Like a Diamond: What It’s Like to Live With Autism As a Woman

Like a Diamond: What It’s Like to Live With Autism As a Woman

by: Veneranda Aguirre You ever heard the term fugazi? It’s Italian-American slang for a fake diamond. I knew words like that growing up because I was precocious since infancy. I could speak in full sentences at 18 months, but only in Spanish. I absorbed everything, apparently. Even celebrities on TV. One night my father came into my nursery after working two jobs. Since he was rarely home when I was awake, I didn’t recognize him. And I started to cry. “I’m…

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Author to Author: Marissa Price and Melissa Holbrook Pierson

Author to Author: Marissa Price and Melissa Holbrook Pierson

Writers have their own unique paths, but oftentimes, there are commonalities that impact all who endeavor to put words on the page. Australian author Marissa Price and American author Melissa Holbrook Pierson touch on some of the universal challenges of being a writer– like finding time to create and staving off “impostor syndrome.” They also discuss the particular joy of being lost– and found– in a good story, regardless of whether one is reading it or writing it. Marissa Price:…

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We Voted. Now What?

We Voted. Now What?

by: Lauren Jonik The 2018 mid-term election season in the United States generated a considerable amount of buzz both on social media and on conventional media outlets. The message was clear: VOTE. But, after doing our civic duty, what comes next? Here are several ideas for how to remain an active, engaged citizen long after you’ve peeled off the “I Voted” sticker from your clothes. There is only one team So often, the narrative around politics becomes “us” versus “them.”…

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Refresh Rewind: Our furry friends

Refresh Rewind: Our furry friends

By: The Refresh Editors If you’ve ever gotten one of our email newsletters or glimpsed our Twitter feed, you’ll have gathered that we at The Refresh are animal lovers. Lauren has written with love about her cat, Jelli, and Andrea’s starting the journey to fur-parent-dom with visits to animal shelters and cat cafes. We purr with delight whenever a pitch about pets hits our inbox. (By the way, if you’ve got one, sent it to rfrshmail (at) gmail (dot) com. Although this list is…

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Human Training for Happier Dogs

Human Training for Happier Dogs

by: Natalie Parletta Dogs are loyal, devoted companions. Yet even with training, so many problematic dog behaviors puzzle and frustrate their owners, often resulting in abandonment and neglect. A new breed of dog trainers and scientists say it doesn’t have to be like this—we can educate ourselves to better understand our canine buddies. I should have known when she yanked me off of my feet, face first into the mud as we walked to the car. I was leaving a…

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