My former student Julia Metraux is a staff writer for The Tempest, an online magazine that describes itself like this:

The Tempest is the guide for diverse women to share, feel, and claim their voices – and power. We’re the global media and entertainment company made for you: tomorrow’s leaders and dreamers changing the status quo, in your life and the world.

Julia always writes with force and honesty. I want to share links to two of her recent pieces with you:

1. The first, from November 27, is titled “I am a dog person, but I’m terrified of meeting new dogs.” Read this, whether you’re a dog person or not, whether dogs scare you or not. I remember when the events described here happened, and the article recalls them to life all too vividly. My readers know that I am a cat person; what you may not know is that most dogs scare me. Fortunately I’ve never had an experience like Julia’s, but they still scare me. I’ve met a few exceptions — a couple of very small, gentle dogs, and one full-size white poodle named Lamby, recently deceased, whom I liked a lot — but by and large I steer clear of all dogs. Anyway, this article isn’t really about dogs; it’s about trauma.
2. The second, about a different type of trauma, is from April 25. It’s titled “As a Jewish person, I carry the trauma of the generations before me.” The subtitle explains further: “I’ve inherited trauma from my Jewish ancestors who lived through horrific antisemitism.” Read this, whether you are Jew or gentile, religious or secular.

Categories: Life, Weston