This piece by Tracey Slaughter is one of the stand-outs from a new compilation, Strong Words, that showcases the best of the latest Landfall essay competition. Landfall editor Emma Neale wrote of it: ‘I could only read this essay in small bursts; as if I had to rebuild the ability to bear the agony and … Read more
The pain of endometriosis can be utterly debilitating. Susie Ferguson asks why so many women and girls are expected simply to put up with it. It started when I was 14 years old. The first mention of dysmenorrhea in the ream of paper that is my medical records – that was the first time I went … Read more
Trish Harris developed acute arthritis when she was six. In this extract from her memoir The Walking Stick Tree, she ponders her relationship with her lifelong worst enemy – pain. How do children cope with pain? How does anyone live with it? How did I manage it, survive it, and what about now? When I was growing … Read more