Melanie Brooks is a freelance writer, college professor, and mother living in Nashua, New Hampshire with her husband, two children and yellow Lab. She grew up in the Canadian Maritimes, and the deep ties to water and rugged spaces that live in her are rooted in that background. She is the author of Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma.

At the same time, it is an exploration of the ways in which our culture has co-opted female sexuality. She is also the author of A Dirty Word, the memoir of how she threw herself into sex writing in order to cure herself of what she saw as her sexual dysfunction, eventually realizing she wasn’t broken. Steph Auteri is a New Jersey-based writer and editor who has written about women’s health and sexuality for the Atlantic, VICE, Pacific Standard, Salon, Undark , and other publications. Yet, to me, being a mother is the most important thing I've done, and writing is one way I celebrate it. There are no great Odes to the Wiping of Noses. Don't they have a right to privacy? Women's work has historically been performed in the shadows of history. As memoirists, we are often asked even more probing questions: how can you write about family when your children can read? Won't you harm their relationship with their grandparents? What if they find out you had premarital sex, did recreational drugs, or engaged in other negative behavior? How can you be a perfect mother when there is a book of evidence to your imperfection out in the world? The next layer is writing about our children. Together we can bring awareness to how many of us have been harmed by high control organizations and end the shame or stigma we might feel about our experiences.As women and writers, we are often asked how we balance our family's needs with our work-a question male writers are never asked, and which some female writers refuse to answer. If you know someone who has been harmed by a high demand group, share #igotout posts or stories you think would help them. This is such a meaningful part of the movement. When you see a survivor share their story, let them know they have been heard. Share on your own platform OR if you need to be anonymous and/or would like support, there are resources at the website. If you have been in ANY culty high control group or religion, share your story with the hashtag #igotout. #tothemoonandback #thoughtfulleaders #IGotOut I crawled into #alanon thirty plus years ago, and I still forget to surrender Having faith that, no matter what, we are going to be okay

To the Moon and Back by Lisa Kohn