Blog Voices from Our Community

Read stories, updates, and reflections from artists, staff, and survivors. Here, we share the heart of Awakenings — one post at a time.

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Truth Found Me in the Trauma

Nothing can change the truth, and this is a beautiful source of solace for Mary-Elizabeth Meagher. Other survivors’ stories about sexual violence helped Meagher come

  • Memoir, Prose
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Treatment or Trauma? I Wasn’t Sure. But Now I Am.

“Harrassment and assault can happen anywhere.” This reminder in Mary-Elizabeth Meagher’s piece is accompanied by powerful self-reflection. Healing isn’t easy, and Meagher takes us through

  • Memoir, Prose
Simple black and white line drawing of a bird perched on a diagonal branch, with its beak open as if singing.

In November

Karissa skillfully writes about the experience of living as a silent survivor and, when she felt ready, breaking that silence. With “In November,” she illustrates

  • Memoir
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Bad Dreams

This letter by Addison Post, a response to our June prompt, opens in a version of reality that’s difficult to interpret — a dream. Post,

  • Memoir, Prose
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My Voice

Dr. Reverend Barbara Edema has been a frequent contributor to Awakenings publications, and we’re pleased to share more of her encouraging, affirming message. In this

  • Essay, Memoir, Prose
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Kills 99.9% of Germs

Jorie Rao delves skillfully into the aftermath of an assault. The piece explores the tiny sensory details that form whole memories and how those memories

  • Memoir, Prose
Simple black and white line drawing of a bird perched on a diagonal branch, with its beak open as if singing.

This is a Normal Bus Ride

This skillful piece by Allison Linne highlights not only the experience of sexual violence, but also all the complicated emotions that come after. Linne tells

  • Memoir
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Vehemently Speaking

How do we participate in society and listen to testimonies when that might bring our own past comes to the surface? Avey guides us through

  • All Authors, Memoir
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If You’ve Got a Bell to Ring…Ring It

Thinking back to Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court, Wendi White examines her own experience as a member of the same generation. With an open,

  • All Authors, Memoir, Prose
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My Black Shoes from Paris

It’s an empowering decision to be open about an experience of sexual violence for the first time. Ann Casapini contributes to the narrative of so

  • All Authors, All Formats, Memoir
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Once Greek, Always Greek

Catharine Jones tells of a homecoming, but it isn’t so straightforward. She discusses the relationship between her identity as a survivor and the other aspects

  • All Authors, Memoir
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Dad

Sandra Shaw Homer takes us through the complicated years of her childhood with grace and skill. It’s a piece that speaks to the prevalence of

  • Memoir, Prose
Simple black and white line drawing of a bird perched on a diagonal branch, with its beak open as if singing.

a (wo)Man’s world

Sometimes, simply watching a movie can be interrupted by sudden confrontations with a past trauma. Katie takes her readers through one of these tough, quiet

  • All Authors, All Formats, Memoir
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I wanted to feel your warmth…

In this piece, Taylor Finn explores memory and forgetting, forgiveness and acceptance. How can the forgiveness once directed towards the partner now be redirected towards

  • All Authors, All Formats, Memoir
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Watching for the Man by Tam Francis

I wake to a man crouching by my bed in the dark. His body hunches between the two twin mattresses, each bed pushed against opposite

  • Memoir

Create, connect, & heal

Find your place in our circle of creators, where every artistic choice is valid and every emotion is welcome. Healing isn’t linear, nor a path you have to walk alone.

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