The Worst Relationship I Ever Had...was with Food
The Worst Relationship I Ever Had...was with Food

I still remember the first time that I became aware of my arms.

I was reading a fashion magazine and an actress was quoted saying that of all her body parts, she was most concerned about her arms and keeping them in shape. It was the first time I realized that arms COULDN’T be in shape, and I wondered how mine fell on the spectrum. I felt disappointed and concerned, wondering if there were other parts of my body that I’d essentially neglected to stress about. I hoped that I’d never find out.

Read More
True StoriesJulia Nusbaumfeminism, Storytelling, body image, self love Comment
Advice to Myself on My 27th Birthday
Advice to Myself on My 27th Birthday

In August of 1915 my great grandmother was turning 27. She was married, living on a farm in Kansas, and had somewhere around four children (she would go on to have thirteen children when all was said and done). In October of 2015, one hundred years later, I am truing 27. Sometimes I think about my great grandmother’s life, how one hundred years and two month separate us. What kind of thoughts was she having on her birthday in 1915? Was she fulfilled with life? Was she happy? Did she wish she had done things differently—perhaps ended up somewhere else, with someone else? I think of her often, living a parallel life to my own one hundred years apart.  And I’m thinking of her this week, as I turn 27 and examine my life so far. 

Read More
True StoriesJulia NusbaumStorytelling, feminism, advice Comment
Just Like a Tattoo
Just Like a Tattoo

How does one define their life? How do you sum up everything that has happened in the last 20+ years? A friend told me that the best stories are about overcoming obstacles, how one deals with loss and love, and finding the silver linings. I believe that my body art tells my story. I’m proud to say that when I chose to decorate my body with tattoos, I chose from my past experiences to show things that are important to me. Things that have shaped my life.

Read More
True StoriesJulia Nusbaumfeminism, Storytelling, tattoos, pregnancy, griefComment
Just Saying Goodbye: Reflections on a Farm House
Just Saying Goodbye: Reflections on a Farm House

My grandfather died in early December of 2013. He had dementia, and it wasn’t wholly unexpected. He died on the farm. He always said that was where he wanted to die, always refusing to move--even when my dad and his sisters insisted. He loved the land more than anyone I know. For so many farmers working the land has become just another way to make money, there is nothing spiritual left in it. But for my grandfather, I think working the land, standing in a field of corn, held something holy.

Read More
True StoriesJulia Nusbaumfeminism, Storytelling, death, farm Comments
Not Just a Survivor
Not Just a Survivor

I am a survivor of abuse and rape. I don’t ignore that reality, and I’ll never forget it. I take medicine for PTSD daily and am a client of the campus counseling center where I can get free therapy. But it’s also not my whole story. I am also a wife, a PhD student, a friend, and a daughter-in-law; but most importantly, I am a child of a loving God.

Read More
True StoriesJulia Nusbaumfeminism, Storytelling, sexual violence, abuse, rape, panic attackComment
DIVINA
DIVINA

I have a tattoo on my neck that reads         D I V I N A.

It is the feminine term for divine, in Spanish. You see, I have chosen to affirm my greatness through my body, and I consider this tattoo a proclamation to myself and an affirmation to my female ancestors. I love this tattoo because it is an indicator for outsiders to know who they are dealing with, when they approach me.

Read More
Miscellaneous StoriesJulia NusbaumDivina, divinity School, immigration, feminism, chonga, self loveComment
Bathroom Revelation
Bathroom Revelation

I don’t remember how old I was. Eight or nine possibly. Some details didn’t stick in this guilty memory. But I remember the restaurant. It was a cheap pizza chain. I remember the smell of heat-lamp pizza and wilted pink salad with ranch. I remember the pleasure of seeing greasy wadded up paper napkins on empty beige plates next to half-drunk red plastic cups. Empty plates meant full tummies. And of course I remember distinctly the stained industrial carpet under the tables and chairs where I crouched and hid in mortification.

Read More
Miscellaneous StoriesJulia Nusbaumfeminism, Storytelling, bathroomComment
The Birth of a Story
The Birth of a Story

I cannot tell you how I first came up with the idea for HerStory without first telling you about a place called Thistle Farms. Thistle Farms is a social enterprisese and nonprofit located in Nashville, Tennessee, and during the last year of my graduate program at Vanderbilt Divinity School I was their full time intern. The company makes natural body products, healing oils, and a few household goods. But that is not what is special about Thistle Farms. Thistle Farms is special because women who have survived trafficking, addiction, and life on the street make the products. These women come to Thistle Farms in search of recovery and a new life. They are given two years of free counseling, housing, and treatment, while also being given the chance to earn a living wage and learn the skills that they need to become free and independent women. It is from these women that the idea for HerStory was born.

Read More
True StoriesJulia Nusbaumfeminism, Writing, Storytelling, kentComment