyer Caralyn Dreyer has a master’s degree in forensic psychology and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Dreyer works...

by Sarah Kiepper Sarah Kiepper resides with her partner and dogs on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts. She is acompliance officer and...

by Duane Herrmann With degrees in education and history, Duane L. Herrmann, award winning, internationally published historian, poet, and...

by Sophia Shiroff In history class, we were given an assignment with gingerbread people outlined on paper and I immediately was brought back to sitting in my forensic interview. I have PTSD and a lot of my memories come back at random times, so I felt like poetry was the best way to be able to express a little bit of what that's like in my brain, as the past and present collide. As a survivor, there are so many feelings, emotions, and experiences that I find hard to express o

by Brenda Asterino With an eclectic education and background of skills, Brenda Asterino became an educator with an interest in education,...

by Frances Guadiano Frances Gaudiano hails from Southern California but has somehow ended up living in Cornwall, England. After earning a...

by Mica Lee Smith Mica Lee Smith lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and their four cats. He enjoys reading, gaming, and...

by Ann Herold A Herrold (ze/zir) is a genderqueer writer, poet, and comedian. Ze graduated with a BA degree in philosophy (focusing on...

I will not die. Suppression, shame does not keep me down. Changing me to my core Does not change my core.

For a while, I took cold showers on purpose. At first, I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

I was thirteen, spending summer in Ohio with my sister met neighbor girl on playground swing my eyes opened first time camping.

My uncle took my hand on the road home after babysitting, his breath reeked of whiskey and cigarettes.

I’ve finally put it all together. He was a monster, a monster in dad’s clothing, but still a monster.