Jessica Reed

The Westchesbian

Jessica Reed

Jessica lives with her shiksa wife and geriatric cat in picturesque Tarrytown on the Hudson. Although a proud Westchesbian these days, Jessica grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, back when the opening of the Olive Garden and the 24-hour Walmart were big news. During business hours, Jessica’s a communications professional who translates highly technical concepts into clear, concise, colloquial language that media buyers and sellers can understand. Outside of business hours, she’s a poet, cat mom, wife, avid reader, and lover of questionable crime, sci-fi, and supernatural TV shows (preferably all in one), not necessarily in that order. Her poetry has appeared in Tin HouseThe Paris ReviewLIT, and The Huffington Post, among others.

My Writings…

December 1 Is for Butterflies December 8, 2022 Steve was the costume designer for the 1994 Asheville Community Theater (ATC) production of Bye Bye Birdie. I was 17…
Q&A: “Queer”y and Answer September 1, 2022 As a professional gay/lesbian/queer person (you decide what that means to you :D), I have the privilege of participating in…
Meet Dulce February 23, 2022 Dulce is my dulcimer, my Appalachian teardrop dulcimer. My wife got her for me for my 44th birthday (I recently…
Listicle of listicles December 27, 2021 Since this will be my last regular blog post for now (I’ll be guest blogging on a less regular schedule…
Thanks-grieving November 29, 2021 There are times of the year when being estranged from one’s unchosen family feels particularly pronounced. It likely goes without…
On Becoming Immunocompromised During a Global Pandemic October 19, 2021 I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) when I was two years old. That’s what it was called at…
The many meanings of Pride June 25, 2021 I officially came out for the first time in 1994 Asheville, North Carolina, at the ripe old age of 17.…
Fraught Is the Word I’d Use to Describe Mother’s Day May 17, 2021 I wrote the following post two Mother’s Days ago. My wife, Kim, and I have been uber-cautious during the Covid-19…
On poetry April 23, 2021 In addition to being the cruelest month (thanks, T.S. Eliot), April is National Poetry Month, and if I’m deliberately passionate…
Fuck Your Better Place, I Will Never Not Want My Cat Back March 24, 2021 The following is a love letter I wrote to my beloved Vinny when he died nearly two years ago. A…
Fragments from Whaley Lake January 21, 2021 January 15, 2021. Today is MLK’s birthday. It is a little over a week since white supremacists stormed the U.S.…
Just Like 2019, 2020 Can Suck It December 23, 2020 Y’all, I’m done. I don’t have the energy to look back on 2020 or close it out in any meaningful,…
A pessimist walks into a bar called Silver Linings November 23, 2020 Silver linings are not my thing. Looking at the bright side is not my thing. I don’t see the glass…
Down the All Hallows’ Rabbit Hole October 23, 2020 I love Halloween. I mean, I love love love Halloween. Like a 1990s goth punk discovering Manic Panic hair dye…
September brings September but no justice and no peace September 25, 2020 This will be a short one, friends. I originally started writing this month’s post over the weekend with the intention…
Easy isn’t the same as effortless: updated and expanded only slightly August 18, 2020 I wrote the following post last summer. Now, it is less than a week until our 11 by 5 anniversary—11…
10 years in Tarrytown July 22, 2020 The end of last month marked 10 years of owning our apartment in Tarrytown, a sweet little one-bedroom unit (one…
Pride has not been cancelled June 9, 2020 I’ll keep this short because we have too much work to do. The root of Pride is an uprising. The…
You are here, you are home May 6, 2020 In this time of COVID, I’ve been thinking a lot about what other people call “stuck at home.” When this…
Fuck Your Better Place, I (Still) Want My Cat Back April 8, 2020 The following is a love letter I wrote to my beloved Vinny when he died a little over a year…
How to not think about the novel coronavirus (hint: don’t read this) March 11, 2020 I don’t want to be writing about this. I don’t want to be thinking about it. I don’t want to…
Life goes on and sometimes so do the things we wrote in high school February 20, 2020 I’ve been revisiting old writings from when I was in high school. Somewhat miraculously, I’ve managed to maintain a number…
18 Years Past 25, Kinehora January 27, 2020 On Thursday, I will turn 43. When I was a kid back in North Carolina, I was sure I wouldn’t…
2019 Can Suck It December 18, 2019 I went back and forth about what to write about this month. I started at least 4 different versions (including…
Dear Asheville High Class of 1995 Facebook Group November 13, 2019 Thank you for the invitation to join this group and to help plan and/or attend the upcoming 25-year reunion (go…
There Are All Kinds of Strong October 10, 2019 September is the anniversary of many things for me, including the death of a local Tarrytown friend from breast cancer.…
Lessons I Learned Driving on the Other Side of the Road September 11, 2019 For the past five years or so, Kim and I have taken a long (by American standards) holiday in August.…
Easy Isn’t the Same as Effortless August 6, 2019 This month, Kim officially becomes my longest romantic relationship. On August 22, we will celebrate 10 years together (and four…
You Can Lead a Grownup to Water and Teach Her How to Swim July 17, 2019 Summer is my least favorite season. I hate the heat and the shimmering air that accompanies it. I hate the…
Pride Is for Butterflies June 17, 2019 Every year on December 1, World AIDS Day, I think about Steve, and this June, as we mark the 50th…
Fraught Is the Word I’d Use to Describe Mother’s Day May 14, 2019 I’ve started this narrative at least 1,000 times. Ok, 100. Ok, 5. But you get the gist. Mother’s Day is…
Fuck Your Better Place, I Want My Cat Back April 3, 2019 Let me start by saying this isn’t going to be my best blog post. It’s probably not even going to…
The Honor of Bearing Witness March 11, 2019 Blogger: Jessica Reed - "The Westchesbian" It’s March 9, 2019, and my wife’s friend (I’ll call her S) is dying.…
To Paraphrase Justin Timberlake, I’m Taking My Birthday Back February 12, 2019 If you follow the Daily Feels on the Facebook, you may know it was my birthday at the end of…
Sometimes All You Need Is a Good List (or Four) January 9, 2019 Blogger: Jessica Reed, "The Westchesbian" Since this is my first post, I’m supposed to introduce myself. I’m kind of terrible…