Still Standing

So, I’m finally doing it. I’m finally writing something I really feel passionate about. For reals.

For years I have dabbled in my own personal writing, and have written as part of my job since I graduated college and started working full time twelve years ago. Most of that writing has been technical in nature with the exception of a few sidebars and gripping encyclopedia marketing blurbs when I started out as a mere assistant editor at Gale Group, back in the day. It’s now called Gale – Cengage Learning, and several friends still work there (props!). I’ve started and closed one blog (no, I’m not sharing the link) and I started this blog after my baby boy died in 2010. My posting has been sporadic, to say the least. That’s all about to change.

Many of you have seen my posts on Facebook and elsewhere about Still Standing Magazine. Well, it’s happening. On May 5th, the magazine goes live. The tagline is “Embracing Life after Loss and Infertility” and will have articles from bereaved moms of all stripes and women struggling with infertility (and often the double whammy of loss).

And my writing will be appearing there! I am a monthly contributor on Current Events and Self-Care. I might try to come up with some jazzier titles for those, so if you have any ideas let me know.

Current Events is pretty self explanatory, and my first article is going to be about the controversy surrounding grief and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association–the Bible of psychiatric and psychological diagnosis. Intrigued? You will have to read my article to learn more. Teaser!

Self-Care is specifically about taking time out to do things that make you feel good or pampered or cared for or all of the above. My first entry is going to be about journaling, since it’s something that I am making a concerted effort to return to myself. My goal is to finally fill a journal up with my very own words (internal author whispers: maybe they’ll become a book). I have dozens of empty books with grand pronouncements about my new endeavors to write, or lose weight, or exercise, etc. This time, I’m taking it one day at a time and I have a cool project idea that I am going to share as well–with pictures–woo hoo!

So, please join me and the other lovely ladies at Still Standing Magazine, starting May 5. Big ups to Franchesca Cox of Small Bird Studios. This is her brainchild. And big ups to my fellow contributors. I will be sharing a list of links to their sites. They are stupid talented and entirely beautiful, every one of them.

I hope you enjoy our offerings and be sure to share it with anyone that you think could use it as a resource for their own grief journey. I know that I would have loved to have something like this as a place to go to read about the issues that bereaved parents struggle with and to have a site like this that isn’t merely one person’s experience, but a collection of experiences and a recognition of all of the different forms grief takes, from advocacy to artistry. The women here have mourned their children through blogs, books, paintings, poetry, photography, giving back, political advocacy (including myself) and various and sundry other media. At the end of it all, though, we’re all still standing. And ready to share and give back and pay it forward by reaching out to those who aren’t sure if they, too, will still be standing tomorrow, next month or a year from now. What a gift and a blessing to be a part of something so totally amazing.

One last thing: to subscribe to the Still Standing Magazine newsletter, follow this link: http://eepurl.com/kpmZn. And you can follow us on Facebook, too!

Still Standing!

Rachel

P.S. I have made it a personal goal to start writing here more as well. One aspect of my Self-Care blog will be discussing the difference between journaling and blogging and where I believe the two can happily meet or completely diverge or a little bit of both. So, keep an eye out for new posts, or follow me or subscribe to my feed!

P.P.S. I have a sudden urge to sing  this, because I really am making my dreams come true here and at Still Standing Magazine. Schlemiel, Schlimazel. Thank you, Andi, you helped me find the courage to share my work.