I’ve written a number of pieces for this website about my experiences as a rape survivor. I’ve written about how important it was for me to change my own language about my experience–to use the word “rape” instead of “sexual assault.” And I’ve written about consent and mental health, I’ve written about the way we…
Category: A Piece of Our Minds
Self-Knowledge (Sunday Summary)
There are weeks when it’s easy to find a common thread in the pieces we publish here. And then there are weeks like this one, where each piece stands out for what it says but it seems quite separate from the other pieces we’ve shared. Each piece this week shines a light on something important….
Roe v Wade: News into Art (Caturday Questions)
We had a cartoon prepared for today. Then Roe v Wade got overturned and now it doesn’t feel right to do the same kind of piece we usually do. Still. Here’s the comic right at the top if you’re looking for a quick smile. CONTENT WARNING (if you continue below the comic) discussions of sexual…
Patience and the Writing Process
I have a reputation among my writing colleagues as someone with a lot of patience. Which is weird because I spend more time with myself than I do with anyone else [citation needed] and I don’t think I’m particularly patient with myself. It’s something I’m working on. And (again, ironically) one of the things that…
Coming Out: That Lightbulb Moment
A note on language. This story about coming out is being told through the prism of memory. So the scenes that take place in the late ’80s and early ’90s contain some language that implies a gender-binary. We have allowed that language to stand to reflect the author’s understanding of the world in that era,…
The Body (Sunday Summary)
We’ve asked questions. We’ve sought answers. And we’ve given instructions for “how-to.” This week it seems that most of our writers turned to poetry as a way to share what’s going on. And each of our writers finds a different way consider the human body through their words. As Jeanette Winterson said in Written on…
Weather, or The Pathetic Fallacy (Caturday Questions)
Middle Cat is writing a story, and Little Cat is looking over his shoulder making unhelpful suggestions. “You’re tempted, aren’t you?” yowls Little Cat. “You’re tempted to make the weather reflect the mood of the story. To make the sad moments take place in the rain and the joyous moments take place in full sunlight….
My Grandfather’s Good Hand
Last night somewhere dark hung with picturesMy grandfather was walking behind me whenHe fellBecause he had died some months before; I turned around to see:Frightful wounds were opening on his bodyI reached for his hand to help him upHe extended the good hand The good hand that had always worked for twoWhose grip, as he…
How to… (Sunday Summary)
Two weeks ago we focused on “Real Questions.” Last week we focused on “Real Answers.” This week it seems that we’re focused on “how-to.” And the interesting thing about it is that these themes are coincidental. The 2 Rules team doesn’t often sit down to plan themes or related pieces unless we’re focused on observing special…
Decisions, Decisions (Caturday Questions)
Writers have a saying: “Kill your darlings.” But sometimes Little Cat doesn’t like to kill his darlings. Sometimes he likes to let them think they’ve escaped… Then trap them by putting his paw on their tails. THEN kill them. And then, finally, put them on Human-Mom’s knee while she’s trying to read a book. This…