This is an email from On the Crest, a newsletter by Fourth Wave.
Nov 26, 2021
Once We Dreamed the Web Would Connect Us
In Fourth Wave’s tiny pocket of the world, that dream comes true
I’m old enough to remember when the Internet was first invented. Or at least, when it was first made available to the common people. We called it the Worldwide Web back in the day (hence the www), and the name alone conjured wonderful images of a better, more connected, more humane world.
There were early indications that the web would be a force for good, like when people used Twitter to organize a huge protest against an oppressive regime. With the same optimistic linguistics, we called the protest Arab Spring. It was only afterwards that we heard of the gang rapes, the violence, and the changeover to a not-much-better regime.
But now, in 2021, most of our original hope for the web is gone. Now I see the internet as primarily evil, a money-making tool of manipulation that turned half of America into violent conspiracy theorists, fueled a genocide in Myanmar, and empowered hate groups and trolls around the world.
But there’s one tiny corner of the internet where the original dream is being realized, and that’s here in this humble publication.
When I started Fourth Wave in 2019, I thought of it primarily as a way to organize my stories more attractively. Yet in the back of my mind flickered the hope that it could become an international community of women and their allies, a place where we could share stories and hear voices raised for fairness and equality from around the world.
That’s why I want to start today’s newsletter with the contributions of people outside of the U.S. I hope Fourth Wave readers and writers will support our international contributors — read some of their stories and clap, comment, or highlight resonant lines— to help nourish and strengthen our growing band of people who are bringing more light into this dark, disturbing world.
It’s been a long time since the last newsletter, so there will be a lot of links. I hope you find a few that you want to read.
From Mumbai
we welcome Suma Narayan who contributes charming anecdotes about life with her husband and poems of passion and love:
Act 4: Marriage Chronicles
Heart, Break.
The Entitled Male
After the Workout
Saree
The Man I Live With
Marriage Chronicles: Act 2
Marriage Chronicles
The Women in My Life: My Niece
You and I
Morning Drink
From Romania
we welcome LucianG, who examines the classic feminist debate about pornography and sex work. Is it empowerment, or oppression?
From Malaysia
Returning contributor Yong Yee Chong graces us with two poems she translated to English from Chinese
From Canada
our returning expert on autism and ADHD Jillian Enright brings the intel
ADHD & ODD: What’s The Connection?
Neurodiversity Is Not A Group of People
ADHD Quackery
Amen’s “7 Types of A.D.D.” Are B.S.
Yes, ADHD Is Genetic
The “Gold Standard” for Autistic Children
From Australia?
I thought I had an email exchange that included the information that Autumn Karen lives in Australia, but now I can’t find it. Wherever you live, Autumn, we’re glad for your contributions!
Self Doubt and Saggy Boobs
Breaking Free from Abuse Only Starts When You Walk Away
Why the Male-Dominated Reviews of The Eternals are Problematic
And From Elsewhere
I don’t always know where contributors to Fourth Wave live, but judging from details in their stories I’m guessing these two writers live outside the U.S. (Attention writers: we’d love to hear where you live in the comments.)
Welcome to Swetha Soundararajan, who gave us
5 Reasons to use Menstrual Cups and 5 not to
and Alwia Al-Hassan, who brought us
A Westerner’s Guide to Arranged Marriages
Other New Contributors
whom we want to welcome include Cristina Comunian, who brings us
Claiming Back Women’s Right to Comfort
I Want To See Women Screw Up Big Time
Kendra Gayle Lee, who offers
No Slut-Shaming Here
Gena Raymond, who contributes
Why the Latina Wage Gap Should Matter to Us All
and Alice, who gives us
It’s Not an Aisle, It’s a Catwalk
And last but definitely not least are our beloved and valued returning contributors who bring so much wisdom to our community. Thank you for making Fourth Wave a rich and interesting place to spend time.
Vena Moore who graces us with
Why It’s Hard For Me To Be Friends With Men
Evelyn Jean Pine who brings her excellent poems
I’m Happy With My Life . . . in Theory
I Love My Way of Life
Alan Tabor, who gives us the deep and provocative
Am I Part of a Secret White Guy Death Cult?
L. A. Jackson, who blesses us with
Sunday Morning Breakfast
Jesus, the Virgin Mary & the Black Revolutionary
Rivka Wolf, who gifts us
My Not-so-little Mermaid Heart
Parenthood and TV’s Women Problem
G.L.Vyvyan, who gives a sweet tribute to her brother
My Irish Twin
John Kruse, who tells us why he’s
Leaving San Francisco
National expert on living single Bella DePaulo, who gives us
The Rise of Single People
Are Single Mothers Messing Up Men? Scientifically Based Grounds for Skepticism
Your Status as a Single Person Is a Diversity Issue
Why the Rise of Americans Without Romantic Partners is a Good Thing
Eleanor Rigby Got a Raw Deal
From Love Addict to Happily Single: Catherine Gray’s Journey
A Movie that Shows What It Means to Love Being Single
The People Who Refuse to Believe that Singles Are Happy
Author changing the narrative about older women Vicki Larson, who’s been busy writing a new book (which you can pre-order here) yet also finds time to write the FW story with the most views this cycle (7.5k)
What Do Older Women Want Men For?
as well as many other great reads
Julianne Moore Doesn’t Want to ‘Age Gracefully’
You Don’t Need Courage to Age Naturally
Women’s Relationship With Money Hurt Them Even Before the Pandemic
Women, Repeat After Me: ‘I Think I Look Good
How Menopause Impacts a Woman’s Romantic/Sexual Relationship
Gen X Women are Realizing the Upsides of Being Middle-Aged
Spare Us the Misogyny When it Comes to What a Woman Wears
Middle-Aged Married Women Are Having Major Crushes
And my own contributions, including
Why My Top Priority is Physical
The Mood-Lifting Pleasure of Scanning Free Stuff on Craigslist
How to Know if Your Family is Cursed
A Few Odd Birds I’ve Seen in San Francisco
and several more chapters of the second novel I’m serializing on Medium
Count All This
including chapters
3: Mother’s Milk
4: Windows
5: Emergence
6: Big, Locking Doors
7: Visiting
8: Hot Lava
9: Biopsy
10: Excision
11: Home
12: Repetitions
13: Meeting the Surgeon, and
14: Tarot
It’s 9pm on Thanksgiving night here in San Francisco as I wrap up this newsletter. On this holiday when Americans are encouraged to appreciate our blessings, I’m grateful for the delicate yet powerful world-wide web of (mostly) women writers that we are weaving together here on Fourth Wave.
Patsy Fergusson
Editor
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