I Survived

Cutting My Hair to Free Myself from Capitalism

Each season of haircutting marked a major life shift, and I recoiled because I was tired of transitioning. I just wanted to be.

Dec 15, 2021
Learning to Talk About Domestic Violence

A system that requires us to risk further retaliation when we report being in danger enables and engenders further violence.

Jan 11, 2021
Leaving My Near-Death Experience on the Dance Floor

They said I was traumatized, and that my fragile mental state would have to indefinitely play catchup with my rapidly healing body.

Apr 09, 2020
The Hunter and the Hunted

Suddenly, I wasn’t just prey, I was bait. In order to hunt him down, I had to be both cautious and on display.

Sep 10, 2019
In Kolkata, This Survivor of Domestic Violence Sought Justice—Through the Restoration of Her Property

Rozha fled an abusive marriage, and survived the death of her son. Now she claims what is hers.

Jun 05, 2019
On Abuse, Survival, and the Word ‘Victim’

I debated for a long time whether I would describe sex with Reese. I didn’t know if I could stand knowing that it might turn some readers on, that it could sustain their fantasies about underage girls. Some of you have come to this essay for the sex, whether you’d admit to it or not.

Apr 17, 2019
Who Agrees That Swimming in the Ocean Is Scary?

It was like a disaster movie, the quiet moment before the asteroid lands. “Swim!” he yelled, but it was too late for me.

Jul 25, 2018
The Woman in the Wall: Answering the Knock in the Middle of the Night

A woman living alone has heard every story about the woman living alone. We constantly negotiate the knowledge of our vulnerability, both real and amplified by stories we’re told.

Jul 11, 2018
“Mad, or Wicked, or Both”: Women Seeking the South Pole

It wasn’t just that Antarctica was no place for women—it was expressly a place for men.

May 30, 2018
The Moment Your Life Crashes and Burns: On Divorce, Injury, and Questions Without Answers

It’s been more than four years since my husband announced he was in love with my friend and no longer wanted to be married to me.

May 22, 2018
Why Will You Follow Me to War, Little Brother?

Sometimes I don’t want my wife to touch me. I grow anxious and sweaty at the thought of her behind me as we ascend the stairs to bed. I pass it off like it’s funny.

Feb 28, 2018
Riding Toward Danger: My Tinder Date on Horseback

Horses were my safest of sanctuaries. Nothing bad would happen.

Jan 08, 2018
Island of Debris: The Unofficial Toll of Hurricane María

“Very deep down I know that we will rise, but for now, I still need to mourn the debris.”

Dec 05, 2017
Bombed Without a Bang: The Nuclear Crisis We're Already Living

An “energizer bunny” who spent weekends hiking, she now battles chronic pain and fatigue.

Oct 25, 2017
Checking for Holes in the Multiverse

I pick out the universe where a bullet never fractured my skull bone.

Sep 26, 2017
Let’s Feel the Pain Together

“The villagers called the hospital ‘The Place of Sad Faces’ and many wouldn’t come here except as a last resort.”

Mar 30, 2017
Frozen Ground: On Reporting a Statutory Rape Twenty Years Later

“I wonder if we’re all self-possessed marionettes, our strings on the inside.”

Feb 07, 2017
A Shotgun in Our House

School shooters transition from imagination to preparation.

Nov 08, 2016
The Hour of Lead

The day I was diagnosed was a day of ecstatic relief.

Dec 15, 2015