"MY RELIGIOUS TRAUMA LINGERS LIKE A GHOST IN MY CLOSET" by Ashley Hughes

Ashley is a self proclaimed Swiftie and history lover (in that order). She always dreamed she would write historical fiction, but found herself falling love with poetry during the pandemic. Through the online poetry group Gather, Ashley has been able to use poetry to explore the layers of growing up in a high control religion and cult. She has been published in the 2025 Gather Anthology and in the Upon Learning Anthology curated by Alex Dawson. She lives in South Carolina with her partner, two children, and two dogs. When she isn’t writing, she can be found with a book in her hand and Taylor Swift on the speaker. She can also be found on Instagram @ashhug_ and on her substack called Cult Following. 

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