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Patsy Fergusson
Patsy Fergusson

1.2K Followers

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Published in Fourth Wave

·Pinned

The Story of My Abortion

Or how I came to fall in love with my husband and start our family on solid ground — I had hoped, when I married Larry 20 years ago, that one of our children would inherit his magnificent hair, so voluptuous and appealing that just putting your fingers in it communicated a sense of abundance, of largesse. But none did. Rose has medium-thick hair to which she periodically applies…

Abortion

15 min read

The Story of My Abortion
The Story of My Abortion
Abortion

15 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Jan 19

Can Sleep Be a Cure for Trauma?

My son is sleeping all day after nine months in jail — My son has a major mental illness. I’ve been trying to come up with a better way to say that for 17 years but haven’t thought of one. Sometimes I go with “my son is disabled,” but that creates the wrong picture. Lately, I’ve been grooving on a newish term…

Mental Health

8 min read

Can Sleep Be a Cure for Trauma?
Can Sleep Be a Cure for Trauma?
Mental Health

8 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Jan 18

My Vision for Fourth Wave in 2023

What can you expect to find on this site? — Fourth Wave contributor L. A. Jackson asked me recently what my vision was for Fourth Wave for 2023. I told her I don’t have a particular vision for this publication; I’m not trying to take FW in one direction or another. That’s because I don’t consider FW a magazine so…

Writing

3 min read

My Vision for Fourth Wave in 2023
My Vision for Fourth Wave in 2023
Writing

3 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Jan 13

Propitious Dreams for 2023

We are destined to have a magically good year — I don’t often remember my dreams, but just before the year changed to 2023, I had two glorious dreams which I’m hoping foretold a fantastic and magical year to come for us all. Thinking Outside the Box and Writing Your Own Script In the first, which I had late in December, I am a teacher. And in fact, I…

2023

4 min read

Propitious Dreams for 2023
Propitious Dreams for 2023
2023

4 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Jan 11

Book Review | Bad Muslim Discount

Get a glimpse of Muslim life in Pakistan, Iraq and San Francisco — At its heart, Bad Muslim Discount is a boy meets girl story, and those aren’t usually my favorite plots. But there’s so much more than romance of interest in this novel that I tore through it in just a few days and happily recommend it here. First, there’s the story…

Women

4 min read

Book Review | Bad Muslim Discount
Book Review | Bad Muslim Discount
Women

4 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Jan 3

Listen to Her Words, Not Her Vulva

What female lubrication really means, and what it doesn’t — Here’s a funny story. When women in a Canadian lab got wet watching Bonobos having sex, scientists determined that women find monkeys sexy. And when those same women reported that watching Bonobo sex wasn’t really turning them on? Scientists decided they were lying. Or possibly in denial. Society’s messages that…

Sex

4 min read

Listen to Her Words, Not Her Vulva
Listen to Her Words, Not Her Vulva
Sex

4 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Dec 17, 2022

What Happened in “Holy Spider?”

Award-winning film inspired by femicidal maniac in Iran — Holy Spider tells the story of a serial killer targeting sex workers in Iran and the female journalist trying to stop him. It’s inspired by real events from 2000–2001, when a family man murdered 16 prostitutes in the holy city of Mashhad and won some support in the community after…

Movies

8 min read

What Happened in “Holy Spider?”
What Happened in “Holy Spider?”
Movies

8 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Dec 14, 2022

My Family Doesn’t Want My Son at Christmas

Navigating the holidays with a son with a major mental illness — My son just got out of jail. He was in there nine months on a minor vandalism charge, which is cruel and unjust, I know. But the fact is, he got his head on straight in there. He started taking appropriate medication. He stopped being psychotic. When he was released…

Mental Health

5 min read

My Family Doesn’t Want My Son at Christmas
My Family Doesn’t Want My Son at Christmas
Mental Health

5 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Dec 3, 2022

Fourth Wave is Serving Salad for Breakfast

Check out the new ingredients we’ve added to the mix — When I showed up at my son’s house to help with his new baby, his mother-in-law, who is visiting from Israel, was making breakfast. Would I like some? she asked. And I said I would, even though I’d already eaten and it was 10am. Here’s what she served that day…

Essay

8 min read

Fourth Wave is Serving Salad for Breakfast
Fourth Wave is Serving Salad for Breakfast
Essay

8 min read


Published in Fourth Wave

·Nov 30, 2022

Young Women Are Leading the Iranian Revolt

All hail the heroic protestors in Iran — We’re in the third month of protests in Iran against the repressive regime that allows “morality police” to beat women to death for not fully covering their hair. As a Western woman living half way across the world, I’m in awe of the young women who are leading the protests. …

Iran

5 min read

Young Women Are Leading the Iranian Revolt
Young Women Are Leading the Iranian Revolt
Iran

5 min read

Patsy Fergusson

Patsy Fergusson

1.2K Followers

Tree hugger. Tour guide. Top Writer. Feminist. Newly-baptized Bay swimmer. Editor of Fourth Wave. https://medium.com/fourth-wave

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