Women's Voices For Change

‘OITNB’ Final Season Doesn’t Shy Away From Heartbreaking Current Events

By Alexandra MacAaron

This remarkable and relevant series has shone a light on current American issues, especially those affecting women, who desperately need our attention.

Ask Dr. Pat · Menopause

Menopause: Getting It Right

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

It is often frightening for women who had mothers who were such poor role models for the management of midlife to think about and plan for the menopausal transition.

Poetry

Poetry Sunday: “The Bay,” by Gail Mazur

By Rebecca Foust

“The Bay” is about loss, but also about what is not lost; about death, but also new life; about stasis and stagnation, but also about the breeze picking up and new life quickening in stem, blossom, and vine.

Emotional Health

While You Are Sleeping and Dreaming

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

A lot goes on when you are sleeping, much of it important work for maintaining physical and mental health.

Film & Television

‘Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché’

By Alexandra MacAaron

Thanks in large part to Pamela B. Green's lovely and loving film, Alice Guy-Blaché is no longer behind the scenes. She is front and center, exactly where she should have been for the past century.

Health · Menopause

When Hot Flashes Meet the Heat of Summer

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

What could be worse than hot flashes in this heat?

Poetry

“Study of Two Figures (Pasiphaë/Sado),”
by Monica Youn

By Rebecca Foust

To make a study of something is to contain it. Containment, both physical and figurative, is a prominent concern in Monica Youn’s “Study of Two Figures (Pasiphaë/Sado)."

Emotional Health

Sex Trafficking is in Your Town

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

Last year, we reported on the sex trafficking industry, and its world-wide reach. In the time that has passed since, it has remained in the news and is being portrayed often in popular culture.

Film & Television

‘Maiden’: Sailing Into History Against the Odds

By Alexandra MacAaron

The inspiring and exhilarating new documentary 'Maiden,' directed by Alex Holmes, tells the story of the first all-female crew to compete in the prestigious Whitbread Round the World race.

Ask Dr. Pat

Insomnia: 12 Steps to Improve Sleep

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

Over half of Americans suffer from sleep problems in any given year. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to help improve your sleep.

Poetry

“A Story about the Heart,” “Betrayals,” and “Bed,”
by Andrea Hollander

By Rebecca Foust

Poetry speaks, in part, the language of place—exterior, interior, and especially the intersection where the outer and inner come together, that vital third place that is evoked, sometimes subtly, in these poems, which focus on my journey from the woods to the city and from marriage to divorce and beyond.

Emotional Health · Family & Friends

Are We Responsible for Our Children’s Problems?

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

“Parenting,” not a common word in our parents’ generation, now attracts a billion dollar industry of advice experts.

Film & Television

‘Ophelia,’ The No Longer Silent Victim of Denmark’s Game of Thrones

By Alexandra MacAaron

The new costume drama 'Ophelia,' directed by Claire McCarthy and written by Semi Chellis, based on the novel by Lisa Klein, tells the famous story from Hamlet's on-again, off-again girlfriend's point of view. And then it turns it on its head.

Health

Developing A Routine to Prevent Lyme Disease

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

Lyme Disease and other tickborne illnesses are on the rise. Unfortunately, however, the diagnosis is often missed or delayed.

Poetry

Poetry Sunday: “Crab Feed,” by Kathleen McClung

By Rebecca Foust

The poem captures the relaxed, meandering qualities of still-light-at-night community meals in high summer. Community, family, plenty, gratitude—we feel all this in the poem, and understand the way ordinary experiences can sometimes transcend themselves.

Family & Friends

In Praise of the Old-Fashioned Fourth

By Deborah Harkins

Three cheers for the traditional Fourth of July celebration, Americans’ annual salute to their country. Women's Voices has covered many such home-grown tributes. Today, from our archives, we’re featuring three traditional Fourths, from towns tiny to small to huge.

Film & Television

Funny Girls: Stand-Up Comedy
with a Focus on the Female

By Alexandra MacAaron

Six women have one-hour stand-up specials on Netflix right now. They range from friendly to angry to bemused to downright crude.

General Medical

July 4: Be Safe at Your Celebration

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

Here’s a primer on how to stay healthy as we celebrate our cherished Independence Day.

Poetry

Poetry Sunday: “Dear S—” by Alexandra van de Kamp

By Susan Cohen

Like the best of trips, Alexandra van de Kamp’s “Dear S—” exposes us to both the strange we find alluring and the strange we find disturbing, and by the end we are looking at the world in a slightly different way.

Divorce & Widowhood · Emotional Health

When Divorce Turns Ugly

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

Except in very rare cases, the process of separation and divorce can be stressful at best and anguished, even dangerous, at worst.

Film & Television

Summertime, and the Movies are Musical

By Alexandra MacAaron

Go to the movies this summer, and there's a good chance you'll come out humming a tune.

Health

Prevent the Summer Afflictions of Lyme Disease and Acute Sunburn

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

Summer, unfortunately, brings a hazard into some of our lives in the form of ticks. In addition, frequent sunburns and excessive UV radiation cause direct DNA damage and are the primary causes of skin aging.

Poetry

Poetry Sunday: “Self-Portrait with Prodigal Father,” by Elizabeth Majerus

By Rebecca Foust

“Self-Portrait with Prodigal Father” does what good titles are meant to do—give an idea of the poem’s subject—but does it with a “hook,” something to grab attention and pique interest, to ensure that readers will go on to read the poem.

Emotional Health · Money & Careers

Women with Horrible Bosses

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

Almost everyone has had a bad boss, but it can be a dangerous problem if you are serious about your career. Especially if you are a woman.