This isn’t your typical website. No two pages are alike. Blah is boring. Dr. Tamara MC is a maximalist and has created each page of her website with whimsy and opulence. Imagine you are walking into a storybook filled with color and magic. Voila– Join her on this journey! Each page has a different theme with things that she loves (and hopefully with things you also love!).

Dr. Tamara MC has many interests and is multi-hyphenated. Her website includes information about writing (creative nonfiction and memoir), coercive control and gender-based violence (such as cults, child marriage, human trafficking, and polygamy), and disability (Autism and ADHD). And SO, SO much more. Welcome to your home on the Internet, where each of us can feel a little less lonely and whole lot more seen.

Scroll over the images to navigate the website.

About

Learn about me here.

Writing

Read my writing here.

Media

Listen to podcasts I’ve guested on.

Teaching

Learn about my teaching experience.

Activism

Learn about the activism I do.

Hire Me

Hire me to speak, consult, excite, and ignite.

Shop

Shop for my favorites things, including books I love.

Freesources

Find free resources here.

Contact

Contact me here.

About Dr. Tamara MC

Peace, Love, & Joy

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Dr. Tamara MC is a lifelong vegetarian and lover of all sentient beings.

If you love animals, you will get along great!

If you love pink sheep, you’ll get along even more magnificently.

The Daily Reality of Growing Up In A Cult

I constantly monitored every last breath, how I slept, how I breathed, how I ate. I was taught that if I had even one bad thought, God would know.

Girls in my cult were drilled, above all else, to serve our communities and to give up our nafs, the Arabic word for self. In being forced to give up our identities, our bodies, minds, and spirits were unprotected. We completely lost our sense of self and didn’t know where our bodies stopped and the perpetrators’ bodies began. Girls in fundamentalist communities are often given the same instructions—to give up their essence, their very being.

We didn’t know whom to trust or where to turn because all roads led to the same place—men in power, who yielded black leather whips, forcing us to work, marry, and do whatever they demanded. We were locked in compounds, behind metal gates and tall walls, with no way out. Without access to transportation, television, books, newspapers, radios (it was the 80s), proper clothing, and hygiene items, we were stuck-like-chuck, to put it mildly.

I was groomed to believe I should marry early, so I didn’t provoke men. If a man desired me, it was my fault, not theirs. If they acted irreligiously and raped me, I was to blame. All blame, all the ills of the cult, returned to the girls. -- Dr. Tamara MC

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Dr. Tamara MC's a Contributor to Over 60 Outlets

Check Out Dr. Tamara's Hot-Off-The-Press Articles

50 for 50: Donate in honor of TAMARA MC

Want to listen to the article? Great–listen here! Before Tamara was married at the age of 12, she had never kissed a boy. She still wore a training bra. She had just gotten her first period.But Tamara was in a cult in Texas, and the cult leader took a special liking to 12-year-old Tamara. She […]

The 7 Best Beaumont Restaurants: Cajun, Tex-Mex, and Beyond (Beaumont, TX)

Want to listen to the article? Great–listen here! In the heart of Southeast Texas, Beaumont surprises visitors with its rich culinary landscape. Located about 90 miles east of Houston and just 30 miles from the Louisiana border, this city offers a unique blend of small-town hospitality and big-city flavors. Known for its oil industry heritage, […]

Guest Post-Mortem: Is an MFA worth it? My six-figure experience.

Want to listen to the article? Great–listen here! One week in 2016 when I was 44, I decided why not get an MFA. Even though I already had an MA in English as a Second Language and a PhD in Applied Linguistics and was full-time faculty, I applied to Columbia University’s creative writing program, and […]

A Pumpkin Lover’s Journey into Southern Tier Brewery’s Pumpking

Want to listen to the article? Great–listen here! Pumpkins have always been my favorite part of fall. Though I grew up in Arizona, these cheerful orange harbingers of autumn helped inspire my own fall traditions. My love for pumpkins runs so deep that I once owned a Prius in bright pumpkin orange. So, when I […]

Springside Inn Blends History and Modern Hospitality in New York’s Finger Lakes

Want to listen to the article? Great–listen here! Nestled on the western shore of Owasco Lake in Auburn, NY, part of the picturesque Finger Lakes region, Springside Inn stands as a testament to the area’s history and natural beauty. Under the stewardship of innkeepers Sean and Beth Lattimore, along with their children Sydney and Sean Jr., this charming […]

Training Bras to Hot Flashes: Judy Blume’s Timeless Wisdom on Faith and Growing Up

Want to listen to the article? Great–listen here! Growing up as a Muslim-Jewish girl in an interfaith family in the 1980s, I felt like an outsider in a world that didn’t see me. Then, I discovered Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. For the first time, I saw a character grappling with the […]