Five Minutes explores five minutes of a life in one hundred words. Five minutes is edited by Susanna Baird, with editorial support from managing editor Maria s. picone, newsletter editor kate meen, and founding reader bobbi lerman, plus our rotating team of guest readers, who you can meet in the latest newsletteR. Five Minutes was founded in October 2020, with the Salem (Mass.)-based writing group Carrot Cake Writers supplying the journal’s first pieces. We’d love to read your five. Submit here

Free at Last

I only knew of two kinds of hysterectomies: total or partial. I learned there are many more versions. Some people choose to keep their cervix, some retain ovaries, and combinations in between are possible. “You can take out the uterus, and leave the cervix?” I asked, incredulous and curious. “Absolutely,” he said. After chatting pros, cons, and surgery goals, my surgeon and I decided to keep my ovaries to prevent surgical menopause. When he asked me if I wanted to keep my cervix, I blurted “Fuck no! Get that thing out of there.” That thing has caused me enough trouble.

CT Moon's memoir, Flood Seasons: Finding Trans Joy, reveals the contours of experiences leading up and into affirming a non-binary gender identity in middle age. Their blog, Postcards from Travels Through the World of Books, can be found at www.word-kink.com. Bluesky ctmoon.bsky.social Instagram: @word_kink

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