Welcome, Rumpus Readers!

If you’re here, perhaps it’s because you read my essay Accidents on The Rumpus. If so, thanks a million! (If not, you can of course read it now.) And if you’d like to read more, here are a few things I’m particularly proud of.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

2 Replies to “Welcome, Rumpus Readers!”

  1. Comments on the Psych Ward piece are closed, so may I come over here to compliment you on it? SO.GOOD.
    I had a similar experience, except for me, it wasn’t democracy that saved me, but long johns. They had taken my clothes away and put me in front of the TV in a paper dress. It was cold and drafty on the ward, which was weird because, as you know, the windows don’t open. If you intend to be a short-stay, “Where is the air coming from, why can’t I see where the air is coming from?” is not a question you want to be asking on the psych ward.
    Anywho. There came a moment when the nurse opened the locker where my clothes were kept. When she left the room, she forgot to remove the key from the locker door. I stole back my long johns and put them on under the paper dress. It was not a great look for me: the long johns were tattered at the knees in front and the back was stained with the menstrual blood of many months, because “Why bother?”
    But the long johns saved my life, because being willing to die but unwilling to be cold makes no sense. And I was an alcoholic, and I did have depression, but I wasn’t crazy.
    I was just a sad, scared woman in a paper dress and long johns, in search of a cup of real coffee.

    1. “I was just a sad, scared woman in a paper dress and long johns, in search of a cup of real coffee.” You nailed it.

      Thank you for reading, and congratulations on making it through!

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