About This Section
"The Ones Who Raised Me (and Didn't)"
This section traverses the complicated geography of chosen family—the ones who shaped us, claimed us, left too early, or loved only when it was convenient. Aunts who had a word for every kind of boy. Uncles who taught us how to speak forward, not back. Godmothers with no church but a faith that never flinched.
These are the ones who stayed through our becoming, and the ones who couldn't. This is about the difference between being raised and being seen, between being loved and being known.
No titles. No context. Just instinct.
You vote. I release the one that calls loudest.
This is KINFOLK 2 of 44—eight essays live in this second section. I've chosen five for you to consider. Each piece stands alone. Together, they form a body—of memory, hunger, inheritance, and return.
Your voice shapes this journey. Pass it on to someone who should be part of what we’re building.
How to Vote
Choose the line that reaches for something in you.
Poll closes Friday at 5pm CST.
The winning piece releases Saturday 8/9 at 9am CST.
The Lines
"Some people can only love you conditionally, can only accept you as long as you fit the shape they've cut out for you in their hearts."
"First, understand that running away is not the opposite of love."
"The day my mama found the lipstick was the day I learned that love doesn't always look like acceptance, but it can look like willingness."
"Not her son. Never her son. But always her baby."
"Someone has to be willing to disturb the artificial peace for the possibility of real peace."
Vote with your gut. Not your grammar.
Choose the line that stays. The one that follows you out the room.
The essay behind the most chosen line will be revealed by title and in full this Saturday, 8/9 at 9am CST.
Poll closes Friday at 5pm CST.
Tell your kin. Tell the ones who raised you (and didn’t).
Let them feel this too.