Melissa Petro

Teaching sex ed the right way doesn’t have to be weird or hard.

Sometimes the fights I pick with my fiancé are really fights with myself.

[I]t looks like our wedding will cost us more like $10,000. That is a hell of a lot of money. Still, it’s our one and only wedding. And for a wedding in Manhattan that includes most of the typical expenditures [...] that’s not too bad. Here’s what I’ve learned about how to make your big day (relatively) less expensive.

A lot has been written about what not to say to a pregnant person. Being on the opposite side of that, I’ve learned pregnant people make mistakes, too.

"Certainly, my life as an alcoholic was not what most would imagine. I was a writer, living in the West Village of New York City, enrolled in a prestigious graduate program and working on a book. At least, this was my cover story."

Hate hurts us all, but we don’t all receive it with the same systemic intensity. Those of us with the privilege to do so need to push against the borders of what is “permissible” in this society. We need challenge the idea of “normal” — rather than conform to it — so that all of us can live more closely to our truths.

Sure, "friends forever" sounds nice. In theory. But sometimes it's better that two people just not be friends.

No exaggeration, when I close my eyes— even for a second— I see white dresses.

It's pretty well understood in 12 step programs that "who you see here and what you say here, stays here."

A week or so ago I started shopping for a wedding dress, and guess what? Shopping for a wedding dress sucks!