Period 39: How to think not what to do
This week for my Feminist Science seminar we read Michelle Murphy’s work on pollution and the alterlife, and Jamie Haverkamp’s work on love-care-response as...
Period 38: To transform, to be transformed
I spent hours this week reading names of the dead. Out on the quad, on sunny, gorgeous fall days, we stood at various intersections with four binders full of...
Period 37: I hate tampons (derogatory)
I hate tampons. No, really. I hate them. I tend to be menstrual product agnostic in that I think people need to use whatever works best for them given their...
Period 36: It's complicated
So it’s been a while – between activism, parenting, book writing, and professoring it’s been hard to prioritize the newsletter. Here and on Bluesky, I feel...
Period 35: Reckoning with menstrual pain – and a note on “biological sex”
As a young person, when my periods became intensely painful, my mother introduced me to prescription strength doses of ibuprofen. I would take 800-1000...
Period 34: Menstrualsplaining
How have I gotten thirty-four issues into this newsletter and not done a basic menstrual cycle explainer? My whole book is kind of like a menstrual cycle...
Period 33: Perimenopause can perimeno-suck it
First, big news! Buttondown now has commenting functionality! You can comment on these newsletters to your heart’s content – a great way to meet like-minded...
Period 32: Hostile sexism and beliefs about menstruating people
Babies are on my mind right now – over the last few months I’ve interviewed a number of people who have had miscarriages or stillbirths. There are elements...
Period 31: Retraumatization versus remembering
I have just finished reading (listening to on audio via LibroFM, actually) Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger (these are regular links not affiliate links). I think...
Period 30: A long overdue newsletter, must be my cycle-driven white matter microstructure changes
Phew, I’m back! I’m sure you missed me. I’m desperately trying to finish three chapters of the book simultaneously (which is a terrible idea by the way)...
Period 29: Join me in Chicago!
A few book-related things to get out of the way first My final book launch event is next Friday September 22nd at the amazing Women and Children First...
Period 28: The Tardis is my therapy
In the last two weeks, covid has hit our house twice (based on the timing of infection, my spouse got it while teaching and, while testing negative during...
Period 27 Miscarriages and heat
It’s the first week of classes, but not for me! I’m on teaching leave this year to focus both on some administrative work for the university and to write my...
Period 26: Journalists - stop saying that menstrual products are tested with saline and please do some reporting
Ok, sidebar newsletter. Share this one, please. Last week for the weird period fact I shared a recent paper that looked at menstrual product...
Period 25: Ultimate menstrual frisbee
I was on Taboo Science Podcast this week talking about PERIOD (which, by the way, if you’ve read it, would you consider leaving a rating or review on...
Period 24: the turning point at which these newsletters slowly turn into very long weird period facts
We’re finally home after a perhaps too-long vacation. It was good to see family, and if I could have stayed with my sister and her kids another month I...
Period 23: Getting insomnia just in time for this Cape Cod book event
I’m still on vacation but this week is the not-vacation vacation, meaning we put our youngest in camp so we could actually work during the day. My partner...
Period 22: 100 tampons and a discount code
I’ve been writing a lot for the last month… just not newsletters. I got about 35,000 words deep into my next book, which is on pregnancy loss. It turns out...
Period 21: Natural born killers
I was on Slate’s podcast The Waves this week – which was such a treat because I’m a big fan! Between being on The Waves and This Podcast Will Kill You I’ve...
Period 20: Just say no to TERFs
When you write a book, all you can really do is hope it gets the kind of exposure that it will end up in the hands of the people who want it or need it. No...
Period 19: on privacy, the definition of water, and multiregionalism
Well my book tour is done, and it was really fun to meet so many readers and future readers of Period. It was also nice to travel again after three years of...
Period 18: no one told me about all the turkey sandwiches
I’m on book tour! Which doesn’t mean I’m traveling continuously – I’m not that fancy – but so far I’ve had my hometown event (a ton of former derby teammates...
Period 17: does hormonal contraception reduce the risk of endometriosis?
Book news Just a few quick notes about the book – if you aren’t tired of hearing me talk about the book, and my research more broadly, I’m on This Podcast...
Period 16: Pub week!!!
The book is finally out and… amazingly nothing has changed in my life. My oldest kid is still impossible to get out the door in time for school. My geriatric...
Period 15
Book news My tour dates are now all official! I really hope you’ll come see me at some of these venues. April 26th at The Literary Book Bar in Champaign IL...
Period 14: pull that string
Book news If you’ve gotten an early copy of the book, you may have found where I joke that I will not be providing instructions for IUD self-removal. However...
Lucky number thirteen periods… which is the average number most people have in a year!
Book news Did you pre-order from Bookshop? Then you should already have a copy! Did you pre-order from Barnes and Noble? Those pre-orders will start to...
A dozen periods is called a clot: a giveaway, and the four wolves inside me
Ok that’s not true. But, shouldn’t it be? Can we make it a thing? Or maybe, a dozen menstruating people is a clot? I feel like we could design a pretty...
Period #11, in honor of Cocaine Bear
Book news My first official book review is in, from Publishers Weekly! And it’s good!!! Addressing what might be my favorite chapter, the reviewer writes:...
Period #10: Grumpfest, then period inflammation
Well, the newsletter has made it to double digits! I had to skip last week’s newsletter because it was a whole big catch-up week. This week was too, and...
Period #9
Well, for the first time in three years I’m sick. I am grateful it’s not covid, but still feeling very whiny and sorry for myself with this unpleasant head...
Period #8, open this one today for mysterious reasons!
Barnes and Noble is having a 25% off all pre-orders sale and it ends tonight (Friday Jan 27). If you’ve been wanting to pre-order my book now would be a...
Lucky Number Seven: BIG NEWS
And lucky this newsletter is, to me at least. Because I have big news! I’m writing another book! Last year, as I was wrapping up final edits on PERIOD, I...
Half a dozen periods
It’s the first full week I’ve had childcare since mid-December, and the semester here at Illinois starts next week. Of course I’m blowing up and piecing back...
Period Number 5
I love bad puns and was googling “jokes about the number five” in case I could use something for today’s title. Nothing really worked but I thought I’d share...
Period #4, A Not-So-Hidden Book Gift Guide
These newsletters are coming at irregular intervals – just like adolescent and perimenopausal periods often do! I’m going to keep aiming for putting...
Period #3
I'm back with more period facts! Two more book updates I’m narrating the audiobook for Period! It’s been really fun and I’m fortunate to have access to an...
Period Goes #2
Hello and welcome to installment 2 of my lazy newsletter! I really regret that it wasn't until after I wrote this newsletter that I recognized the...
Peeeeeriods, part one.
Well, it’s a hell of a week to start a newsletter. Personally, my older kid (who on social media I usually call Punkin) was out of school four of five days...