Amy’s review of The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid appears in the current edition of Hippocampus Magazine.
Honestly, I laughed and cried while reading this review-so funny and insightful. Thank you, Amy and Hippocampus Magazine!
Amy’s current book is I Wanted Fried With That: How to ask for what you want and get what you need.
So much thanks to Chuck and Brady of The Life After podcast for the opportunity to do this interview. We talked about sex from every angle, laughed a lot, and discussed elements of my memoir, The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid, that I don’t often have the chance to delve into. Click the link below to listen.
Amethyst Joy is one of my favorite Instagram follows. She has a way of revealing how wound sources show up in parenting. Her words are deep and soft and true; a reminder that we can do better. And she does it without twisting the knife.
Even though my kids are grown, her poetry resonates. I think she writes poetry, anyway. Sounds like poetry to me.
Follow her on Instagram HERE or her website HERE.
This is my current favorite:
Ohio State Representative Candice Keller (Republican anti-abortion zealot) has included language in House Bill 413 that must be deleted. I understand she wants to get rid of abortion completely. She is entitled to her opinion about abortion, but she is not free to make shit up and call it science.
Because I have personal experience with the life-threatening reality of an ectopic pregnancy (its in the book), I feel compelled to address this situation, if by compelled you mean LIVID AND RAGING. I wrote the following letter to Gov. DeWine and to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of this dangerous, ludicrous bill. (You can, too, by following the handy links in the last sentence.) You can use my letter, too.
Nov. 29, 2019
Dear Gov. DeWine,
I am writing to you with grave concerns regarding HB 413. While I am opposed to much of this bill, the following stands out me as especially dangerous and ignorant:
(C) Takes all possible steps to preserve the life of the unborn child, while preserving the life of the woman. Such steps include, if applicable, attempting to re-implant an ectopic pregnancy into the woman’s uterus.
.As an ectopic pregnancy survivor, I can share from firsthand experience what an incredibly frightening and painful experience it is. My ectopic pregnancy happened many years ago. At the time I had no health insurance, no access to, or knowledge, of birth control, and, compounding these issues, no comprehensive sex education. I had never even heard of fallopian tubes. Several days after a negative pregnancy test, the pain began. A bad sexual experience turned into a life threatening situation. My fallopian tube ruptured and I hemorrhaged. I ended up in emergency surgery, very, very lucky to be alive. Needless to say no blastocyst remained to “re-implant.”
I believe HB 413 spreads dangerous misinformation and exists only to harass, demean, and threaten doctors and women. No medical procedure exists to re-implant the remains of an ectopic pregnancy, whether the fallopian tube ruptures or not, because it is an impossibility. This mandate is pure science fiction; an reprehensible, outlandish, indefensible grasp at a non-existent correlation between abortion and ectopic pregnancy. Because outspoken members of the medical community have not hesitated to educate you, I know that you already know this.
So the question remains, why?
Will you remain unsatisfied until every woman in Ohio is married, celibate, or dead?
Your Constituent,
Ronna Russell
See the explosion on the picture there, the rupturing fallopian tube on the right? THAT SHIT HURTS.
My current favorite thing in the world to read is The Weekly Zephyr. Tina Rowley puts together poetry and art (and sometimes music and other stuff) in ways that blow my mind and make me stop, want to stop, to soak it in and read it at least twice. I don’t know how she does it, but she is deep and thoughtful and easy at the same time. I tried to pick out a single quote to share here but I couldn’t choose. Give The Zephyr a try…
The Weekly Zephyr by Tina Rowley
Cami Ostman is my hero, plain and simple. I signed up for Cami’s writing program, The Narrative Project, when I realized I was never going to finish my memoir without some help. A lot of help. She was my writing coach (English teacher, professional nudger, unofficial therapist, friend) for a year and a half and I am still realizing how much I learned from her and the process TNP offers.
We got together the other day on a Zoom call with some of her current clients to chat about my book, publishing process, and what’s next. My audio gave out toward the end but we got most of the call.
Here it is: Interview
The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid on Amazon (or order from your favorite bookstore)
Everything I have been thinking about lately is contained int his dynamic mind-blowing conversation: the institution of church as a tool of patriarchy, how white women and women of color can create sisterhood and work together against institutionalized sexism. How feminism can embrace faith. How to recognize privilege without debasing yourself. How do we feel love when we are all just so mad. How to talk to each other about this stuff.
Fortunately, we have Brené Brown to articulate and lead. If you have an hour to spare, this conversation can only make your day better. If you don’t, jump to 18:45 and listen for a few minutes.
The TNQ Show – The Next Question
*picture taken from TNQ.com. Used without permission-hopefully they won’t mind.
