Justine Payton, photo by Gabriela Cudicio
Justine Payton and Caroline Beuley are the editors of the new book Between Our Legs: Silence-Breaking Personal Narratives on Gynecological Health. Payton lives in Michigan, and Beuley lives in Washington, D.C.
Q: What inspired you to create this anthology?
A: The idea for our book, Between Our Legs, was conceived over a sushi dinner during a girls’ night out as we shared stories about various gynecological issues we had struggled with over the course of our lives. We realized every woman had a story, but as a society we weren’t having those conversations, at least not publicly, not loudly.
We wanted to confront that silence, because women’s health is more than just having babies and shouldn’t be shrouded in stigma and taboo. This silence can be detrimental to our health. It can even cost us our lives.
Our hope is that Between Our Legs will become part of the canon of books that spark those necessary conversations around women’s health.
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| Caroline Beuley, photo by Gabriela Cudicio |
Q: How did you choose the essays to include in the book? Were they written specifically for this project?
A: Most of these essays were written specifically for this anthology, and you will only find them Between Our Legs!
Finding the authors was a lengthy process, as we wanted this collection to represent not just a diversity of gynecological health experiences but also of identity, sexuality, and age. This required a pretty delicate balancing act to make sure the final book was as comprehensive and representative as we could make it.
We solicited some authors who we knew were writing about these topics, and for other authors, we knew we loved their work and asked if they had a story to share, and then we worked with them to finalize their ideas.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: Finding a title that was representative and provocative without being inappropriate or vulgar was definitely a challenge! We came up with so many title options.
At one point, we thought of “Between the Stirrups,” referencing those lovely, cold stirrups your feet go into at a gynecology appointment, but we worried people might think it was a book about riding horses.
So when we thought of “Between Our Legs,” changing just one word, we knew it was the one. This title not only captured the gynecological focus of the book, but the words “between our” communicated the idea that we wanted this book to spark conversations between people and be an exchange of stories and experiences. Plus, we thought it was a title that would make people stop and pick up the book in stores!
Q: The author Rachel Kauder Nalebuff said of the book, “The stories in this collection...are educational, yes, but also a powerful embodied window into understanding the violence and beauty of our time.” What do you think of that description?
A: We are living in really challenging, volatile times that are often polarizing between one “side” and the “other.” But gynecological health shouldn’t be a polarizing issue. Everyone loves someone with a uterus, regardless of what they may otherwise believe. And we all came from a uterus (and with Justine just recently having a baby, we can assure you this is no small feat!).
The essays in Between Our Legs therefore speak simultaneously to contemporary struggles while also serving as a testament to the strength, bravery, and beauty that women inherently possess.
Rachel Kauder Nalebuff’s description is true to our intention, because even amidst the challenges of our times, our hope is that this collection will speak to a way forward, one that is rooted in compassion, understanding, acceptance, and strength.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: If Between Our Legs resonates with readers, we have often discussed the idea of writing a follow-up anthology. There are so many more stories and experiences out there about gynecological health that we would love to spotlight.
We are both fiction writers as well, currently working on novels. We share an agent and he gets to see the full spectrum of work from both of us!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: If this collection achieves its goals, Between Our Legs will only be the beginning! Our hope is that the essays included in this anthology will spark further conversation that extends far beyond the pages of this book. These essays break the silence around gynecological health, and our hope is that our readers will keep talking.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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