what if men were afraid to walk alone at night?

and what if it was women they were afraid of?

We’ve all thought it, haven’t we? What if the roles were reversed? What if I wasn’t positioning my keys between my knuckles in case I had to throw a punch against someone following me home in the dark of night? What if I could wear my headphones without fear someone would sneak up behind me?

What if men understood what it means to be scared?

All these questions are at the center of my play, The Sporting Life.

16-year-old Dot still hasn’t gotten her period. Lucky for her, there’s a Witch in the woods who can get it started. However, in exchange, Dot must offer her the life of a man who has wronged her. And who better to offer than a math teacher? When Dot gets her elusive first period and becomes witness to the Witch’s murder, they become bonded in literal blood, sending Dot down a path of self-understanding, bitterness, and perhaps a little bit of violence too (as a treat). The Sporting Life is a "coming of rage" story brutally snapped open to expose the, sometimes literal, entrails of growing up girl.

I started writing The Sporting Life in 2021, but like many pieces, it started incubating long before that.

In college, I took classes for a creative writing minor. I used to joke, “Because everyone knows that’s lucrative,” but I guess I can’t really say that anymore considering I’ve been a professional indie romance ghostwriter for 3 years now. The universe really does have a sense of humor.

Under the tutelage of Kathleen Rooney, I wrote a short story entitled Lessons From the Wild Woman. Set in the 70s, LFTWW follows a preteen girl learning to be a woman, guided by her father’s new girlfriend who is actually a sex worker.

I shelved that story after writing it, though I was always quite fond of it. Fast forward to February 2020 when I watched the movie Ginger Snaps to discuss on a podcast. ¹

The story of two outcast sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger's wounds miraculously heal but something is not quite right. Now Brigitte must save her sister and save herself.

The film struck me deeply due to the parallels between horror and girls getting their first period. Ginger receives her first period and then…becomes a werewolf.

I watched it with the guy I was seeing at the time. He did not see academic connection between a woman getting her a period and also turning into a monster.

He was not particularly erudite, though I think to anyone else who saw this movie, the connection is clear.

I never let go of that, though…the idea of a girl’s first period being linked to horror. How poignant. Beautiful. Terrible. So much of it informed by the way a period is treated by the world around us.

Let’s fast forward again to summer of 2020. We all know what happened starting in March. I became obsessed with Led Zeppelin thanks to spending months out of work, staying with my parents as the world was thrown into upheaval thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. That story is a long one, one I’ve discussed in several different iterations here on my Substack². But the TL;DR for our purposes here today is that I gained a great affinity for the work of Led Zeppelin bassist, John Paul Jones, so much so that I started listening to all his projects outside of Led Zeppelin too.

Which is how I found The Sporting Life. Not my The Sporting Life but THE The Sporting Life.

I have a distinct memory of walking around a Meijer with my headphones in when I decided to take a chance on the album I’d read was bombastic, avant-garde, and searing. I popped on the top track from the album, ‘Do You Take This Man?’ and my jaw immediately dropped.

Husband with this knife
I do you adore
I take you out of this world baby
With a lot of feeling
And with this feeling I do bestow upon you
All my worldly gifts³

Heavy, delicious, arduous at times, this album changed the landscape of my understanding of music as a whole.

But it was the title track that really got my gears turning.

The song, ‘The Sporting Life’, features Diamanda Galas “playing” different characters as they discuss murdering a man for…well, sport.

I don't like him
Let’s kill him

Did you see how he looked at me?
What?
One way ticket motherfucker
Let's fuck him first, and then let's kill him
Nah, let’s cut him, and then fuck him, and then let's kill him
Nah, let's tie him up and cut him and then let's fuck him, and then let's kill him⁴

And as it goes, an idea was born:

What if I wrote a play where women killed men for sport?

Over the course of two years and three separate writers’ rooms at Jackalope Theatre Company, New Colony, and The Road Theatre, The Sporting Life — my Sporting Life — was born.

It changed again and again until it was the play it is now: a coming of rage story about a girl who gets a thirst for blood along with her first period. Who sees the inequities in the world around her that exist only because of her gender. Who decides that men should be as scared as women are to walk alone at night.

She has been well-received again and again across the country with readings in New York, LA, and Chicago. She was a semi-finalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and an honorable mention for the Relentless Award.

And once again, she’s coming home for a reading at the very spot I started writing her: Jackalope Theatre Company.

On May 20th, 2025 at Jackalope’s home space at the Broadway Armory, The Sporting Life is having a reading at 7pm. Tickets will be available soon on their website.

And if you can’t make it but are curious about the play, reach out. I’ll send you a copy. No gatekeeping here.

In Love Letters, I explore the rage and joy of being a woman, the truth in contradiction, and the profound hidden in the pedestrian. If this piece resonated with you, tap the heart below. If you want it to resonate with others, consider restacking or sharing with your friends. And if you’d like to support my work further, the best way is by becoming a subscriber.

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