Our Mission
TELLING Your Story IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT.
Unless she did something very incredible (or very, very bad) most women don't get named in history. HerStry wants to rewrite the narrative and put women’s stories front and center.
Since 2015 we have collected hundreds of stories from women all over the world. Stories about love, loss, motherhood, friendship, and so much more. We all have something to say, and we all have experiences worth sharing. HerStry wants to get every woman writing, talking, and sharing her story.
Our Story
Julia Nusbaum created HerStry after graduating from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in 2014 with her Master of Theological Studies. You might think a background in theology would make her an odd candidate for creating a feminist storytelling community, but we beg to differ.
In 2014 while finishing her master's thesis work at Thistle Farms, a recovery community in Nashville, Tennessee for women who have survived trafficking, addiction and life on the streets, Julia started a writing class. It was there, writing with the women of Thistle Farms, that she discovered the deep need women have to tell their stories. She became interested in the way our narratives shape how we see the world and how we perceive ourselves. Julia realized that by telling our stories and claiming our voices we start to become strong, confident, and empathetic women.
Meet The HerStry Team
Julia Nusbaum, Founder/Editor-in-Chief
Julia is the founder and Editor in Chief of HerStry. She is a native of rural Northern Illinois where she grew up on a farm. She earned her bachelor's degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, her Master’s of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago. Her Work appears in The Wisconsin Review, Mutha Magazine, The Feminine Collective, and elsewhere. She currently lives with her partner and son in Milwaukee, WI. To read her writing check out julianusbaum.com.
Kris Busch, Staff Editor
Kris Busch (she/her) is a lesbian non-fiction writer and editor from the Twin Cities. She has work published or forthcoming in the Rumpus, Anime Herald, and more. Follow her on Instagram @itskriskringle.
Selena Raygoza, Staff Editor
Selena is a graduate from the University of California-Riverside with a BA in Creative Writing and a focus on Nonfiction. She began her journey as an editor with Mosaic, UCR’s Literary Journal. She has found her inspiration as a writer from her mother’s life stories and her own experiences as a daughter. When she’s not writing nonfiction pieces she loves to experiment with poetry.
Gretchen Corsillo, Social Media Coordinator
Gretchen is a native of the greater NYC area. She received her BA in Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Political Science from Ramapo College and holds a Master's in Library & Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. By day, she works as the director of a public library and also owns a small tarot business. An avid writer, she is working on a novel and enjoys dabbling in personal essays and poetry too.
Diya Mehta, Editorial Intern
Diya Mehta (She/Her) is a student at the University of Toronto Schools and an aspiring writer. She currently writes for The Teen Magazine and formerly held a columnist position at The Incandescent Review. She was previously a Young People's Theatre 3-UP Playwright and a Vimy Pilgrimage alumna. During her leisure time, she loves to bake and immerse herself in the captivating world of historical fiction reading.
Molly Bollier, Volunteer Reader
Molly was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. She writes fiction that focuses on intergenerational family conflict and women who reconstruct their lives after tragedy. She also writes a blog that offers essays and resources for readers and writers (www.mollybollier.com) as well as a Substack newsletter (I’m Fascinated) featuring a list of the most interesting things she’s read, heard or experienced each week. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Southern California and worked in finance for sixteen years before she began her writing career. She received her MFA in Fiction from Queens University in Charlotte and is at work on her second novel.
Babz Clough, Volunteer Reader
Babz Clough holds a Master of Arts with Distinction in Creative Writing from the Open University and a Master of Arts in History from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Her work has been published in HerStry, One Sentence Stories (Muddy Puddle Press), The Lowell Reviews and Ireland of the Welcomes amongst others.
Nicole Conti, Member Services Intern
Nicole is a recent graduate of Monmouth University, where she earned a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing. As an aspiring author, she is currently working on her debut fiction novel, which explores themes of women's empowerment within the realms of fantasy and thriller. Her feminist poem “july 21st” won her university’s Toni Morrison Day Creative Writing Award, and is featured in the Spring 2024 issue of the Monmouth Review. She is currently a volunteer editor and book reviewer, pursuing a career in trade publishing.
R S Kendle, Volunteer Reader
R S Kendle is a poet and writer from the north-east of Scotland. They hold a BA Honours in English Literature and Politics from the University Of Strathclyde. Their work has been featured in several anthologies and digital publications, including Feminist Space Camp, Free Verse Revolution, and The Winged Moon. They are also an editor for Mxogyny’s digital site. Follow them on Instagram @rskendle.
Briana Gwin, Critique Group Instructor
Briana Gwin embraces multitudes as a neurodiverse, Afro-Latina hybrid creative and multicultural Citizen. She received a BA in Literature and Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and an MFA in Fiction and Nonfiction from The New School. She is the current senior editor of prose at The Seventh Wave magazine, and the former editor & storyteller of Milkweed Editions. Her words have appeared in Midnight & Indigo, The Seventh Wave, Guernica, and elsewhere. She currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her three hairless cats and more books and houseplants than she can count.
Marie Look, Volunteer Reader
Marie Look is a writer of creative nonfiction whose personal essays have appeared in multiple digital publications. As a journalist, she has contributed celebrity interviews, travel articles, and more to regional and national magazines. She studied journalism at the University of Oklahoma and creative writing at UCLA Extension. At the latter she was a nominee for the 2023 Allegra Johnson Writing Prize. She is also an editorial assistant at The Offing. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Emily McArdle, Critique Group Instructor.
Emily writes from Jonesborough, TN where she lives with her husband, four children, and many animals, including her service dog, Ghost. She has recently published with Flash Glass, Little Patuxent Review, JMWW, and Dream of Shadows. She was a finalist for the Eunice Williams Nonfiction Prize at HerStry. She has a special interest in writing about mental health, trauma, and women’s issues through multiple genres of fiction and creative non-fiction. She is the nonfiction editor at Honeyguide Literary Magazine, and an MFA in Writing candidate at the Vermont College of Fine Art. Emily publishes under the name Lilly Roan. To read more of her writing, check out her website at LillyRoan.com and follow her Instagram account @TheRoanWriter.
Mimi Veshi, Volunteer Reader
Mimi Veshi is a writer living in the Washington, DC, area. The themes examined in her work include identity, culture, race, motherhood, and growing up as an immigrant in the United States. When she's not reading or writing, she's teaching yoga, traveling with her husband and three daughters, and learning how to play the guitar.
