I Could Make That for You!

My eventual honesty with Mama started with a Laura Ashley comforter. I was going away for the summer after 10th grade as a dance major at the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program and could decorate a space entirely for myself. I envisioned decorating my side of the college dormitory in all Laura Ashley, as I had seen in the J.C. Penny catalog with matching floral bedding and draperies. I wanted to have matching things like that, not like my bedroom at home with homemade curtains and a white-painted desk that Daddy built. I decided that a thick, floral, luxurious Laura Ashley comforter would be my official welcome to adulthood, one that smelled sweet and felt cool to the touch.

Thanks I Guess, ThanksSelena RaygozaNovember 27, 2023mothers, Daughter, Growing upComment

The First Year

The first time I sat in the waiting room, I faced a wall full of Christmas cards and birth announcements.

The second time I sat in the waiting room, Chris sat next to me, reading a book I bought him, which exclaimed in bold letters on the front, “We’re pregnant!” I held a clipboard and grilled him about his family’s medical history. When the doctor turned the monitor screen to face us, Chris couldn’t help but move closer, wanting to get as good a look at our little gummy bear as possible. But he didn’t let go of my hand, and for the first time he was pulled between me and our child.

MotherhoodKristina BuschMay 22, 2023Motherhood, Growing up, pregnancy Comments

Turn Me into a Girl

Five.

A girl finds herself standing with her cousins, wondering what she will wear for dress-up at Nana and Pops’s house. The dazzling range of options is almost overwhelming. Who will she be today? Through the animal costumes and the police uniforms, something catches her eye. A stunning red dress—the kind women wear to fancy parties she’s seen on TV. That’s who she wants to be.

Rebellious BodiesGuest UserDecember 28, 2022LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, girlhood, Growing up Comments

Dear Cindy

Dear Eleven,
The fire will come and change you. I could tell you to brace yourself, but I know you won’t.
You will see the smoke rising over the hill from your seat on the school bus. You will ignore the driver’s objection and get off the bus at the wrong stop.

Dear Past MeJulia NusbaumJuly 31, 2020Dear past me, Growing up, childhood, Love, marriageComment

Dear Nancy

I love that you’re still a tomboy as you enter middle school. That you still play pickup touch football with the guys in the neighborhood and don’t care about makeup. You’re very smart, but maybe a little naïve about other people’s motivations. I’m hoping you’re old enough to receive the advice I want to give you in this letter.

Dear Past MeJulia NusbaumJuly 30, 2020Dear Past me, Growing up, Childhood, Women, girls, history, womens stories, storytellingComment

Dear Maryam

Where you feel most content is the essence of who you are. The moments in life when what you are doing engulfs you, and for a second, life is simple. Find that, let it become you. Let it never be taken from you or forgotten about as life and her worries take over. Promise me that, young one.

Dear Past MeJulia NusbaumJuly 29, 2020Dear past me, Growing up, Love yourself, Self love, self care, Women, Stories, historyComment

Perfect A

Every now and then, old memories appear when you least expect them.

Fastidious footsteps on the pavement leading to Painter Hall on the historic campus of Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. You’re late. As you take the brick steps and walk towards the door, your mind falls back to a time when Santa Clause was a real man who slid down chimneys with tons of gifts, and life was centered around nursery rhymes, coloring sheets, and recess.

GriefJulia NusbaumAugust 30, 2018friendship, Motherhood, grief, cancer, Growing upComment

Monthly Theme

Herstry LLC
Milwaukee, WI
Contact us

About herstry
Archive
Jobs
Press
Sponsorships
Upcoming Events
Write for us
Shop

Read:
Personal Essays
Monthly Theme Essays