By Susan Lilley Lately I’ve been doing a lot of bragging on Facebook and Instagram about former students doing stellar things, like performing on Broadway or publishing in top-tier magazines. But the […]
Gratitude: The Beauty and Solace of WORK
When You Need to Break Bread with Voters from the Other Side
We’re in that weird space between last week’s election and next week’s day of Thanks. And in that middle space, we’ve all had to face some uncomfortable feelings about our nation, our […]
A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell as Nasty
I’ve been a nasty woman since before I was even born. When my bleeding-heart liberal, over-educated parents discovered that they were going to spawn a little girl, they decided to give her […]
We will define this new presidency. It will not define us.
The ballots have abeen cast and counted and the news stations have called it. The outcome of this election has shown us just how much work we still have to do. First, take […]
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We are performing site maintenance so The Gloria Sirens may not appear as it normally does, and there may be difficulty loading older posts. Please bear with us and thanks for your […]
A Dog’s Message to Undecided Voters
These days, they let anybody vote. Felons, zombies, bitches, anybody. Just look at them. So they might as well let me vote. I love the ladies. Nobody respects the ladies more. In fact, I go […]
Starting the Conversation: Speaking Out About Sexual Abuse
Recently the poet Annie Finch posted on her blog a piece called “Things I’ve Been Ashamed to Share About Being a Writer Until Now,” in which she gets specific about what men […]
What HuffPo didn’t want you to read: “A Tape Doesn’t Change a Goddamn Thing” by Karrie Higgins
Last week, Karrie Higgins (whose work we’ve highlighted before) published an essay so controversial, the Huffington Post took it down and deleted her contributor account within hours of it going live. Higgins’ essay, originally titled “Donald Trump confessed to sexual assault on tape and so did my brother, and here is what I know: a tape doesn’t change a goddamned thing,” is a devastating and necessary account of the reality so many women face regarding sexual assault, why it is under reported, and why so may male assailants roam free.
Why Won’t She Leave Him?
Don’t tell her what to do; talk to her and listen. Offer your help, but understand that to leave or not to leave is her decision. Respect it. And tell her you respect her.
Acknowledge the pain and turmoil she is in, most especially the emotional turmoil. If she doesn’t leave him, don’t give up on her leaving him. Give her love, respect, support, and time. It’s going to take all of that.
Meditation for Skeptics
A standard message for motivational speakers and writers of self-help books is to promise that, if you do what the book suggests, you will have success. Often there’s an element of magic […]