My Work
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. - Fritz Perls
My work has appeared on Huffington Post, The Week, McSweeney's,The Cauldron on Sports Illustrated, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Scary Mommy, House Beautiful, Parenting, Parents, Country Living, and The Washington Post.
RECENT
The US Olympic Committee's moment of truth (with Nancy Hogshead-Makar), Huffington Post, June 2018.
How #MeToo is leaving child victims behind, The Week, March 2018.
Adults owe victims of child sexual abuse more than awareness, Huffington Post, March 2018.
Teaching slavery in the high school Latin classroom, In Medias Res, February 2018.
Since you asked, Roy Moore, here's why victims of sexual violence wait decades to come forward, Huffington Post, November 2017.
Honest Latin mottoes for your overrated university, McSweeneys, August 2017.
10 tips for talking about politics in the classroom, TED-Ed blog, March 2017.
SEXUAL ABUSE, ASSAULT, & TRAUMA
'I feel whole.' After 30 years a woman confronts her abuser- and herself, The Washington Post, 11/13/2014
"It often feels safer for victims to deny or minimize the extent and impact of the abuse. Naming and disclosing the experience can dredge up intense emotional pain, shatter the identity a victim has worked hard to construct, threaten his or her sense of normalcy, and disrupt interpersonal relationships, particularly if the perpetrator is still in contact with the victim or his or her family."
Since you asked, Roy Moore, here's why victims of sexual violence wait decades to come forward, Huffington Post, November 2017.
"I, like many victims, took decades to find the courage to name my abuser and seek justice for the crimes he committed when I was a child."
9 things you should never say to a rape victim, Marie Claire, 8/4/2015
"2. Any question that begins with "why." I got a lot of "why" questions. They inevitably put the victim on the defensive."
Why I kept in touch with the person who abused me, Marie Claire, 9/4/2015 (Reprint on Redbook)
"If you're a victim like I was, I hope you know there is no script for how to react, behave, or recover—and staying in touch with your perpetrator doesn't make you guilty of being complicit in his or her crimes.
If you're not a victim, don't judge. A victim's continued association or friendship with his or her perpetrator is not proof that a crime never happened. It's proof that he or she is trying to move on, and have some semblance of a normal life."
Breaking free of silence and shame, Huffington Post, 6/3/2015 (Reprints at To Write Love on Her Arms and Good Men Project)
"I've had to expand my definition of strength- stoicism and numbness are not strength. Strength is confronting the scariest parts of our pasts, even if it is messy. Even if it involves tears and anger. Even if it - at times - overwhelms us. Strength can be abject brokenness, but it is also self-acceptance and hope for a healthier future."
I am a victim, Huffington Post, 7/17/2015
"Using the term beyond its literal definition perpetuates a culture of shame and silence that most victims of sexual assault endure. In fact, using "victim" as an insult is one of the most pervasive forms of victim shaming and most common manifestations of rape culture."
Don't call me strong, Huffington Post, 6/12/2015.
"It is easier for society to look at strength rather than the cause of the brokenness. Rape. Incest. Sexual molestation. Sanitizing the impact by almost exclusively calling victims "survivors"makes it easy to ignore the pervasiveness, insidiousness and life-ruining (and, on a larger scale, society-ruining) impact of these disturbing crimes."
Sanctuary, 50 Word Stories, 5/21/2015
MENTAL HEALTH, LIFE
When the holidays aren't happy, Huffington Post, 12/10/2015
"For many people, the holidays can be some of the unhappiest times of the year, a feeling that is exacerbated by continual pressure to be happy and merry."
Why men might not go to therapy, The Good Men Project, 05/27/2015
"Deciding to pursue therapy is a hard decision, and it shouldn't be even harder to find a therapist. Most therapists-- intentionally or unintentionally-- market to women. If therapy ends up being a poor fit, oftentimes it is less about what is wrong with you, and more about what is wrong with the way the therapist is marketing his or her services."
How your favorite weapon disarms you, The Good Men Project, 7/3/2015
"It is easy to blame our choices in partners, addictions, and other dysfunctions on our past. Yes, our past can have a huge impact on our present, but if your go-to is blame, or a belief that some nebulous force from years gone by is driving your current decisions, you have given up your power."
Mom and sons conquer the Incline, The Good Men Project, 6/13/2015
"Doug and I share water and take many breathless breaks as Ben becomes a red speck in the distance. I hear reports from slower hikers that he has been busy chatting everyone up. So much for my advice to use available air for breathing, not talking. And, so much for my fantasy of being Ben’s guide and source of maternal encouragement. He is the one leading the way."
HUMOR
Honest Latin mottoes for your overrated university, McSweeneys, August 2017.
List: Ernest Hemingway or captions from Scott Walker's Instagram, McSweeney's, July 2017.
Thank you for registering for Bill Cosby's seminar on sexual assault, McSweeney's, June 2017.
$82,000: A tale of extravagance, The Crooked Scoreboard, 5/12/2015 (Satire)
"News of Chris Christie's spending habits at MetLife stadium brought back fond memories of the time I spent $82,000 at Camden Yards."
The fun run: Kindergarten's greatest sporting event, The Crooked Scoreboard, 5/19/2015 (Satire)
"The day I’ve been waiting for all year has arrived: it’s the Kindergarten Fun Run. The school didn’t measure the course, but I did. It’s 0.84 miles. I also checked the course for glass, because in our family, we run barefoot, like the Tarahumara."
SPORTS
Profile of Charlie Batch (three-part series)
A conversation with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch (Part 1/3), Behind the Steel Curtain, 6/14/2015
"Suddenly, his primary goal in life was not just to fulfill his dream of playing professional football, it was to redeem the event that could have destroyed him. Instead of viewing a possible career in the NFL—and the wealth that can accompany such a career-- as a means to the Caligulan indulgence and excess common in professional sports, he realized it could provide the resources for him to honor his sister and give back to the community."
A conversation with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch (Part 2/3), Behind the Steel Curtain, 6/5/2015
"After driving by the facility daily and struggling with all of those football benchmarks that had been part of his life for over a decade, he said to himself, 'Stop. You're not that guy any more.'"
A conversation with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch: His playing career (Part 3/3), Behind the Steel Curtain, 6/8/2015
"His locker-mate ended up being Jerome Bettis. "I'm there with Jerome and I'm thinking, 'Man, I watched this guy in college.' I was just standing there trying not to act like too much of fan."
Honest Latin mottoes for your overrated university, McSweeneys, August 2017.
List: Ernest Hemingway or captions from Scott Walker's Instagram, McSweeney's, July 2017.
Thank you for registering for Bill Cosby's seminar on sexual assault, McSweeney's, June 2017.
$82,000: A tale of extravagance, The Crooked Scoreboard, 5/12/2015 (Satire)
"News of Chris Christie's spending habits at MetLife stadium brought back fond memories of the time I spent $82,000 at Camden Yards."
The fun run: Kindergarten's greatest sporting event, The Crooked Scoreboard, 5/19/2015 (Satire)
"The day I’ve been waiting for all year has arrived: it’s the Kindergarten Fun Run. The school didn’t measure the course, but I did. It’s 0.84 miles. I also checked the course for glass, because in our family, we run barefoot, like the Tarahumara."
SPORTS
Profile of Charlie Batch (three-part series)
A conversation with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch (Part 1/3), Behind the Steel Curtain, 6/14/2015
"Suddenly, his primary goal in life was not just to fulfill his dream of playing professional football, it was to redeem the event that could have destroyed him. Instead of viewing a possible career in the NFL—and the wealth that can accompany such a career-- as a means to the Caligulan indulgence and excess common in professional sports, he realized it could provide the resources for him to honor his sister and give back to the community."
A conversation with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch (Part 2/3), Behind the Steel Curtain, 6/5/2015
"After driving by the facility daily and struggling with all of those football benchmarks that had been part of his life for over a decade, he said to himself, 'Stop. You're not that guy any more.'"
A conversation with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch: His playing career (Part 3/3), Behind the Steel Curtain, 6/8/2015
"His locker-mate ended up being Jerome Bettis. "I'm there with Jerome and I'm thinking, 'Man, I watched this guy in college.' I was just standing there trying not to act like too much of fan."