What the Gov. Cuomo Situation Teaches Us: Harassment Still Treated Differently Than Other Crimes

Posted on by S.M. Stevens
woman face multiple angles blurry black and white

Society must start treating sexual harassment victims with the same respect given to victims of non-sexual crimes. Regardless of whether New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is guilty or innocent of sexual harassment in the workplace, the reaction to the accusations against him are the latest proof that society assigns a different value to sexual harassment … Continue reading What the Gov. Cuomo Situation Teaches Us: Harassment Still Treated Differently Than Other Crimes

HAHG Blog Tour: Day 2

Posted on by S.M. Stevens

Day 2 of the Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Blog Tour takes us to Review Tales by Jeyran Main in Canada, which published an article by yours truly about why I delved into the sticky world of #MeToo with this novel; and to Book Briefs here in the U.S., which published an author interview and is … Continue reading HAHG Blog Tour: Day 2

Guest Post on Funky Feminist

Posted on by S.M. Stevens

So honored to have a guest post appear on Funky Feminist, a site full of insightful and timely observations about everything from gender equality and race to facing your fears about menstrual cups. And kudos for the awesome graphic they posted with the article, which I have borrowed for this post. My guest post on … Continue reading Guest Post on Funky Feminist

Samantha Bee’s Buffet of Gratitude

Posted on by S.M. Stevens

Nobody says it better than Samantha Bee, which is why I'm letting this video from her show Full Frontal do the talking today. Here's her intro to the segment: It’s been two years since #MeToo exploded across the internet and took down some of America’s worst serial predators. Sam met with Tarana Burke, the woman … Continue reading Samantha Bee’s Buffet of Gratitude

6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Posted on by S.M. Stevens
6 degrees of kevin bacon

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Funky Feminist & The Handmaid’s Tale I’ve always wanted to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, so humor me while I mash together the literary and acting worlds for a lightning round of the amusing game, all designed to connect my new novel, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, to—of course—Kevin Bacon. Horseshoes … Continue reading 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon

What #MeToo Tweets Reveal

Posted on by S.M. Stevens

San Francisco State University Assistant Professor of Economics Sepideh Modrek recently published the results of a study she and her research team conducted to analyze more than 12,000 #MeToo tweets posted from October 15 to October 21, 2017. This timeframe, you'll recall, encompassed the initial tsunami of outcries in response to Alyssa Milano's now famous tweet … Continue reading What #MeToo Tweets Reveal

With Sexual Harassment, Almost Counts

Posted on by S.M. Stevens
headless man in business suit lounging on couch

Overt sexual harassment in the workplace may be decreasing but sexism or gender bias is increasing, The Boston Globe reported a few weeks ago in an article titled “Women facing ‘massive increase in hostility’ in workplace, #MeToo-era study says.” Reporter Katie Johnston wrote that the subset of men who feel threatened by the increasingly loud … Continue reading With Sexual Harassment, Almost Counts

Poem: Portrait

Posted on by S.M. Stevens

A dear friend who understands the incest and sexual harassment themes of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades is allowing me to publish her original poem here on my blog. <3 Portrait My brother lifts the blanket off my feet. His fingers climb my inner thighs. I am eight. He tells me to be quiet. I flatten … Continue reading Poem: Portrait

How Women Speak Up

Posted on by S.M. Stevens
screenshot of alanis morrissette video for hands clean song

One reason I wrote Horseshoes and Hand Grenades was to open a window into why many women (and men) who are victims of workplace sexual harassment, incest, rape and other forms of sexual abuse, often don't speak up. Frankly, I was pissed off reading much of the Harvey Weinstein coverage, because it seemed the more … Continue reading How Women Speak Up

Defining Success for A Novel

Posted on by S.M. Stevens

How do you define success for a novel? I expect the answer differs for readers and authors, but maybe not as much as you would think. Whichever hat I'm wearing, I want the novel to entertain and to provoke thought. I have additional goals for Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, as I say in this recent … Continue reading Defining Success for A Novel