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

Why I Took My Son Off His ADHD Meds

I dreaded putting him back on Concerta in the fall but I knew I had to. Or did I?

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Alexa: Friend? Foe?

8 Ways Amazon Echo (AKA Alexa) Isn't All She's Cracked Up To Be

Alexa is like a nosy neighbor: She’s always listening. That’s how she can respond when you ask her to do something. So, when you’re getting busy on the kitchen counter — Alexa’s listening. When you’re telling Capital One the last four digits of your SSN — Alexa’s listening. And who knows who else is.

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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.

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Since my battle with breast cancer in the spring of 2013, my life changed forever.

Compassion Is Complicated After Cancer

Upset you lost your keys? Try losing your breast. Pissed off about missing that train? Try missing your son’s 8th grade graduation because of a horrific infection from fluid buildup in the previously-mentioned missing breast. See what I mean? It kind of puts life into perspective.

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Credit: Flickr/Carole Raddato

What's So Scary About Vaginas?

I asked a handful of women: why are people so scared of ladyparts?

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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.

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santeria

My Bizarre Brush With Santeria: Hocus Pocus? Real Deal?

The santero sent us off with a shopping list of ite

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Acupuncture Addict

TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) has been around for at least five centuries –– there’s got to be something to it.

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What I Learned About Poetry From My Professor, Audre Lorde

I was 21 –– a Catholic, heterosexual college student, living at home in Brooklyn and still trying to discover who I was. At the crossroads of her life, Lorde knew exactly who she was. She was waging a war against cancer and sharing an old house in Staten Island with her kids and partner. But maybe we weren’t so different after all.

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Americans spend too much time working and not enough time relaxing.

Working It: How Work Sucks For Everyone In America

The overinflated American work ethic is slowly killing us. It’s constantly pushing us to do more — put in longer hours, check business emails on personal time, take calls from our bosses when we’re chilling in Cancun.

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