Posts by author
Katie O’Brien
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Growing Up with ADHD
Despite the narrative that we are over-diagnosing ADHD in children, symptoms of ADHD often go unrecognized in girls. At the Toast, Grace Lidinsky-Smith discusses navigating grade school with undiagnosed ADHD, her experiences with feelings of shame, and the impact of…
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Unlinking Mental Illness and Creativity
The idea that “mental illness is the heart of creativity” has persisted for decades. But this idea can negatively impact one’s ability to seek help that they truly need. At The Establishment, Sarah Bronson debunks the notion that treating mental…
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A Tale of Two Siblings
For the New York Times’s Bookends column, Thomas Mallon and Leslie Jamison muse on the books that best capture the intricate and fraught relationships between siblings: That’s what I felt Faulkner intuited about siblings: that there were all sorts of gaps…
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The Forgotten Women Writers of the 19th Century
Over at Lit Hub, Anne Boyd Rioux discusses the literary genius of the 19-century novelist Constance Fenimore Woolson, and the American tradition of “the diminution of women writers” that continues today: Woolson’s literary star faded quickly after her death in…
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Let the Men Have Their Book Clubs
Taking a different stance on the men-only book clubs that have everyone rolling their eyes, Slate’s L.V. Anderson argues that feminists should applaud men embracing an activity that has been so coded as feminine—and eagerly await the day when men…
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A Sandy In Rizzo’s Clothing
At The Toast, Mara Wilson discusses her relationship with Grease, Sandy, and Rizzo as a kid who wanted to believe the movie was an accurate portrayal of being a teenager: Months before I saw Grease, I had cut my hair…
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Noir Literature as Protest Literature
With its trope of the hard-boiled, male detective, noir literature has historically had an inclusion problem. At Electric Literature, Nicholas Seeley discusses its burgeoning revival as protest literature against injustice: Today it has a second chance—assuming it continues to draw…
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Striking a Nerve
At Vela Magazine, Amy Bess Cook discusses living with epilepsy, and the problem with considering epilepsy as neurodiversity: While one of these—grand mal seizures—overlaps with Sylvie’s, our conditions differ. Seizure causes, auras (the body’s precursory warning state), and severity leave room…
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More Money, (Not) More Problems
In a powerful and anecdotal essay at The Toast, Nicole Chung discusses how money-related anxiety has stayed with her into adulthood, and how disparity between her and her husband’s attitudes toward money influences the dynamic of their marriage: It makes…
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The Literary Value of Hip-Hop
At Electric Literature, Mensah Demary argues that there should be greater appreciation of hip-hop as a powerful storytelling medium, positing Nas as a master of literary narrative: If presented with a choice, I’d rather discuss classic hip-hop albums than short…
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Neither Here Nor There
Brooklyn Magazine’s Gina Florio poignantly discusses the pain of experiencing microaggressions from her own extended family, and “mastering [her] biracial identity:” I know we’ll eventually find ourselves in another similar situation, in which they’ll hurt me without trying to, marginalize…
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Driving While Black in America
At The Toast, Katrina Otuonye discusses the inner pain and conflict of being unjustly stopped by the police as a black woman: My rule-abiding politeness, my inner drive to keep the peace, my outwardly even temper, none of these things…