Work In Progress

I'm earning my MFA in creative nonfiction. The stories that interest me most are the ones people are often turn away from. This blog is essentially a digital notebook. 

[mmmello22]

How to Survive Trump’s Second Year: Engage Politically

In addition to lamenting Trump, the more important—and more rewarding—thing is to defeat him at the ballot box in the 2018 midterm elections.

old link now but still

[mmmello22]

200 universities just launched 560 free online courses. Here’s the full list.

If you haven’t heard, universities around the world offering their courses online for free (or at-least partially free). These courses are…

[mmmello22]

The Myth Of Tough Love - The Sun Magazine

Maia Szalavitz On The Epidemic Abuses Of The Teen-Help Industry

[mmmello22]

Opinion | 11 Years Old, a Mom, and Pushed to Marry Her Rapist in Florida

Thousands of minors wed each year in the United States. Many are given no choice.

[mmmello22]

2013 global study finds that males commit 96 percent of homicides....

doing some research for a piece and found this...not surprising.

[mmmello22]

[thomasistired]

[sleepin]

[maybe-iwasbornwithit]

Hard candy

[heisdreamy]

Just because a girl knows how to imitate a woman, does NOT mean she’s ready to do what a woman does.

[mmmello22]

Watched this film recently with a close female friend and her boyfriend…I had to break it down for him…if Ellen Page’s character were male he would immediately think” vigilante”. His initial reaction was to blame the kid for protecting other kids. Sexism.  He did acknowledge the point…because he’s a decent guy…but just goes to show how some prejudices are still less recognizable to a lot of people. Also...the amount of adult men who think with their dicks...I love that she says this. I wonder how often such men are actually in denial. br>

[mmmello22]

[mmmello22]

[mmmello22]

New data compiled from hundreds of health agencies reveals the extent of the drug overdose epidemic last year. Our estimates show deaths rising faster than ever — up about 19 percent in 2016, and all evidence suggests they will rise again in 2017.

[mmmello22]

Could our culture have misdiagnosed violence? As the director of the initiative Cure Violence, Gary Slutkin approaches gunfire on neighborhood streets as a contagious disease, looking to science and public health for strategies to stop it.

[mmmello22]

The Bystander Apathy Experiment was inspirated and motivation to conduct this experiment from the highly publicised murder of Kitty Genovese in the same year.

[mmmello22]

I need to stop being lazy and finish this painting

[mmmello22]

Muslims Are the True Feminists

As American women, many of us have an idea of what feminists are; freelancing women with all the sexual freedom in the world. But this is exactly the pro...

WTF....I understand that Islamophobia is a problem right now...but this reminds me of when Caitlyn Jenner was chosen woman of the year....Sometimes people seem so focused on being perceived as liberal that they disrespect another oppressed group. (Thinking of the editors of the Huffington Post in this scenario.)