Dear Reader, Here are some of my favorite stories written by women about women. They are narratives of what it means to be strong, vibrant, bold and compassionate. The selection is as varied as I wanted it to be, hope you enjoy reading them for International Women’s Day 2022.

“Rat Girl ” (FracturedLit) Patricia Q. Bidar: Inspired by Kristin Hersh, whose vocal style is frequently described as “softly melodic to impassioned screaming”, this story is brilliantly captured as a scene from her life

“The Sky Between Us” (Atlas & Alice) Bronwen Griffiths: Women leading ordinary, and not so ordinary lives, catching the sky between them

“Amelia” (SmokeLong) Aubrey Hirsch — A a vivid and elegant story based on Amelia Earhart, the story has a unique form told as a progression of a series of names

“When You First Met the Telepath” (Jellyfish Review) Meghan Phillips: If this is how she’ll make you come with her mind — Just the last period, and without punctuations entirely, this piece hits you. Read it!

“Birdie” (NFFR) Nuala O’Connor — Birds, music and that liberating feeling. Broken but whole, singular as a feather…

How do you feel after reading them? Let me know!