There's something magickal that happens when voices come together on the page. Each story carries its own rhythm, its own history, its own heartbeat and yet, when gathered alongside others, those voices form something far greater than the sum of their parts. This is the quiet alchemy of anthologies.

August has arrived with its golden light, its full blooms, its heavy-limbed trees and late afternoon heat. There’s a fullness in the air; a richness that only late summer can bring. This is the season where time feels like it stretches, asking us to slow down and really live in the moment. It’s still very much summer, yet there’s a quiet stirring, a subtle shift that begins to pull us toward what’s next.

Body shame, I've learned, isn't a problem you solve once and never face again. It's more like a recurring visitor that shows up at different life stages, wearing different masks. I fought those battles and won. I did the therapy, the inner work, the painful process of learning to see my body as something other than an enemy. For years, I lived in that hard-earned peace, believing I had finally conquered this particular demon. But trauma has a way of reshuffling everything you