The CWCW Blog

FOREWORD “I would say that each of us has only one thing to gain from the feminist movement: Our whole humanity, because gender has wrongly told us that some things are masculine, and some things are feminine . . . which is bullshit.” —Gloria Steinem, author and activist When I was five, I wanted to die. I was lying on the plastic- covered [...]

Luz y Ligera Project is a response to the unifying experience of COVID-19 and celebrates the feelings and experiences that have remained consistent through space and time. Many of us, some for the first time, are feeling an overwhelming sense of fear, uncertainty and loss of freedom – a heavy burden. Because of this pressure and vulnerability [...]

As a grief counselor, I am aware of how the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted everyday life. People are stressed and this is manifesting in many emotional reactions, brought on by uncertainty and fear. People are experiencing personal grief because of shifts in livelihood or the loss of a job and fear of contagion. The necessary isolation [...]

No matter how strong a sense of self you have, loneliness can take over – especially during difficult times. But you can come out of it stronger than when you went in.   When my boyfriend of three years and I broke up, I moved into a new apartment with three other women. During my first night, I dreamt about him. We were laying in [...]

Singer, violinist, composer Yilian Cañizares performs all over the world…and she has chosen to share with you, the CWCW listener, the music of these talented, creative women to help us navigate these un-chartered waters.  Thank you, Yilian!   What would we do without music? It is precisely at times like these when fear and [...]

I have kept her photograph, which I purchased twenty-five years ago on my first trip to the Anne Frank House. I embarked on the narrow climb to the hiding place and later, the descent, and imagined all that had occurred in between.  I was attuned to the voices of visitors speaking other languages as I looked out a window and considered the [...]

I wonder if Madonna, 60, thinks of herself as old. I’m guessing probably not, but maybe she should. Think of how much she might contribute to the discussion about what it means to age, to grow older well, and how we can facilitate that for all of us, not just for a privileged few. This thought might never have crossed my mind except for having [...]

For some reason, probably because they echoed my anxieties about the larger world, I became obsessed a few years ago with news stories about cruises going awry—a nasty ship-wide norovirus outbreak on the high seas, or an engine room fire knocking out power and stranding a ship for 5 days off the coast of Mexico with no refrigeration or air [...]

I write to satisfy a fundamental need. I started writing within a couple of weeks after undergoing my third (and hopefully last) brain surgery. Initially, my motivation was to understand the new and inexplicable world that surrounded me, and to understand this new person I was becoming. I wrote to help loved ones recognize how and why my brain [...]

The 1960’s. . . where was I? In Brooklyn, married for a few years, with a baby and toddler. Around us swirled the movements and politics of the time – in the South: bus rides, sit-ins, peaceful protests, and violent responses. My husband and I were frequently glued to the TV, watching Black Americans, and those White Americans who joined them, [...]