The books I've read have become my passport

The books I've read have become my passport
When the new year arrived, I decided I was going to read less this year (I cannot for the life of me remember what my reasoning was, though I think it had something to do with carving out more time to finish *an important thing* and the fact that I’m starting grad school this fall).... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
June 28, 2018 at 6:16 am • 

The Handmaid's Tale has always been violent

The Handmaid's Tale has always been violent
The latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, “The Last Ceremony”, was particularly brutal to watch for a number of reasons. [Major episode spoilers ahead! Ye be warned.] In reverse order, the second reason was the gut-wrenching moment when June’s daughter was ripped out of her arms and the parallels it so painstakingly draws with the current news of immigrant children being taken... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
June 21, 2018 at 7:22 pm • 

"It's just a game" and other things I'd tell my sixteen-year-old-self

Once a month, Chicago Now bloggers are given a prompt and challenged to write about said prompt in one hour’s time. Tonight’s prompt is “What are three pieces of advice you would give to your 16 year old self?” Sixteen is almost officially a decade ago for me. Wow — that’s terrifying, but so much of my... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
May 30, 2018 at 9:01 pm • 
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Feminist Book Club: The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti

My friends and I created a feminist book club on Facebook to engage and discuss feminist topics. Our inaugural choice was The Purity Myth by writer and feminist activist Jessica Valenti. The subtitle of the book says it all: “How America’s Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women”. The focus of Valenti’s novel is the... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
May 8, 2018 at 1:47 pm • 

Why I Traded Tennessee Orange for UConn Blue

Traded might be too strong of a word; I was a Tennessee fan first and became a UConn fan second. But over the past ten years, my blood has leaked UConn blue. I started playing basketball in middle school, and that was the college era of Naperville’s golden girl, Candace Parker. Her Pat Summitt-led Lady Vols... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
March 28, 2018 at 8:20 pm • 

Don't read the comment section during March Madness*

Don't read the comment section during March Madness*
*If your March Madness includes women’s basketball. We should know better by now. The comment section on the internet is one of the grossest, most misogynistic places I’ve ever laid eyes on, full of an angry breed of people who apparently get off on leaving their grimy, Cheeto-dust cyber-fingerprints on every corner of the internet. And, man,... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
March 16, 2018 at 7:16 pm • 
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The enigma of a vanished musician: Pim Stones

The enigma of a vanished musician: Pim Stones
Over a year ago I added the song “We Have it All” by Pim Stones to one of my writing playlists. It popped up in the Discover Weekly section that Spotify curates every Monday, and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. The artist has a beautiful, distinct voice, and I’ve never been able to shake... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
February 26, 2018 at 5:44 pm • 

If we're not going to talk about gun control, can we talk about the shooters?

Irrefutable fact #1: Mass shootings do not happen in other developed countries at the rate that they happen in the United States. Irrefutable fact #2: Facts no longer mean anything. I have given up all hope that we will ever have adequate gun control in the United States. I won’t ever stop fighting for it –... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
February 15, 2018 at 10:54 am • 

5 Ways to Give Your Friends the Reading Bug

5 Ways to Give Your Friends the Reading Bug
My life mission is to convert everyone I know into a reader. Reading has sprinkled my life with so much joy and magic, and I’ll be damned if my friends miss out on that experience. But it’s not easy. People are resistant to the idea of reading. I partially blame high school English. Apologies to... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
January 21, 2018 at 11:36 am • 
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The 5 stages you go through on your first day of writing class

The 5 stages you go through on your first day of writing class
You did it! You finally decided to sign up for an online writing class. As the first day approaches you are filled with nervous anticipation, knowing that you’re finally taking a step forward but also anxious to get started. The day arrives. You sit down at your desk with a notebook and open your laptop, following... Read more »
By Rachel Benn,
December 23, 2017 at 6:16 am •