redrosethorns journal

Conscious raising, frequently utilised by feminists, involves individuals sharing their experiences to enhance awareness of social, personal, and political matters. This method has proven highly effective in fostering unity, building communities, and shedding light on broader issues affecting diverse demographics worldwide. It's a means of expressing our identities and experiences, ultimately empowering us.

Inspired by this approach, redrosethorns launched an online journal publication aimed at facilitating conversations about mental health, gender, sexuality, self-care, and empowerment.

ISSN: 2978-5316 (online)

If you would like to submit your work

to redrosethorns journal, click here.

A vibrant pink flower amidst dense, thorny green foliage. The composition highlights the contrast between the delicate bloom and rugged branches.

Iron Cross

My trans daughter walking among pines and oaks Her ambling feet whooshing leaves Sap sticking to her shoes A bicycle tramples her Face slammed. Rock shards Eye stitches

Gender/Sexuality

MD Bier

Apr 251 min read

Teapot and cups on a burlap spread surrounded by autumn leaves. Warm, earthy tones create a cozy, rustic fall setting.

Fall Mood

I forget what silence feels like until I step outside into a breathless moment when wind pauses at the frayed edge of an afternoon.

Self-Care

Sharon Scholl

Apr 251 min read

Pink sunglasses and a pink teacup with saucer labeled "Le Creuset" on a pink surface, creating a vibrant, playful mood.

Spec’s

I like your glasses, they whisper, as though they know most people would object to them. They are on the gaudy side, sunset pink with mottled blobs that pass for a design.

Self-Care

Sharon Scholl

Apr 251 min read

A hand lets sand fall through fingers against a blurred background, conveying a sense of time slipping away. The image is in black and white.

On the Tip of my Tongue

I’m trying to dredge up a word that accounts for time’s tendency to run out, leaving many duties lapping the dawn shores of another day.

Mental Health

Sharon Scholl

Apr 251 min read

Sunlit forest path with lush greenery lining both sides, illuminated by warm, golden light, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Birthright

You were born knowing you are one with the sun’s light, moon’s radiance, the calm dawn opening to birdsong.

Empowerment

Carolyn Chilton Casas

Apr 251 min read

Person floating in water, head tilted back, appearing relaxed. Calm sea and cloudy sky. Black and white image, serene mood.

Grappling

The dharma teacher tells us to whisper breathe as we fill our chests, then ease on the cleansing out breath. Am I getting too old to handle stress? Have I become overly sensitive to chaos? Where is my upbeat outlook on life?

Mental Health

Carolyn Chilton Casas

Apr 251 min read

Hand holding a yellow-orange flower behind frosted glass, creating a soft, textured effect. Background is pale and abstract.

Must I Feel It All

The more I age, it seems to me my mission here is to feel it all with equanimity. Not push away the pain or tuck what brings discomfort down inside.

Self-Care

Carolyn Chilton Casas

Apr 251 min read

Person wearing a white mask covers mouth with hands, long hair visible. Dark background, mysterious and tense mood.

The Tightening

How sweet, the words we write- Under tinted sun of gray. Sons of sons, unborn but ready To tell us our crimes. A glancing breath, The total of self-ellipses our tongue And dies.

Gender/Sexuality

Olivia Austin

Apr 251 min read

A sunlit bedroom with an unmade bed, white sheets, and a gray sweater. A framed picture hangs on a dark wall, creating a cozy mood.

A Canterbury Tale From My Bedroom

My Camino de Santiago is the journey out of my own bed. A rugged expedition, to be sure, but one, I’ve been told by many, that is worthwhile. Many preparations must be made, as to be expected: Tearful pleads for one’s body to move, self-inflicted berating and threats, a numbed trance-like disassociation of complacent nihilism.

Mental Health

M. A. Dubbs

Apr 252 min read

Distorted reflection of a building and trees in a curved reflective surface, with vibrant blue, green, and orange hues creating an abstract scene.

Thoughts from A Neuro-divergent Gamer

I can’t help but notice that the bad guys in many video games have just escaped from an asylum. Muttering to themselves, tied up in white straitjackets covered with buckles or shackles and maybe a muzzle fitted for a human head instead of a rogue dog at a shelter.

Mental Health

M. A. Dubbs

Apr 252 min read

Retro kettle with orange design on a lit stove in a cozy kitchen. Sunlight filters through a window onto patterned couch and pillow.

That Man

Trish spotted that man again, out in the front yard this time. What was he up to now? she wondered. She peered closer. He was trimming the hedges with an electric gizmo. Was he the guy that David was going to hire to help around the house? He seemed awfully old for a handyman, and his red hair appeared to be dyed. He seemed to always be around; whenever she looked up, there he was, with his goofy smile and dark blue eyes. He had nice eyes, she thought, but the grin she could

Mental Health

Bill Tope

Apr 255 min read

Two deer stand by a misty pond, their reflection visible in the calm water. Surrounded by trees and ferns, the scene feels serene.

Doe Eyes

When the coroners finish extracting from beneath the fallen oak the rotting corpse in weather-worn clothes that was once my twin sister, I watch them, dazed and numb, carry her off through the morning mist. I can’t move from this bed of despair and dead leaves nestled near where I found her mere hours ago.

Mental Health

Jenny Morelli

Apr 254 min read

Brown stationery with "Dear" written on it, alongside a silver pen. Lined paper suggests letter writing, evoking a thoughtful mood.

Dear Younger Me

What you wish is actually true. Like the stray cats you’ve collected, you also have multiple lives to live before your forever life comes for you. The life you’re living now will not last much longer. You’ll soon grow big enough, old enough, to proceed to the life after this, one full of choices and responsibilities and only in the pauses will this life glimmer and flicker like a distant memory or black-and-white film.

Self-Care

Jenny Morelli

Apr 252 min read

A mirror reflects a person stretching under a blue sky amidst an orange flower field, conveying a serene and vibrant mood.

It Takes a Village

I am the remnants of my past, fragments of my family’s growing, flowing patchwork quilt, each square a memory,

Empowerment

Jenny Morelli

Apr 252 min read

Two green armchairs sit in front of a barred window, casting shadows in a dimly lit room, creating a calm and introspective mood.

Emotional Unintelligence

A therapist's waiting room is an odd purgatory. Especially when you are not alone. I try to avoid eye contact with the other people the best I can, but sometimes, it just happens. A quick glance where you both acknowledge how you’re both here at the same time. Both there to fix the problems that were probably passed down to you by your parents or because of a horrible trauma you endured. r, sometimes, you’re just broken.

Mental Health

Zoe Martin

Apr 256 min read

Close-up of smooth pebbles on a shore with a blurred background of people standing and a blue sky.

Goliath

when i was a child i was given a pebble everyone said that the pebble wouldn't grow that it would stay the same size, but they lied and the pebble grew larger with each encounter i had within my own head. as time passed the pebble turned into a rock and the rock turned to stone.

Empowerment

Elizabeth Towers

Apr 251 min read

Close-up of a hand holding a smartphone against a blurred, light background. The scene is dimly lit, creating a calm, focused mood.

The Right Side of Vanishing

We said no ghosting. Did we? I don’t remember it, but I can imagine I said it. Dating in London is not the smoothest experience and at the time I was coming from some traumatic ghosting, actually, it still burns a bit. Although with him was different, I had been clear, I'm sure. It was one of those sweaty London June days. The kind of days that, even if rare, every Londoner finds quite hard to forget. Work laptop in my bag, I was travelling downtown in the direction of somet

Gender/Sexuality