Hi Friends,
We know it’s been a while since we last posted and we know, we know, our posting has been spotty. We all thought 2021 was going to be so different (or at least, different from 2020) and that we’d have much more space and time and childcare to create.
We still managed to churn out some excellent work, some of which we’ve pasted below. We hope you’ll revisit these pieces (or maybe visit them for the first time and maybe, just maybe share them with someone else).
Matrescence
By Allie Bullivant
Matrescence is a term coined to describe the transition into motherhood. It is a biological, psychological, and physiological period that all mothers experience.
It’s called matrescence because it’s a maternal adolescence – a period of rebirth, a complete overhaul of all elements of life. A rite of passage.
But unlike adolescence, this transition doesn’t have a definitive place in culture. It doesn’t have a genre of movies dedicated to it. It doesn’t have a fiction section in the library. It doesn’t include a time of formal learning, the support of dozens of mentors, familiar mile-markers like your first kiss, your driver’s test, or the senior prom. It doesn’t include the solidarity of sports teams, youth groups and summer camps.
2019 June 26
By Patrick Junqian
For years, my mother would tell my sister and me about how she lived out in the country; how she would wake up before dawn and walk three hours to school; how she used to read and do her homework by candlelight. The peasant girl she paints is a far cry from the woman I know now—a pathologist and bible study leader who lounges in a leather recliner by the fireplace, scrolling on her iPad. Now though, she is in my uncle’s scraggly van ahead of us, sputtering through hills that she hasn’t stalked in a long time.
This You'll Actually Wear
By Sarah Kate Neall
In a lingerie shower, I told my boyfriend, friends pick out great pajama sets, cute panties, and bras for you so that, for a little while at least, you avoid climbing into your marriage bed wearing a t-shirt that says “Beach Week 2010.” It doesn't always replace a bachelorette party, but it's a great way to celebrate marital sex if you'd rather avoid penis-shaped balloons.
Living Your "Lifiest-Life" Now
By Juliet Vedral
Recently, New York Times bestselling author Mari Andrew spoke with me about My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between, her latest book of essays and illustrations. It is a powerful and deep meditation on waiting, longing, suffering, grief, and ultimately, healing.
Before Mari launched @bymariandrew and started writing books, she was a contributing writer to the OG The Wheelhouse Review. It was a huge pleasure to reconnect with one of our favorite writers and humans. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Death in a Call Center
By Jordan T. Jones
In Colombia, where I live, one of the worst words you can call someone is a malparido, which literally means “miscarried” or aborted. It’s a disgusting word and like most words we use to curse each other, it draws its power from misogyny and hatred. Here are the two times I’ve used it.
On a Friday evening I was waiting for a phone call from the real estate agency to confirm that I would be able to move into my new apartment on Monday. I received the call while I was in a meeting and told them to call later. I didn’t hear back for several hours so I called the number for the agency which took me to a call center. The first time I spoke to a representative, they told me to expect a call within the hour. The second time I called an hour later, they told me that they’d flag me as a priority. The third and fourth times I called, two hours apart, they told me to expect a call within the hour. Then I received two phone calls from the agency, both of which I picked up and both of which were dropped. The fifth and sixth time I called, a machine informed me that working hours were Monday through Friday from 8 until 5:30. It was 5:45.
That’s our round-up for 2021! We hope to see you back here in 2022, with a new format and lots and lots more words.
Happy New Year!