About the Author
I was born and raised in the marginalized community of North Philadelphia, surrounded by people, ideas, thoughts, music, and experiences tangled in both the darkness and light of life.
I am a survivor of childhood abuse and trauma spanning my adolescence and adulthood. I recognized the juxtaposition in which I existed by age 4, my developing body encountering sweet kisses, tight hugs, and warm ginger tea contrasted by feelings of thirst, hunger, inappropriate touches, and at times raging violence in my home and on the streets.
I write simply for the joy and clarity that it brings me. I write to share and connect. I write to challenge my own biases and the accepted norms of society. I have one life and one body which others have tried to claim, but I am here to reclaim what is mine through carefully chosen, thoughtful words.
I intend to share personal thoughts, experiences, essays, and creative writings on all things human.
- Melissa Rivera