Sssh! Periods

It's been 365-ish days since Sssh! Periods received the phone call that would change our lives. One year since winning NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, where are we now? Raizel and Litzy, our two out-of-state correspondents, jump on this conference call to fill us in. Spoiler alert: 80% of this episode is about how Wawa and Publix could never level up to a Bronx corner store's version of a bacon egg and cheese. 

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At the time of this recording, we were in Day 23 of quarantine. We chat with Raizel Febles, calling all the way from Bergen, New Jersey, to chat about life in the time of COVID-19. How's our mental health? Do we need hugs from our mom to fall asleep at night? And should middle schoolers be drinking coffee in the middle of a podcast recording? Raizel offers us some hot takes. 

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In December of 2019, we heard about the first reported case of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Two months later it came to New York. Within weeks towns went into lockdown, schools shifted to remote learning indefinitely, and life was nothing like it used to be. We sit down with Raizel Febles, straight from her bedroom in New Jersey, to talk about life in the midst of a pandemic. 

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This episode was recorded in January, 2020, months before New York went into lockdown. Our school has moved to remote learning for the rest of the school year; all field trips, college visits, and proms have been canceled. That being said, please enjoy this episode on femininity, "girliness," and other hot takes from Randolph, Aissatou, Sheslianny, Caroline, and special guest Jaylin Lewis. 

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We're a self-proclaimed bunch of nerds here at Sssh! Periods, so we sat down to talk about what life has been like as a nerd. Do glasses make you smart? Do you get bullied because people think you're a nerd? Special guest (and Bronx Prep 6th grader) Jaylin Lewis joins us for this after-school storage closet chat.

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It's a spring Wednesday and Amir, Sheslianny, Madison (the silent support sister), Randolph and Ms. Huq like the bird sit in the 3rd floor hallway of Bronx Prep Middle School to talk clothes. Are we sneaker heads? How many of us have been sent home for dress code infractions (hint: it's not the one you think)? And is it fashion forward to pair a black or white sweater...with shoes?

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What do periods have to do with religion? More than you'd think. We spent the past year looking into how period stigma alienates us from our peers, but there are other forces in our lives that also makes us feel different from the people around us. For some, religion is a major cornerstone of identity. For others, leaving religion helped shape their identity. Today we talk with Naveed Choudhury, 2020's answer to Crocodile Dundee, about how leaving religion has shaped his identity. 

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A month ago we started recording our Valentine’s Day episode, but the episode ended up being more of a reflection on how we express love. Some of us, we found out, express love through actions. Some of us, we found out, want the kind of love that can be used to flex on social media. And some of us felt that a potential love interest’s preference for black coffee can determine their tendencies to become a serial killer, and how if you get whipped cream on your Starbucks tea then you’re not the kind of person Mr. Holmes wants to mess with. 

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This week we interview Maureen Smith, a menstrual rights advocate and author of Your Moontime Magic. Your Moontime Magic provides first-time menstruators with tips and tricks to navigate the tricky world of periods, and Maureen had plenty of insight to share with our podcasters about listening to our bodies, finding support in our friends, and so much more. 

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Middle schooler Sheslianny sits down with high schoolers Yelitssa, Ashley, and Jasmin to talk about the transition from middle school to high school. The two campuses may just be a hallway apart here at Bronx Prep, but the classrooms at the opposite ends of the third floor are wildly different worlds. Friendship, homework, college -- we talk about what we thought we knew, but found it that we really didn't. 

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