Trauma

Ethiopian Food as Divine Blessing

by | November 22, 2022

Some people self-care with a massage or a spa day. Me? I find the nearest Ethiopian restaurant, even if it means traveling hours by car, bus, train, airplane, or all of the above. It may seem like extreme lengths to go for a family serving plate of injera, doro wot, lamb tibs, and shiro, but […]

Ethiopian cuisine: kitfo with herbs and cheese on a plate and injera

While in Search of my Latinidad, an Abuser Found Me

by | December 2, 2021

While a writer searched for her Latinidad, a narcissistic abuser exploiting his status as a Cuban dissident found her.

Bolivia Cabinet Awaits Estenssoro

Pocas Pero Locas, Episode 3: “Wassup, M’ija?”

by | June 1, 2021

After a gang unit stopped my 14 year old cousin for driving in a stolen hoopty, they took her to Eastlake Juvenile Hall and handed her over to a new abuser: a cop.

Desiree Gurba

Pocas Pero Locas, Episode 2: Chicken Soup for the Homies’ Soul

by | May 27, 2021

An older homegirl, a hood mom whom Desiree considered her mentor, announced, "I'm jumping you in."

Desiree Gurba

Pocas Pero Locas: An Interpersonal Chicana Essay Where Two Primas Make Sure Shit Gets Told Right

by | May 18, 2021

Myriam Gurba writes about her cousin Desiree, female gangsters, cholas, Mexican bad asses with big hair, and the criminalization of survivors.

Myriam and Desiree Gurba, 1988

My Life at the Dildo Factory

by | April 29, 2021

A story of workplace abuse: “Saftey words are for Pussies!” read the misspelled Roy-Lichtenstein-does-BDSM faux pop art painting displayed in the office of the Anonymous Sex Toy Company. "Safe, Sane, and Consensual" was the company motto. None of the men running the company understood those slogans were incompatible.

Saftey Words Are For Pussies!

Framing Britney Spears Deepened My Desire for Justin Timberlake to Eat a Bag of Dicks

by | February 11, 2021

No daughter should live in terror of her dad and prolonged fear of a caregiver, especially a masculine one, indicates that someone may be experiencing coercive control, an ongoing form of gendered oppression characterized by a combination of conditions which are documented by Framing Britney Spears.

Jamie and Britney Spears

Don’t Call Me Resilient

by | January 14, 2021

Using the word "brave" exalts certain traumatized people as heroic and casts others as failures. All victims of assault deserve to have their experiences dignified with validation, not just those who earn it through "bravery."

AOC / instagram live