Follow My Writing Journey Via My Weekly Email Newsletter: Empathy For the Win!

Subscribe to my new weekly newsletter, Empathy For the Win!

I am going to quit updating this blog. So, from now on, subscribe for updates.

In this newsletter, I’ll write honestly about what it’s like to build a career on telling personal stories, how it feels to be vulnerable for an audience of both strangers and loved ones.

I’ll also keep you up-to-date with my writing on Medium, always with free-access friends links.

Thanks so much for your support!

Here's a link to my first newsletter!

Medium Writing of the Week: LGBTQ, Judaism, Friendship, Puppy Love, Parenting

Toy Rainbow and unicorn on a table.

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

I've got four new pieces on Medium this week!

A Medium Writer Sent My Family a Box Full of Rainbows and Unicorns

She’s got the right idea: turning success into generosity

Published in Warm Hearts on Medium

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The Supreme Court’s Sex Discrimination Case Affects Us All

LGBTQ rights are at risk, and so are the rights of everyone to be who

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My Daughter Has Her First Crush, and I Know Who It Is

Does this mean attachment parenting works?

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium
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Can My Jewish Culture Survive My Intermarriage?

My 5-year-old looks white and doesn’t know what a rabbi is

Medium Writing of the Week: Rosh Hashanah, Poetry, Feminist Bravery, Treat People How They Want to Be Treated

Photo by Christal Yuen on Unsplash

I've got four new pieces in Medium this week!

What Does it Mean to Be ‘Normal’?

For Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, let’s vow to celebrate our differences.

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Adopt the Platinum Rule to Revitalize Your Relationships

Forget the Golden Rule, and treat others the way they want to be treated.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium
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You Can’t Be Brave Without Being Scared First

When you write vulnerable stories, sometimes it’s hard to ignore the trolls.

Published in Fearless She Wrote on Medium
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In My Bath, No One Can Touch Me, Except Me

I am a crocodile, lurking in my clawfoot swamp.

This poem was published in An Injustice! on Medium
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Medium writing of the week: Parenting, Self-Love, Food Stamps, Magic

I've got three new pieces in Medium this week! With my kid starting kindergarten, I've been doing a ton of parenting writing.

Toddler throws a box of crackers into a mini shopping cart. Cropped Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash

Stop Telling Your Kids You Hate Your Body

Your children’s self-esteem depends on your own self-love.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium
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I’m Not Ashamed to Use Food Stamps, But Trump Wants Me to Be

In a nation as wealthy as the United States, yes, we are ‘entitled’ to a basic standard of living.

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My Kid Believes in Magic, and Maybe I Do Too

You can’t buy magic from a store, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium
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Debut essay for The Jewish Forward -- Can My Jewish Culture Survive My Intermarriage?

Can My Jewish Culture Survive My Intermarriage?

Here's my debut essay for The Forward--aka The Jewish Forward--which is published in both English and Yiddish (I wonder if my essay will be translated to Yiddish!)

Update: And here's a longer version of that same essay, republished on Medium!

My daughter’s first Hanukkah. Photo by my husband Charles Reeder.

All My Medium Pieces This Week! Parenting, Gratitude, Gender, and the Meaning of Life

I've been publishing up a storm!

Photo by Tetiana Shadrina on Unsplash

Say Thank You: Your Loved One Might Die Tomorrow

I’m horrible at thank you’s, but it’s never too late to start showing gratitude.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium
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What’s So Bad About Gender Reveal Parties?

Even the inventor of so-called gender reveals thinks it’s time to move past them.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium
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The Meaning of Life, According to a 4-Year-Old Philosopher

She’s full of questions, and some pretty wise answers too.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium
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The First Day of Kindergarten is Harder for Parents Than Kids

Our children are going to be (more than) fine. And so are we.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium
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I’m Excited My Kid’s Learning to Read, But Afraid of What She’ll Learn

We had cereal boxes, but she has the internet.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium
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My daughter on her first day of kindergarten (photo by me)

My 67-Hour Homebirth Was a Psychedelic Labor of Love -- All the Details and Why I Share Them

My 67-Hour Homebirth Was a Psychedelic Labor of Love

I thought I knew what to expect, but nothing could’ve prepared me for “natural birth.”

These two pieces go together. The first is an intimate 21-minute telling of the 67 hours I was in labor with my daughter. The second is a much shorter discussion on why I share vulnerable stories.

An Editor Told Me My Birth Story Was Too Personal to Share

Vulnerable TMI stories are often the most important to tell.

Photo by JR Korpa on Unsplash

Yes, I’m Vegan, But Not Because I Love Animals

Animals deserve to live free from human harm, whether I love them or not.

I just published this on Medium.

Photomontage Image by Sarah Richter from Pixabay

Published This Week: My 8th Grade Crush, How My Husband and I Connect, and Retail Therapy Without Spending Money

Will I Ever Get Over My 8th Grade Crush?

No, I don’t want to date him. I just want to stop hearing him in my head.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium!
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We Found a New Way to Express Love in Our Marriage

Our I Love You board helps us find our way home to love and affirmation.

Also published in P. S. I Love You!
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How to Get the Benefits of Retail Therapy Without Spending Money

When I feel like buying stuff, I turn to online window shopping instead.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium

Photo by BBH Singapore on Unsplash

The Tyranny of Pocketless Women’s Fashion

We deserve functional pockets, and so do our daughters.

Published in Fearless She Wrote on Medium!

Photo by Zeny Rosalina on Unsplash

Working Through My Trauma, One Fetish at a Time

What would sexuality even feel like without all this pain?

It's a big deal for me to share this vulnerable story in Human Parts, on Medium.

The Great Hack Reveals Facebook Ads Aren’t Just Selling Leggings

A new Netflix documentary shows how a company used your data to elect Trump and pass Brexit.

Published on Medium!

Screenshot from The Great Hack / Netflix

All That Parenting Advice Works Just as Well on Grown-ups

That adult in your life might just need a nap.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium.

Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

Marriage, Hair, and Journalistic Ethics - Three New Published Essays

I hurt my lower back carrying my screaming kid through the forest after she hurt her foot.
So I'm going to do this the easy way and share a bunch of pieces in one post:

After 10 Years, How Do We Grow Together and Not Apart? in P. S. I Love You

My Husband Loved My Hair, But I Cut It All Off in Fearless She Wrote

Should an Ethical Journalist Ever Do Sponsored Posts? just published on Medium

Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

My Omnivorous Friends Cooked Me a Vegan Feast for My Birthday Party, and It Was Magnificent

My Omnivorous Friends Cooked Me a Vegan Feast and It Was Magnificent

How a birthday with an Isa Chandra Moskowitz book inspired meat-eaters

Eeee!!! So freaking excited for my front page story for Mark Bittman's publication Heated on Medium.

Patriarchy Chicken is Cool, But I Like This Even Better

Should we teach our daughters to take up space, or to be kind?

My debut for new Medium publication An Injustice!

Photo by Rodrigo De Mendoza on Unsplash

Why I Take My Kid With Me To Protests

Her Lights for Liberty sign read ‘Free Those Kids!’

Published on Medium.

Tzivia and I at Lights for Liberty protest in Port Townsend, WA. (Photo by my husband.)

A Blind Guy Told Me I Was Beautiful, and I Believed Him

We made out in a crowded living room, then he asked to come home with me.

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium.

Pink peonies, and man with pink shirt and closed eyes. Photo by Joanna Nix on Unsplash

Is Coffee Really Just Socially Acceptable Addiction?

More Americans drink coffee daily than tap water. Should we quit?

My debut for Heated, the Medium food publication by former New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman!

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

They Arrested Her For Losing Her Pregnancy

Society told us our pregnant bodies weren’t our own; now they’re criminalizing us.

I just published this on Medium.

Photo by Dexter Chatuluka on Unsplash

 

My Debut for Scary Mommy!!!

I just got published in Scary Mommy!!!
What Happened When My 4-Year-Old Cut Her Own Hair by Darcy Reeder
(previously published here on Medium)

Why Presidential Candidates Want You to Think They Grew Up Poor

Is the American dream a reward for hard work or an unfulfilled promise?

I just published this on Medium.

Statue of Liberty Cropped Photo by tom coe on Unsplash

It’s Not Easy to Parent When Your Soul is Leaving Your Body

My post-partum depression recovery was long and filled with brain zaps.

Just submitted this for a Human Parts prompt.
Since I started writing again a year ago, I've known this story was going to have to come out, but I've been afraid to face it. I bawled as I wrote it. I hope it ends up being therapeutic for me.

Photo by Davide Pietralunga on Unsplash

Right Now, The United States is Running Concentration Camps - Jewish Perspective

Right Now, The United States is Running Concentration Camps

As a Jew, I can tell you Never Again is not just about us.

I just published this on Medium. I kept reading stories about conditions in these US concentration camps, and I needed to raise my voice. Brainstorming what else I can do. I don't want to be a bystander.

Prison Bars with Human Shadow Photo by Ye Jinghan on Unsplash

A Fertilized Egg is Not a Human Being

Humans are worth protecting because we are feeling creatures with a desire to live, not because we contain human DNA.

"I have a uterus, and my body autonomy is under attack.

As more and more states pass abortion bans and restrictions, Conservatives continue to claim “life begins at conception.” They seem to suggest, if only we can agree the cells of a fertilized egg are alive, we’ll also agree it’s okay to legally force a woman (or trans or nonbinary person with a uterus) to give birth.

But this simplification ignores that a live cell is not the same as a thinking, feeling, socially attached creature with a desire to live. The cut roses on my kitchen table are alive. The bacteria in and on my body are alive. Even if, for some reason, we’re talking only about human DNA, the still-sticky sperm in the tube sock on your bedroom floor is alive."

Published in Fearless She Wrote on Medium.

Smiley face egg photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Baking Bread with My Grandmother’s Ghost

My parents didn’t cook, so I learned to bake from an old VHS of my Grandmommy.

Published in One Table, One World on Medium.

Rolls Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

 

My Human Parts Debut has gone viral.

In the week since I published I Don't Understand Straight People, Even Though I'm Married to One, it's gotten over 24K views (over 3.4K from Twitter alone) and, by itself, made more money than I'd previously made in a month writing for Medium. Whoa.

More than ever, I understand now that one fantastic piece is worth so much more (to me) than a million okay pieces.

Of course, not everyone's into it. I wrote this piece about the negative feedback I've received and my response to it: I Expected the Homophobic Trolls, But Why Are Lesbians Mad at Me?

I know I just said I realized the power of publishing fantastic stuff--and I'm not really claiming that this response piece fits that description--but I also just really wanted to get my response out there.

Blurred Rainbow Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

I Don’t Understand Straight People, Even Though I’m Married to One - My debut for Human Parts!

I Don’t Understand Straight People, Even Though I’m Married to One

I’m confident in my sexuality, but my husband’s makes no sense to me

My debut for HUMAN PARTS (OMG OMG OMG OMG) on Medium

Photo of me and my hubz

Be Loud and Proud About Your Birth Control -- I made an earring out of my IUD!

Be Loud and Proud About Your Birth Control

I made an earring out of my IUD, because reproductive choice is nothing to be ashamed of.

Published in Fearless She Wrote, the feminist publication on Medium.

Me wearing the earring I made out of my old IUD. Photo Credit: Author

My Family Can Buy Whatever We Want with Food Stamps

My child deserves to grow up happy and secure, even though we rely on government assistance.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium

Everybody needs a treat sometimes. Photo by Analia Baggiano on Unsplash

How I Went Vegan and Stayed Vegan - My Personal Vegan Story, with Lots of Tips

How I Went Vegan and Stayed Vegan

With the right support and planning, veganism can be a delicious, rewarding part of your life.

Published in One Table, One World on Medium.

Vegan smoothie bowl by Arcelia Kent of EburgVeg (used with permission)

I Read an LGBTQ Book to a Room Full of Preschoolers: Heather Has Two Mommies

I Read an LGBTQ Book to a Room Full of Preschoolers

All children deserve stories about all kinds of families.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium.

“Celebration of Inclusivity” Painting and Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

I Am Not a Host Body, and They Are Not Pro-Life

Republicans want to control our bodies by controlling the narrative.

Published in Fearless She Wrote on Medium.

Photo by Toni Oprea on Unsplash

I Want to Love You Like the Night We Met

After 10 years, how do we grow together, and not apart?

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium.

Holding out my hand to you, my love. Photo by JoelValve on Unsplash

This Vegan Wants You to Be a Flexitarian

A do-what-you-can approach, from someone who’s gone all-in.

Published in One Table, One World on Medium.

Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash

The Dangerous Idea That Art Can Be Good or Bad - Losing our Artistic Innocence

The Dangerous Idea That Art Can Be Good or Bad

My daughter was 2-and-a-half when she lost her artistic innocence.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium.

Photo by Dani Aláez on Unsplash

Let's Celebrate a Man Who Actually Made Things Right - Brian Floca and the new, inclusive edition of Moonshot

Let’s Celebrate a Man Who Actually Made Things Right

Brian Floca’s new edition of children’s book Moonshot adds gender-inclusive words and pictures.

I wrote to the author and told him "men men men" wasn't good enough. It actually worked.

Published in Fearless She Wrote on Medium.

Astronaut Sculpture Photo by Jonas Verstuyft on Unsplash

Finding True Happiness, in a Laundry Bucket in Thailand

Are you missing that vital connection to nature?

Published in The Ascent on Medium.

Khao Sok National Park Photo by Marcin Kaliński on Unsplash

How To Help Kids Love Their Bodies

Nearly half of 3- to 6-year-old girls worry about being fat.

Published in Fearless She Wrote on Medium.

Your Self-Love Gives Your Kids Self-Love! Photo by Dion Almuena on Unsplash

Mama, Are We Going to Live Forever?

An atheist’s guide to teaching children about death

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium.

How do you teach death without Heaven? Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash

If You Add Up All Your Writing, Will it Equal a Novel?

Am I writing The Great American Novel, one 5-minute read at a time?

 Published in 1-One-Infinity on Medium.

Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

Bra Shopping with My Motherless Mom

I wrote this for P. S. I Love You's Mothers' Day Time Travel Prompt.

Photo by João Silas on Unsplash

Please Don’t Let ‘Urine Therapy’ Be the Next Big Health Trend

No, drinking pee won’t cure cancer or anything else.

Published in One Table, One World on Medium.

That’s probably not pee. Photo by Elevate on Unsplash

Did Y’all Know Human Parts Is Open for Submissions?

I read their submission guidelines, submitted, and they’re publishing my writing!

This is a big deal for me!

Published in 1-One-Infinity on Medium.

Photo by Alexander Zavala on Unsplash

Sex is Revolutionary, in This Online World

Are we really more connected that ever?

Published in P. S. I Love You on Medium.

¡Viva la revolución! Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

How Do Single Parents Do It?

I parented solo for 5 whole days, and it broke me.

Published in Home Sweet Home on Medium.

Photo by Naomi August on Unsplash