Selected Writing

I write non-fiction essays and stories that fuse my lived experience with feminist cultural analysis. I write for audiences seeking strategies for self, artistic and economic empowerment, and a critical take on current events.

I have written regularly for a wide variety of independent and community-centered publications. I interviewed culture makers, musicians, and artists for Weird Sister. For Bitch magazine I explored the connections between the culture of zine makers and bloggers; I wrote features and reviews centered on female musicians for Venus Zine and Boxx Magazine; shared career advice for non-profit professions on Idealist.org; explored strategies and tools for creative business success for DIY business owners and creative entrepreneurs with Dear Handmade Life and the DIY Business Association; and provided critical analysis of the arts and arts management for ArtsFwd and NYFA Current.

I am a proud zine and artist book maker and have been sharing my essays that explore identity, feminism, history, and culture in my personal zine Indulgence since 1997.

Punk Beach

Unlike the photos I had diligently saved and feared lost, I had never seen these before.

Published in Windmill Magazine, the Hofstra Journal of Art and Literature, this personal essay is a reflection on teenage summers in Maine, the process of grieving and finding yourself again after a loss, and the centering possibility of the beach. Plus, it recounts how I booked a show for the crust punk band Aus Rotten at a grange hall in Portland, Maine.

This look is love

When the phone rang that night after dinner I raced to answer it before my mom, my sock-clad feet slipping on the hardwood floor as I bellowed, “It’s for me!” I ran up the grey carpeted stairs, cordless phone in hand, and slammed the door to my room.

Featured in Memoir Mixtapes vol. 3 “Whole Lotta Love,” this essay is framed around my discovery of the heady mix of love, friendship, punk rock and the Riot Grrrl subculture, with a backdrop of Portland, Maine in the 1990s and the transformative power of Sleater-Kinney’s “Call the Doctor.”

Illustrations of jewels on a black background reading The Weird Sister Collection.

ANONYMOUS WAS a riot Grrrl

In sixth grade, I decided that I was going to be a feminist. It was 1993.

Featured in The Weird Sister Collection, edited by Marisa Crawford, and collecting the best of the underground blog Weird Sister, these unapologetic and insightful essays link contemporary feminism to literature and pop culture. My essay “Anonymous Was a Riot Grrrl” was written in 2023 for this collection and is a analysis of the lasting impact, and sometimes unexpected, impact of Virginia Woolf.

Order the book.

Cosmic Femme Punk Visionary: A Conversation with Taleen Kali

“As an interdisciplinary artist my projects have always been conduits, helping me to excavate and express different parts of my identity … the more stuff I make the more I realize it’s coming from the same source.” An interview with LA-based artist and musician Taleen Kali.

Using Your Feminist Superpower: An Interview with the Pussyhat Project

“How can you use your superpowers—the skills you love to flex—in a way to make a difference?” Krista Suh, Aurora Lady, and Jayna Zwieman, the organizers of the Pussyhat Project, discussed their motivation and hopes for the project before the 2017 Women’s March.

Music and Radical Potential: Louisa Solomon of the Shondes

“The act of creating is a coping mechanism, a survival tool. I think some of what is most inspiring in political art is not the explicit content, or even the ‘topic,’ but the exposure of process.” Louisa Solomon, bass player and singer in feminist rock band The Shondes discusses their album Brighton.

How to Make a Budget for a 20-Foot Butter Sculpture of Donald Trump’s Face

How to take the fear out of budgeting for creative projects, tell the story of your work in numbers, and stick it to the man.

Not Hiding Behind Her Skirt: Aurora Lady IN PRofile

“If something makes me uncomfortable or is painful, then I know I need to work deeper in that direction.” The LA-based visual artist talks about how music, pop culture, and intersectional feminism influence her work.

5 Steps to Take the Pain Out of Grant Writing for Artists

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: raising money as an artist is a challenge and it can often feel like a full-time job, but a no-nonsense approach to grant writing helps creative people become more comfortable with the process of raising money.