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another writing mom

~ I write, I mother, I try

another writing mom

Tag Archives: female adolescence

100 memoirs project #7: Love and Trouble, by Claire Dederer

26 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by smfleegal in 100 memoirs, I write, Stuff I've read, Uncategorized

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100 memoirs, 100 memoirs project, Claire Dederer, female adolescence, Love and Trouble, memoir, young female voice

dedererI haven’t done a memoir post in a bit, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading memoir.

I’ve been reading a lot, actually. Since I finished Ta-Nehisi Coates’ two books, I’ve completed my fifth re-read of Lidia Yuknavitch’s The Chronology of Water (someday I will be courageous enough to write a post about what Lidia’s memoir means to me). Based on her recommendation, I then bought and blazed through Whip Smart, by Melissa Febos (another forthcoming post), almost immediately after I finished Dederer. I’m reading essays by Hanif Abdurraqib and poems by Danez Smith and Greek mythology by Robert Graves. I’m reading Carl Jung. I’m reading tarot and headlines.

There is so much to take in, so much to keep us up at night, that I might as well stay up late reading instead of worrying. Most days, this works out.

I worried a lot while reading Dederer. Love and Trouble comes with a subtitle: “A Midlife Reckoning.” At first I thought, I’m not going to relate to this. Silly me. I am almost 37. I’m unafraid of being 37, but it should be noted that while I am approaching what we think of as middle age, I don’t feel like I am. I am often mistaken for a college student on the campus where I work. I still get carded more often than not. I climb mountains and blast the same music I blasted 20 years ago—and I dress like it’s 20 years ago, too. I don’t feel 37.  Take that for what it’s worth to you, even hate me for it, if you will.

For so many women, being hated is nothing new. Continue reading →

TV, teen girls, and feminism matter, or, still wiggins about my Buffy essay pubbed at Salon

13 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by smfleegal in I write

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Buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, female adolescence, feminism, hero, Salon, superhero

buffy over twilightAny time you can transform hundreds of hours of binge-watching your favorite TV show into a paid byline, life is grand.

Last week, my essay about Buffy–edit, my word-geeking about the greatest show to ever feminism–was published at Salon. I’ve never been published at Salon before. I’ve never had work published anywhere with as much reach. The fact that I hit such a milestone on the hem of one of Buffy’s still-fabulous leather trenches is delicious.

But honest to god, it was just so fun to write. Continue reading →

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