Published

Although I’m now focused on fiction, as a journalist, I wrote for USA Today and Cosmopolitan, among others. These are recently published pieces.

unringed (50 Give or Take, microflash)
My wedding band only fits on my middle finger, pushed up against the knuckle. Sometimes I don’t wear it at all. My husband lost his to the waves one morning a decade ago. Ring fingers, bare of symbolism – this is how certain we are.

The Silver Strand (HerStry)
The transition to motherhood is a slow pot that boils before you realize you’re inside with no way out. I could ask other women for advice, but not my own mother.

Seals (Blood+Honey)
They will float on their backs and bark and clap, toss their balls into the air like confetti, celebrate the win of which their ancestors could only dream.

American Girl Books Taught My Kids History – Will They Soon Be Banned? (Write Away)
These stories reveal the systemic injustices that have existed since America’s inception – a truth now part of the so-called “woke ideology” the current administration is trying to erase.

I Drank Every Day. What Kind of Effect Was It Having On My Kids? (Washington Post)
I realize that this action is itself a privilege. I recognize that for many, it’s not as simple as making the decision to shift a habit…but I’m no longer fooling myself about what’s at stake.

Morning After Pill “Freebies” Highlight Abortion Divide (Northwest Review)
A few weeks after the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, I accidentally opened a bright-pink mailer addressed to my daughter…My throat was tight with anxiety. “Are you pregnant?”

Sustainability and the Big Five Publishers: Who Does it Best? (The Shit No One Tells You About Writing)
Environmental commitments are increasingly on the table, but action and transparency vary widely. Looking beyond marketing claims…can reveal which companies are walking the talk.

Disrupting Body Dysmorphia (Midstory)
The mirror might be more powerful than the scale…Body dysmorphia affects between five and 10 million people in the United States. I am one of them.

The Best Demin Thrifting Beachside in Los Angeles (ThriftEd Mag)
I first started thrifting in high school because it was the most affordable way to trend hop on a minimum-wage budget…501s with the wallet (or better yet, tobacco disk) outline on the pocket.

Che Cazzo Fai (Sneaker Wave)
By the time I turn fourteen in Florence, I can hold a conversation in Italian, and my father shouts “Buongiorno!” at every opportunity, regardless of where the sun is in the sky.

Impulse-Buy Spouse (The Good Trade)
I bought a car from a friend of a friend only to realize after he’d left town that the transmission was shot. But I never thought I’d commit to marriage on a whim. 

Watching ‘Stranger Things’ With My Teen Was Just The Therapy We Needed (Scary Mommy)
This was more than just teenaged rebellion: In an out-of-control world, my daughter was exercising what little autonomy she had.

What I Wrote Was Congratulations What I Meant To Say Was (Hippocampus)
This is what I would say to you, if the opportunity was more than a comment on your feed…Give them your brilliance so that they shine…as they spread their wings across the world.

Decades ago, I also wrote, designed, and self-published two books:

My baby was the cover model for THE MOMMY GREENEST GUIDE TO PREGNANCY, BIRTH & BEYOND, which I designed like a magazine; I also sold advertising to support its publication. I gave this book away and have a few more copies, if you want one!

THE BIG LIST OF THINGS THAT SUCK helped promote my EcoStiletto website and had some solid endorsements, like this one from “Living with Ed’s” Rachelle Begley: “We all need eco guidance and this is a comprehensive and easy-to-use source of reference. Being green just got a little easier.”

Please follow me on Instagram, Facebook,Bluesky, and LinkedIn and if there’s a story I missed or you just want to say hi, email rachel(at)lincolnsarnoff(dot)com. Thanks for being here!