Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
My 2022 Resolution
I think we all can agree that 2021 has been a year of ups and downs. It certainly has been for me. It started out with a bang as the world was still trying to come back from the previous year. Then suddenly, I had another blow, when my mother passed. Granted, we never had your traditional mother/daughter relationship, but her loss still hit me hard. I was reminded that eventually death come to us all. I felt as though I was now at the top of the list. As I turned thirty-five, I felt old. I know realistically, that’s not really that old. I was falling into a dark place that I knew that I had to come out of.
By Judith Jascha4 years ago in Viva
Breaking Free as a Woman Writer
As I’ve recently written, I have to be one of the few people of my generation to select “creative writing” as a career choice in middle school, high school, and continuing through graduate school who actually did it. While I’ve done many different jobs throughout my life, the one constant has been writing for myself — but I’ve also quit fiction writing for long periods, up to eight years at a time.
By Amy Sterling Casil4 years ago in Viva
Why are Black Women LATE to the Femininity game?
Why are Black Women LATE to the Femininity game? That is, If they ever arrive at all… Black American Women are seen as masculine, undesirable, aggressive, rude, and unattractive. Why is that? Black men nowadays love to tell black women that they need to be more feminine. They say women of other racial backgrounds and ethnicities are softer and more feminine and much more desirable. Is there any truth to that? If so, why?
By Grace Pittman4 years ago in Viva
My Period Really Affects Me
My period really affects me. Everything starts out fine, I am functioning. I am working, going to school and hanging out with friends. I am happy. Living each day like it's my last. I go to the gym, I make myself a smoothie. I journal and I read. I make a cup of tea.
By Amira Buckly4 years ago in Viva
Mirrored Kindness
I knew my body would go through a lot of change after the baby is born, I expected it, and I tried to get ahead of it. I used to be a fitness fanatic, my peers looked up to me for fitness inspiration and motivation and I revelled in it. It was a huge part of my confidence. But then came the era or pandemic, the gyms closed, motivations wore of like an old apron and traits like will was rare. but I was still good, I still had my confidence, I still had much to occupy my mind, I hoped I could retrace my step, eventually.
By Nneka Anieze4 years ago in Viva
Prepare The Black Child. Runner-Up in We Have a Dream Challenge.
I am not a social person, I like to keep to myself. That was before I became a mother. I could say that being a mother has made me want to make a change in the community that I belong. Before, I would see a lot of injustice and inhumanity displayed every day on the street, on social media and by the police who are meant to protect the people and every time, I would internally express my displeasure but always, I would keep moving on without doing anything to change the situation. I didn’t believe I had what it took to make any change that would affect the situation.
By Nneka Anieze4 years ago in Viva
Poise Zen
Femininity has been reframed as time goes on, but it is so much deeper than appearance and pussy. Femininity is an energy, an embodiment of Venus and the strength and discipline of Saturn, wrapped in the desires of the entire world. When I think of femininity, I think of my fertility and ability to nurture myself and my life; the ability to create not only a life but experiences and outcomes. I think of planting seeds with everything I put my energy into. I think of validity in everything I decide for myself, all while having a “validate me not” mindset, as I begin to poise myself instead of generations of lack mindsets who would simply not understand. Being so balanced and sure of yourself that you allow your soul to express itself through your body. Turning up the heat unexpectedly, expressing my true desires without a lens of guilt.
By Amourè Deezyy4 years ago in Viva
What You Shouldn't Say to Single 40-Year-Old Women. Top Story - January 2022.
We have this uncanny prejudice over older adults. We see them as an oracle for predicting the future. We are annoyingly curious about their lives, knowing what works and how to use the information against them.
By Jessey Anthony4 years ago in Viva
