Storm Troopers
I’m not afraid of storms for I’m learning to sail my ship.
— Louisa May Alcott
Difficulty is always a school, though learning is optional.
— Rebecca Solnit, The Faraway Nearby
Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”
— William Shakespeare
Open Up Your Umbrellas
STORM TROOPERS is a community page where our readers share their deeply personal stories. You, or a woman you know, may be holding the exact organ match, prescription or supplement that can help someone else weather their own storm. Won’t you consider sharing your umbrella?
Feel free to submit your writing under “Name Withheld” if it allows for more honesty. We reserve the right to edit your copy, and also withhold your name or the names of others as we must be sensitive to libel considerations. If you’ve changed the names of people involved please say so we can note it.
We are unable to answer questions about the status of submissions. If your story is going to appear, you’ll hear from us prior to it going live. We regret we can’t post everything.
Your brave stories make us whole. Let’s weather the storm together. Send your stories to holly@talkingumbrellas.com.
A Few Tips
- We encourage unapologetic, extreme emotional truth.
- What difficulties did you encounter along the way?
- What surprised you about yourself, others?
- Constructive takeaway: what did you learn that could shine a light for others?
- We welcome humor, even the dark and irreverent. So do our readers. Don’t hold back–tough times and hilarity can walk hand-in-hand.
- No subject matter is off limits.
Guidelines
- 500-1000 words, double-spaced, attached as a Word document.
- Name, town, age (we’re happy to withhold upon request)
- We welcome a phone number so we can contact you if necessary–we promise to keep it confidential and never use it for marketing purposes. That would be gross.
