Author: Jen Peters
-
The Year Christmas Came Early
December 24, 2025 When I went to Puerto Rico this October, I was expecting it to be just as profound as when I was there in March. Unlike then, I went because I had a conference, but I knew I wanted to spend more time there, and I have unlimited PTO. So, after the work…
-
Summer School, Shame, and Saving Community Spaces
This summer has been a busy one, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by my inability to keep up with my writing goals. I’ve written bits and pieces, but it’s been really hard to finish any idea that I’ve started to get down on paper over these last few months. I…
-
Lessons in Mental Health: Reentering the Dating Pool After a Decade of Healing
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month, and a shout out to my long-time emotional support animal, Minerva, who just turned 10! There was a time in my life when figuring out my mental health felt like pushing a giant ball of ice up a mountain. Heavy, difficult, any progress made ready to slip through your hands…
-
April Fools: The Audacity of Men Who Are Loud and Wrong
This April Fools’ Day, I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve. Instead, in the spirit of the holiday, I want to raise awareness about men who are both loud and wrong. As a way to wrap up Women’s History Month, I’m sharing amusing anecdotes and observations from the past year—both personal and public—that highlight…
-
This One is for the Girls: Women’s History Month with Friends in Puerto Rico, and Holy Sh*t I Needed This Vacation.
March 16, 2025 I grew up knowing my grandma, Judy, is half Puerto Rican, and I was raised by and around very proud Puerto Rican women (Judy will tell everyone she meets that she’s Puerto Rican). The foods we made on the most important holidays were Puerto Rican meals, fragments of heritage preserved through generations…
-
So Much for Cheaper Eggs: Love and War on Inclusion, Home Rule, and Community
February 14, 2025 The last few weeks have been a complete shit show. The Trump administration is invoking actual chaos and tracking changes in policies and leadership across key institutions is like following a reality show where the stakes are actual human lives. I am dealing with my own personal heavy heart. I won’t get…
-
It’s Okay to Have Regrets: Escaping Inaugural Hell and Where Do We Go From Here?
January 24, 2025 Lately, I have found myself in what feels like a crisis of spirit—caught up in a Nutri bullet of anxiety, rage, grief, and fear, likely (most definitely) heightened by this week’s inauguration and subsequent executive orders. After some reflection, I have come to notice the most common feeling is regret. There’s something…
-
From the Kitchen Floor: Musings of a 36-Year-Old New Year’s Baby
January 1st, 2025 (posted on 1/8) I’m kicking off 2025, the first morning of my 36th year, sitting on my kitchen floor trying to coax my dog, Charli, inside the house. Charli is a little traumatized from last night’s NYE festivities. Despite not being forced to hang out with anyone, having two bedrooms all to…
JenTalksLoud 