Table of Contents
Introduction vii
1 Thread by Thread Lyena Strelkoff 1
2 The Cicada Killer Teresa Stack 12
3 Year of the Rat Nina Burleigh 21
4 Shadows Victoria Zackhein 29
5 Playing Dead Under the Family Tree Monica Holloway 36
6 The Men Who Stayed Too Long Amy Friedman 47
7 My Midnight Cowboy Liza Lentini 56
8 A Beautiful Portrait Tracy J. Thomas 66
9 From Exile to Redemption Julie Silver 75
10 The Jump Rope Line Marcia G. Yerman 86
11 (Mostly) Not Ashamed Rachel Kramer Bussel 95
12 Sacred Sharon Doubiaga 102
13 Mother of the Year Kristine Van Raden 105
14 I Love Me, I Love Me Not Kate Van Raden 115
15 Raising a Cowbird Jenny Rough 124
16 Elements of Shame Kedren Werner 135
17 Residual Shame Colleen Heggerty 145
18 Matching Rainbows Lawrenne Sala 154
19 The Last Secret Amy Wise 161
20 Stinkin' Shame Robyn Hatcher 169
21 Original Bra Meredith Resnick 179
22 What I Know of Silence Brooke Elise Axtell 187
23 The Hair Manifesto Marianne Schnall 197
24 Shame Never Was Elizabeth Geitz 203
A gift from my mother, our sister, to you, Mother's Best Southern Loaf Bread 212
25 In the Name of the Father Hollye Dexter 214
26 Bits & Pieces for Five Hundred Amy Ferris 224
27 1329 Lynx Trail Samantha Dunn 232