"Nobody is going to give you a thing:" Excellent advice from Dear Sugar

Whether or not you've seen this "Dear Sugar" post, it's worth revisiting, particularly if you're a woman. It's Dear Sugar's advice to a 26-year-old writer struggling with her identity, her gender and her art. Every time I read it, when I get to the end, I want to stand up and cheer. I also want to give a shout out to my friends in VIDA: Women in Literary Arts. If you're a writer and a woman, and particularly if you write about your "lady life experiences," both of these sites are worth a look. I only wish they'd existed back when I was 26. And regarding the "vagina as metaphor" concerns of the original questioner? Maybe she should take a cue from playwright Eve Ensler. Imagine if Ensler had felt even the slightest bit delicate about her Vagina Monologues. Would the show be the worldwide sensation it is now? Would colleges around the country perform it every February to raise money to provide safe havens for the victims of sex slavery, genital mutilation, and domestic violence?

Sometimes great work cuts.

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