Writing

A selection of my published pieces:


  • For Poets & Writers, an article about the growth of the book sanctuary movement, a response to conservatives’ attempts to remove access to books they deem problematic.
  • For Coffin Bell, my very first piece of published fiction, a horror story titled “The Infestation.”
  • For Romper, an essay about learning to play the ukulele, and a case for similarly pointless diversions.
  • For oranges journal, a personal essay about nightmares, anxiety, and the ways in which they often overlap.
  • For The Offing, a short personal essay about my grandmother, and my regret about her not being around long enough to see the woman I became.
  • For Rewire News Group, an op-ed about how we can’t give in to the hysteria conservatives have whipped up around sex ed because comprehensive sex ed keeps our kids safe.
  • For Rewire News Group, an article about the disinformation campaign cooked up by conservatives to derail progress in the realm of sex ed.
  • For Gilly, a personal post about how scheduling sex can help you maintain your intimate connection when it seems that parenthood is consuming your life.
  • For Giddy, a short piece on the internalized, systemic myths we carry around sexuality.
  • For Giddy, a short piece on the link between internalized fatphobia and sexual anxiety.
  • For Rewire.News, an article about the sorry state of sex ed these days that contrasts competing sex ed standards.
  • For Romper, a tongue-in-cheek essay about how the secret to my professional and parenting success is benign neglect.
  • For Southwest Review’s annual Halloween issue, an essay about motherhood and fear, wrapped up in an exploration of the horror I enjoy.
  • For Rewire.org, an article about how unpaid family caregivers lack tangible systemic support — and how the pandemic has only made things worse.
  • For Rewire.News, an article about how to normalize talking to your kids about pleasure.
  • For Kinkly, a post about how to get your sexy back when you live in sweatpants 24/7 and are sick of your partner’s face.
  • For Rewire.News, an article about how to normalize talking to your kids about menstruation.
  • For Care.com, a service piece about compassion fatigue among family caregivers, and how to cope with it.
  • For Rewire.News, an article about how the lessons in health education textbooks only reinforce rape culture.
  • For The Writer magazine, a service piece on how to rethink your freelance workday when you also have to manage your child’s remote learning.
  • For PULP, a reported essay on perinatal depression.
  • For Rewire.News, an article about why it’s so important for parents to take an active role in their kids’ sex education.
  • I am a regular contributor to the Feminist Book Club blog.
  • For InStyle, an article on how to approach sexual desire discrepancy in your long-term relationships.
  • I am a regular contributor to Pure Romance’s Buzz blog.
  • For The Guardian, an article on how to meditate when it feels like everything is out of control.
  • For New Jersey Monthly, a feature on the dating habits of Millennials in NJ.
  • I contributed a personal essay to this anthology about diners.
  • For PULP, a reported essay on the normalization of sexual coercion.
  • I wrote about my attempts at sex-positive parenting for Creative Nonfiction‘s annual Sex Issue. You can find my piece — “When They Start Asking Questions” — in the print edition.
  • For Motherwell Magazine, a personal essay about the daily mindlessness that so often accompanies motherhood versus the mindfulness I try (and often fail) to achieve.
  • For InStyle, an article about the line between maintenance sex and sexual compliance, and why we engage in it.
  • For What To Expect, a personal essay about how infertility and depression changed what I wanted as a mother.
  • After A Dirty Word came out, I wrote this craft essay on how an academic job changed the course of my book for the better.
  • For Kinkly, a post about how, when it comes to sex, there’s no such thing as normal.
  • For Rewire.News, an article about what parents fear about “the sex talk,” and what their children really hope for.
  • For the Establishment, an article on the moral panic behind the sex ed debate.
  • For VICE, a reported essay about gender bias when it comes to the medical establishment’s approach to infertility.
  • For Kinkly, a post about innovation in the sex toy industry, and how the industry has grown to acknowledge the various shades of pleasure.
  • For Kinkly, a post about orgasm as a “masculinity achievement.”
  • This personal essay is an exploration of my feelings around abandonment and betrayal following my uncle’s death.
  • For VICE, an article about the benefits of peer-led sex education.
  • For VICE, a reported essay about painful sex.
  • For Pacific Standard, an article about how gaps in medical school curricula can lead to subpar care for LGBT Americans.
  • For Pacific Standard, an article about gender-biased diagnosing in the health care field.
  • For VICE, an article about the lack of sexuality education for doctors-in-training.
  • For Pacific Standard, an article about the varying definitions for sexual assault, and the tangential effects of these inconsistencies.
  • For VICE, a reported essay about depression stigma, and the ways in which medication plays a part in this stigma.
  • For Refinery29, a reported essay about boobs, bras, summertime, and the male gaze.
  • For Salon, an article about the tools we use to measure female sexual desire, and the limitations they carry.
  • For Undark, a feature about the pharmaceutical industry’s creation of female sexual dysfunction.
  • For Hippocampus, a personal essay about parenting while depressed… and about the hesitance to admit to postpartum depression when your child has come after years of infertility.
  • For the Atlantic, a feature about comprehensive sexuality education and how it can have a positive impact if started in early childhood.
  • For the Washington Post, an article about how parents can prepare their daughters for puberty.
  • For Narratively, a personal essay about the impetus behind my sex writing career.
  • For Jezebel, an article about early childhood sexuality education and what it’s developmentally appropriate to teach your kids about sex.
  • For Yoga International, a personal essay about how my practice has evolved with my life.
  • For elephant journal, a personal essay on how yoga has helped me love my body… sometimes.
  • I spent two years as the Senior Writer/Editor for AASECT, a nonprofit organization for sexuality professionals, managing and creating their online content.
  • I am a regular contributor to Book Riot.
  • I contributed an essay to this anthology that played with the intersection of sex and literature.