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.

If you would like to submit your work

to redrosethorns journal, click here.

Silhouette of a person with raised arm against a bright orange light in a dark background, creating a dramatic and mysterious mood.

Shushed

I speak, loud and proud and vocal, For those who have no voice. For those who have been shushed, Squelched, Stomped down, Silenced by a world focused on Meaningless models of Empty externals.

Empowerment

Mary Beth Magee

7 days ago2 min read

you turn on the radio

you turn on the radio hoping, i gather, to make me angry, everybody knows how i feel about rock and roll—it just makes you want to drink and smoke

Mental Health

John Swofford

7 days ago1 min read

Blurred image of a person with multiple overlapping faces and raised hand in a dark setting, creating a mysterious, surreal effect.

On Being Plagued by Recurring Nightmares

Things I did and didn’t say or do still haunt me like candles flickering at the periphery of my psyche, bearing with them those things over which I never had control. Calculated, cold, and condescending, these thoughts that plague my slumber are only incorporeal in spirit; each word they carry cuts like a razor blade, jarring me from sleep. My anxiety bleeds in shallow breaths spent lying awake and wondering if the outcomes could have been different, the dark recesses of my

Self-Care

Jennifer Weigel

7 days ago2 min read

Crumpled white and gray sheets on an unmade bed, creating a messy, relaxed atmosphere. Soft lighting enhances the casual mood.

Please, Keep Me

I sat up with a jolt of pain in my abdomen. My eyelids begged for relief, but my stomach ached as if I had been kicked by a steel-toed shoe. 6 a.m. My alarm clock glared at me. I had disturbed its time off, its peaceful dawn. I am not some newscaster who needs to roll out of bed and drive down dark, desolate streets toward the station. I do not need to be up this early, I don’t want to be up this early. Vacation does not require some strict wrangling of the teenage sleep sche

Gender/Sexuality

Juliette Brookman

7 days ago9 min read

Street art on brick wall: a woman with abstract features and blue background, a black cat with a red scarf, and graffiti tags. Urban setting.

As If

Premise: Who is the protagonist? What do they want? I wake up as a girl, I don’t know who. Woman, woman. The thing we all want is a story to tell. A reason to be the main character in our own lives, for someone to be watching. The thing we all want is an audience. Exposition: What is in the way of what the protagonist wants?

Mental Health

Rowan Tate

7 days ago6 min read

Blurred silhouette of a person behind a steam-covered glass, with warm, earthy tones and abstract patterns creating a mysterious mood.

The Girl Who Learned How to Disappear

Don’t be afraid to open those notebooks. You think you only remember the pain. But even in the darkest places, there was light. You loved. You were loved. That’s what matters. You are Dee. That’s enough.

Mental Health

Denise Dalfino

7 days ago5 min read

Ornate gold mirrors on a dark wall, with a gold skull, a bear figurine, a ceramic bird, and green leaves. Mysterious and vintage vibe.

Magpie

Maggie was at the gynecologist when she realized she might not be a feminist. With her bare feet propped up on the stirrups, her underwear bunched up inside her purse, and Dr. Jennings’ gloved hand currently prodding at the space between her legs, her thoughts were decidedly un-feminist in nature. She was not thinking about womanhood, or sisterhood, or the advancements in reproductive health that allowed her to be here now; she was thinking about how much she regretted not sh

Empowerment

Ella Newell

7 days ago11 min read

Person draws glowing heart with light stick near campfire on a beach at sunset. Calm water and silhouettes of structures in the background.

Into the fold

I am living large In a time of split lips and bruised oranges Like a bug caught in amber, suddenly revived

Empowerment

Anthy Strom

7 days ago1 min read

Blurred abstract image with gray and black tones, indistinct shapes, and horizontal smears, creating a mysterious, ethereal mood.

Will You Be Mine?

I asked you to see me. Suffocating. My breath stuck somewhere in over-expanded lungs, dying to exhale- gorged to the edge of implosion- Not with noxious refuse of the blood, With truth--Begging for light.

Mental Health

Jill Euclide

7 days ago2 min read

Silhouetted person in a white shirt seen through frosted glass with scattered patterns, creating a moody and abstract atmosphere.

Onion Skin

I peel a friendship today… Shuck the crisp skin Off another’s pride. Reduce this warrior’s armor To a soft, discarded rind.

Mental Health

Sam Barbee

7 days ago1 min read

Tall, fluffy pampas grass with tan feathery plumes sways gently in a foggy, muted landscape, creating a serene and calm mood.

Questioning the Suspect

Why did I walk out that day into the river that flowed faster than my intentions? Escape was in my body’s movement while my mind had stopped at remembrance of your face, your voice,

Mental Health

Christine Emmert

7 days ago1 min read

Silhouette of a person on a motorcycle under a starry sky with a visible comet. Red light on bike adds a mysterious mood.

Comet Riding

Climbing aboard is easy compared to balancing the bucking journey through the stars to new pastures feeding my pleasures with their bounty.

Self-Care

Christine Emmert

7 days ago1 min read

Person in red pants walks on a gravel path through a lush green park with tall trees. Sunlight filters through leaves, creating a peaceful mood.

Blooming Spirit

As I went for a walk through nature last winter, I could see spring coming out of the silent trees, the bushes, and even the ground. Everything was becoming alive and vibrant again; everything was ready to flourish and scream its vitality in colors. It happened last spring, and I’m quite certain it will happen this year, too: just as I could see nature around me starting to bloom again, I could feel my soul blooming too.

Self-Care

Sara Gasparini

7 days ago3 min read

A dry plant in a pot beside large windows casts shadows on a white wall. Sunlight brightens the minimalist room with gray carpet.

Harbinger of Death or Damned Nuisance

The nurse, not the regular hospice nurse, but the stand-in named Lori, was by today and said that before people die, they hallucinate, become anxious, and lose bladder control. That’s what my husband’s doing. Does it mean he is dying? If he is, those problems are not permanent, and I can get through them.

Mental Health

Sylvia Keepers

7 days ago2 min read

Two women draped in translucent red fabric blend into a dramatic dark background, creating a striking, dreamlike visual effect.

Dance

The overlap of threaded vein, set upon the skin Of muscled sinew in the flesh In hands of carnal sin That grips the curving Sensually swerving Undulating hips

Gender/Sexuality

Cassandra Manuel

Apr 252 min read

The Final Femboy Year

The gothic style of a rosebud tattoo Manifested treacherous ideas from within My scarecrow-like figure Was forever signified by serendipity

Gender/Sexuality

CJ The Tall Poet

Apr 251 min read

Person holding a mug, sitting by a rain-covered window, wrapped in a gray blanket. The mood is cozy and reflective.

Her Voice

Early one morning, her beloved husband brought a cup of coffee to her in bed. “Surprise!” he said. The real surprise was that that was the day he started drinking in the morning. He poured coffee for her and vodka for himself. She thought he had become the husband she dreamt about, but no, he thought first my vodka, then your coffee. She deluded herself believing he was being kind. No, he planned to keep her out of the kitchen while he drank.

Empowerment

Rosemary Williams

Apr 255 min read

Blurry close-up of a person with swirling colorful light effects across their face. They wear a silver chain necklace against a plain background.

Weddings

Weddings! We adore them Invitations sent for the grand event Assuming you don’t have a role in the “I do crew” No stress for you

Gender/Sexuality

MD Bier

Apr 251 min read

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