More than Enough is a heart-filled narrative of the struggles and triumphs of the author, Ms. Shirelle "Diamond" Hogans. She doesn't provide you with a stor...

Twenty-nine years ago, I wound up in the emergency room of a local hospital with a busted lip and severe lacerations on the vermilion portions of the mouth. ...

As a survivor of abuse, one of the things I find myself asking God is “how do you forgive the unforgivable?” I don’t mean forgiving my abuser but in some sce...

The last girlfriend that I had was between 1978 - 1979. In retrospect, the time that I spent with her seems so much longer. She was a sweet girl who was ac...

Claiming your Breakthrough I hear this terminology constantly, most times in sermons or lectures given by motivational speakers. Your breakthrough is the mom...

I've heard that abuse, whether it be sexual, verbal, emotional or physical, never goes away. It may get better over time, but the effects can resurface at a...

When I was thirteen years old, I was molested by three different men who used three different methods to groom me into silence. The first man gained my trus...

When I first emerged on the literary scene in 2011, I quickly learned that there were opportunist hidden around every corner. People that were watching you;...

I met Jimmy when I was thirteen years old. He was the so-called boyfriend of a girl that I had become enamored with when I was in the eighth grade. I refer...

I normally don’t write about politics in this forum. I always try to reference topics that address issues of mental health that deal with the aftermath of a...

I joined a writer’s group today. It wasn’t deliberate or even intentional. I listened to the various writers carefully, impressed as they read from their c...

I found myself thinking about my father this morning. I woke up with him on the forefront of my mind for no apparent reason…and I smiled despite the pain th...

I honestly didn’t know that I was depressed. I had no idea. I moved through life looking at things through a negative lens. I would drink liquor daily. I...

After writing “Groomed” I took a long hard look at my life. You know they say that hindsight is always 20/20. I know that what happened to me was awful. I...

When I was thirteen years old, I was abused by three different men. The abuse happened back to back; separated by several months or weeks before the next as...

A few years ago, a therapist asked me a question that I couldn’t answer. But since the day that he asked me this question, I’ve pondered the answer and afte...

I have interviewed many women who have been the victim of abuse and sexual assault. I’ve heard their stories and as moved as I was in the moment, I moved on...

The Survivor’s Club. It’s a club that I never wanted to belong to. I never signed up for it and it was given to me without my consent. But I’m seeing that...

I think that most men cannot identify with being a victim. It is completely normal for us to be heads of households, leaders, husbands and fathers. We are ...

NOTE - This is a reproduction of an interview that took place 7 years ago Several years ago, The Examiner reviewed RadiKal Publications, “Twisted Pleasures” ...