A new menstruation anthology wants to hear your period story

Activist Leisha Toory's Period Positivity Podcast has inspired an anthology of people’s menstruation experiences. (Submitted by Leisha Toory)

An activist is teaming up with a reporter to gather stories about menstruation for an upcoming anthology that aims to combat stigma around the bodily function.

The Period Priority Project anthology, by activist Leisha Toory and journalist and author Rhea Rollman in St. John's, was inspired by the duo's Period Positivity Podcast, where people share their menstruation experiences.

"The stories people shared, they were raw. They were personal," Rollman told CBC News. "They educated me in so many ways because they just brought forward so many nuanced, diverse experiences with menstruation and also with the discourse that surrounds periods and menstruation in society today."

Two years ago, Toory founded the Period Priority Project, a grassroots initiative that advocates for "menstrual equity" — equal access to period products, as well as education on sexual and reproductive health across the country.

Toory said people started contacting her with the stories about menstruation, many of which centred on shame and "period poverty" — a gap in menstrual health and education she wants to address through the book.

"There was so much interest. And that's when Rhea suggested that, you know, it would be such a great idea to collect stories on period experiences from across the province," Toory said.

Journalist and author Rhea Rollmann says Newfoundland and Labrador has a diverse range of stories relating to menstruation. (Submitted by Rhea Rollmann)

Now they're looking for a broad range of stories from people with connections to Newfoundland and Labrador, including people who have moved to the province or moved away. Rollmann said the interviews on their podcast were rich and showed a variety of stories.

"We're really hoping that this book will help to showcase the real diversity of experiences when it comes to menstruation and periods, and help to shatter, I think, some of the stereotypes that might prevail in society," said Rollmann.

Through the book, Rollmann said, they can share more stories about the subject than they could with a podcast.

Submissions are being accepted through publisher Engen Books' website until Sept. 30. Rollmann said they would like to receive stories from rural N.L., gender-diverse people and newcomers, as well as Indigenous experiences, among others.

Toory said many of the stories she hears about menstruation deal with stigma around periods that prevent people from participating in certain ceremonies and prayers.

Chapel Arm-based publisher Engen Books is taking submissions for the Period Priority Project anthology until Sept. 30. (Submitted by Matthew LeDrew/Engen Books)

Toory also heard stories about people going to a doctor but having their worries over painful menstruation dismissed, only to later be diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis.

"It's mostly, you know, when it comes to health, but also how periods kind of affect your day-to-day life," said Toory.

Rollmann hopes the anthology, when it's released in 2025, will help shatter stereotypes and  educate people.

"By hearing from people's first-hand experiences, that really helps provide insight and empathy in a way that can't always be accomplished through more formalized teaching and textbooks."

Beyond first-person accounts, Rollmann said, they're also open to submissions like prose fiction and poetry.

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