The HerStories Project

The HerStories Project is a writing and publishing community for women. We have recently relaunched with a focus on Gen X Women At Midlife.  Along with Jessica Smock, I am one of the founders and co-editors at The HerStories Project. Together, and with the help of some fantastic contributors, we have published four books.

So Glad They Told Me: Women Get Real About Motherhood (2016)

In the increasingly competitive culture of modern motherhood, parenting advice can often be judgmental, unrealistic, or smug. Or sometimes, there isn’t anyone there to offer advice or support. Mothers may feel isolated and lack a support network to provide honest advice, and others may face a barrage of unwarranted, unhelpful tips or warnings. This collection of essays from 60 mothers will empower and unite parents with real, honest advice from women who have been there. These writers share the advice or support they received—or wish they had—on everything from pregnancy to surviving the first year to parenting teens to empty nest syndrome. Inspired by the viral essay and #SoGladTheyToldMe social media movement, this book aims to change conversations about motherhood by presenting a broader, more realistic, and more balanced image of motherhood so that women will feel less inadequate, adversarial, and isolated. So Glad They Told Me is filled with compassionate, honest advice, and the poignant, painful, and sometimes hilarious truths you wish your best girlfriends had told you about motherhood.

Mothering Through the Darkness: Women Open Up About the Postpartum Experience (She Writes Press, 2015)

Approximately 1 in 7 women suffer from postpartum depression after having a baby. Many more may experience depression during pregnancy, postpartum anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders. Postpartum depression is, in fact, the most common pregnancy-related complication―yet confusion and misinformation about this disorder are still widespread. And these aren’t harmless myths: the lack of clarity surrounding mothers’ mental health challenges can have devastating effects on their well-being and their identities as mothers, which too often leads to shame and inadequate treatment.

In this one-of-a-kind anthology, thirty mothers break the silence to dispel myths about postpartum mental health issues and explore the diversity of women’s experiences. Powerful and inspiring, Mothering Through the Darkness will comfort every mother who’s ever felt alone, ashamed, and hopeless―and, hopefully, inspire her to speak out.

 

My Other Ex: Women’s True Stories of Leaving and Losing Friends (September 2014)

Featuring 35 contributors and a foreword by Nicole Knepper of Moms Who Drink and Swear.

From the back cover: “There can be so much good, so much power, so much love in female friendships. But there is also a dark side of pain and loss. And surrounding that dark side, there is often silence.” 

“Friendships between women simmer with force and tenacity, tenderness and manipulation, confidences and compassion. Then, sometimes, the simmer increases to a burn. My Other Ex collects stories of burnout, the slow burn, and the uncontrolled wildfire. Each reader will find someone she knows here, including herself.”~Susanna Sonnenberg, author of She Matters: A Life in Friendships

 

 

The HerStories Project: Women Explore the Joy, Pain, and Power of Female Friendship (December 2013)

Featuring 50 contributors and a foreword by Jill Smokler of Scary Mommy.

From the back cover: “The bonds of women’s friendship can be more intimate than marriage, and just as essential to emotional needs…The HerStories Project is a collection of essays from 50 women writers, encompassing friendship tales from the sandbox to the inbox. “

“These stories will make you laugh and cry, and remind you that in our overbooked lives, it’s the deep and lasting friendships that sustain us.” ~Katrina Alcorn, author of Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink

The HerStories Project also offers a variety of classes, for both writes and non writers. Check out our website to see what courses we are currently offering, and to read some of our columns and guest essays.

You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on our blog posts, our projects, and our writing classes.

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