Notes from Nanea | The Parts of You
My dear Sweatpants & Coffee tribe, To say that I am a different person now than I was just a few years ago is technically true but a gross understatement. It’s like [...]
Survivor
Meet ACE, My First Abusive Boyfriend
CN: sexual assault, rape abuse One of the hardest experiences in my life has been enduring and getting out of an eight year long, emotionally abusive relationship. It’s an [...]
Me, Too: A Legacy of Damage
Content warning: sexual assault, violence I scroll through Facebook and see the words scattered through my feed: Me, too. The two-word code to show belonging in a club no one [...]
Sweatpants & Soul | The First Shower After
We sit side by side on padded chairs next to the exam table, my husband and I. He’s there for emotional support but that part is easy. Physically, he’s not sure where to [...]
Sweatpants & Soul | Healing Through Poetry (SAAM)
Happy Poetry Month, dear friends. I want to share with you how I came to take on the identity of poet and creative writer, despite my lack of training and my fears of not [...]
Sweatpants & Books | Mental Health Reading List
Living with a mental illness can feel isolating, hopefully, these books will remind those of you battling with these disorders that you are not alone. [...]
Sweatpants & Sanity | Behind the Scenes of PTSD Parent: Erasing the Flinch
The Flinch has always been there. I first remember The Flinch when I was a junior in high school. My family imploded from years of alcoholism and abuse. I came forward, [...]
Personal Essays | When is a Black Eye Just a Black Eye?
By Michelle Chouinard About two weeks ago, I got the first black eye of my adult life. I was playing fetch with my dog Lyssa, who weighs 70 pounds and has a head made of [...]
Quieting The Ghosts: A Survivor’s Tale
Sarafina Bianco is an abuse survivor turned author and advocate. The House on Sunset, her memoir, was released in October. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and three [...]
True Stories | Requiem
R.S. Linville October 13, 1956 – August 29, 2014 I found out today that R.S. Linville died on August 29th of this year. I was sent a link to his guest book, which has [...]
