Catherine Gigante-Brown

Catherine Gigante-Brown

Bio

Catherine Gigante-Brown is a freelance writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Her works have appeared in Time Out New York, Essence and Seventeen. She co-wrote two biographies for Prometheus Books and her short stories appear in fiction anthologies. Catherine’s first novel, The El, is available from Volossal Publishing. You can learn more about her on her website.

Catherine Gigante-Brown Articles

My Meds Make Me Fat—But They're Worth It

Being a little bit chubby is better than being a lot dead.

Read...
Atop Joppenbergh Mountain in New York, channeling Rosie the Riveter's fierceness

25 Ways To Conquer Chemo

After I got over the initial devastation, I pulled myself up by my big-girl panties and got on with it. Chemo was no picnic—but it was do-able.

Read...
My mammogram’s fine. I’m fine. Until next year. But four years and counting, I’ll take the fear, I’ll take the dread, just so I’m still around to feel it again next year.

How I Survive The Worst Day Of The Year (Every Year)

As a breast cancer survivor, the worst day of the year is when I go for my mammogram. True, nobody actually likes mammos, but I’ve been bitten by one. On the way to my annual squishing, I realized that I have a bunch of coping strategies.

Read...
Until you're not.

Cancer Blues: You Never Really Get Over It

That’s the thing about being a breast cancer survivor — it’s always there: it never goes away. The scars, the fear that lurks in the back of your mind like a boogeyman. You’re going along nicely, living your merry life, and you’re fine, until you’re not.

Read...

Why You Should Love Amy Schumer

I immediately developed a hot-and-heavy girlcrush on the wild, wacky, brash, candid, feminist, rubber-faced comedian—and you should too.

Read...
new life, old traditions.

Postpartum Practices Worldwide: How The World Takes Care Of Moms And Babies

Although America’s “lying in period” fell by the wayside in the 19th century with the disappearance of the frontier, it’s alive and well today in many cultures globally. Seclusion traditions where both mother and child recover and bond are still the norm in many cultures worldwide.

Read...

In The Wake Of My Mastectomy, I Got A Tattoo

To the tattoo artist, I was a flesh canvas that she could transform into something beautiful.

Read...

Cinderella’s Lament: A Woman In A House Of Testosterone

Alas, I am the lone female in a house full of men. Only two men, but they take up a lot of space.

Read...

Allison Sciulla: Comedian, Author, Musician

raunchy renaissance woman. multimedia artist. probably a slut.

Read...
There are surprisingly few stock photos of women in thongs with "I <3 NY" painted on their butt cheeks.

Tatas In Times Square: NYC Tells Its Desnudas To Cover Up

The Daily News quoted one painted lady as saying, “People come up to us sometimes and say what we do is disgusting,” she said. “But what is disgusting about the female body? They shield their kids sometimes, and I think, ‘Kids come from the female body.’”

Read...