Aug 15, 2019 | Kim Conrey, Nightingale, Prose, Uncategorized
Kim Conrey examines sexual violence in the context of the social systems we’re raised in that so often perpetuate it. Conrey bravely shares her story of experiencing assault and also retrospectively acknowledges the beliefs her female peers had been taught that...Aug 15, 2019 | Carly Noble, Nightingale, Prose
These vignettes by Carly Noble illustrate the ways in which the world around young women, including the people in their lives who should be protecting them, can let them down. Each of the six examples in this piece represent common, recognizable perpetuations of rape...Aug 15, 2019 | Barbara Edema, Nightingale, Prose, Uncategorized
A contribution to our July prompt, Rev. Dr. Barbara’s word “stressure” comes from others telling a survivor how to heal, thinking they know best. Sometimes recognizing and fighting “stressure” means defending oneself against people who...Aug 1, 2019 | D.A. Simants, Nightingale, Prose, Uncategorized
In this response to our July prompt, D.A. Simants creates a new word to describe a perpetrator’s act of weakening and causing harm. Although the word shares a root with “vulnerable,” Simants skillfully adjusts the perspective of this meaning of...Jul 18, 2019 | Addison Post, Memory Piece, Nightingale, Prose, Uncategorized
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, in their letter to their assaulter, acknowledges the difficulty of coming to terms with violence when its source is...Jul 5, 2019 | Essay, Nightingale, Prose, Silver Damsen, Uncategorized
Sometimes the places where we hope to find the most safety turn out to offer safety and recovery in some areas but not in others. Even organizations that have a reputation for being very helpful and healing can be places where harm occurs. Silver Damsen bravely speaks...