Awfully Hilarious Period Pieces

By: Heather Hendrie, Meghan Power - editor

Narrated by: Heather Hendrie, Angelina Jimenez, Nicole Breit, Claire Sicherman, Kieren Britton, Katherine Matthews, Anne O'Connell, Lindsay Harrington, Wendy Lou Schmidt

In an intimate, courageous, and transformative collection, 26 girls and women of all ages share poems and stories exploring the ups and downs of menstruation, from first period to post-menopause.

The award-winning anthology awfully hilarious series returns with its second installment, Period Pieces, featuring that most ubiquitous "time of the month." These short pieces of prose and poetry illuminate our collective fascination, trepidation and shame around the biology of periods: from pre-pubescence and monthly cycles, to perimenopause, hot flashes, and menopause.

Told in cycles, awfully hilarious: period pieces explores menstruation through feminine (but not always female) archetypal milestones of the maiden, mother, and crone-and the many identities we embody in between.

In the Spring sections, the collection focuses on stories of first periods and youth on the cusp, as well as the follicular phase between flow and ovulation. Summer revels in ovulation, fertility (as well as birth control), and pregnancy. Fall represents menstruation's luteal phase, when many experience greater pain and distress, and finally, Winter takes listeners to the very edge and end, with perimenopause and menopause.

Regardless of gender expression or experience, period pieces is for everyone: fervently and courageously sharing a human experience often forced to secrecy and solitude. In this stunning collection, listeners can join the chorus: We've been there. We've got you.

©2025 Heather Hendrie (P)2025 Heather Hendrie

Poignant and Funny Exploration of Menstruation

Period Pieces is an awfully hilarious look at womanhood! The stories about menstruation, menopause, and hot flashes are incredibly relatable. Best of all, each story is narrated by the individual authors: real stories, written by and narrated lovingly by real people!