Archive - Open Secrets Magazine

How I Realized I’m Asexual

I’m not averse to sex or incapable of enjoying sex, but I don’t experience sexual desire in the same way allosexuals do

Mar 31 •

Asexual Musings And...

What It Feels Like to Live in “Satan’s Ashtray” During Smoke Season

A history of my adaptation to the Pacific Northwest’s grim new weather caused by climate change

Mar 28 •

Silencing the Inner Critic to Get Your Words on the Page

An excerpt from 'Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay' by Nancy Slonim Aronie

Mar 26 •

How an ADHD Memoir Helped Me Stop Feeling Guilty About Not Promoting My Short Story Collection

Emily Farris' 'I'll Just Be Five More Minutes: And Other Tales from My ADHD Brain' taught me the connection between dopamine, burnout, and my creative…

Mar 25 •

How a Health Scare Led Me to Love My Liver

I thought veganism would save me from following in my father’s footsteps—I was wrong

Mar 24 •

Radical Pleasure: How Embracing Joy Helped Me Overcome Fear

Open Secrets columnist Athena Dixon on stepping into the unknown by moving from her hometown to a new city and making a list of 76 individual acts of…

Mar 19 •

How to Be a Caregiver to Aging, Difficult Parents

The lessons I learned from my aging mother’s prom dress

Mar 17 •

Alissa Bader Clark

As a Mom of a Sick Child, I Couldn’t Bear to Lose My Child’s Stuffed Bunny

Facing my daughter’s mortality through her stuffed animal

Mar 10 •

Elizabeth Austin

Dear Daddy Advice Column March 2025: Do You Need an MFA to Get Your Novel Published?

Our advice columnist has strong opinions about MFA programs: “The unifying factor amongst successful writers tends to be stubbornness, not MFAs. “

Mar 5 •

How an Adoption-Focused Instagram Account Helped Me Feel Seen

Notes from a Chinese adoptee

Mar 3 •

February 2025

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