Who Lauren J. Sharkey is and isn’t:

Lauren J. Sharkey is open to constructive and respectful conversation, and looks forward to establishing meaningful connections within the adoption space. She is happy to be a friend, sounding board, and non-clinical support for all members of the adoption constellation.

Please be advised Lauren J. Sharkey is not a licensed medical, mental health, legal, or educational professional (outside the scope of creative writing and literature). The contents of her website and social media accounts, such as text, graphics, images, and other materials are for creative and personal purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have.

SHARING CONTENT

Lauren J. Sharkey encourages those who visit her website and social media platforms to share her content if they so choose. She prefers those who share her content not to edit content in such a way that reflects any person other than Lauren J. Sharkey is the author. Lauren J. Sharkey does not require attribution or tagging, but is always appreciative when it is given.

COMPENSATION

Lauren J. Sharkey’s online presence exists as a social and creative endeavor. As such, Lauren J. Sharkey does not require compensation for interactions on social media platforms or her content on social media platforms or her website. Lauren J. Sharkey does not provide consultations, clinical support, or other specialized advice or education (outside the scope of creative writing and literature).

If you wish to compensate Lauren J. Sharkey, you may donate to her doughnut fund via Venmo at @theljsharks. Proceeds go to Lauren’s obsession with doughnuts and giveaways.

COMMUNICATION

Lauren J. Sharkey works Monday through Friday, from 8:30AM EST to 5:00PM EST. She is also currently in therapy, and has her sessions on Mondays from 5:30PM to 6:30PM EST. Messages received during these hours may experience delayed responses. Lauren is also a person, and sometimes needs to live life, but she always makes an effort to answer every message.

Helpful posts to read before reaching out to Lauren are listed below. Prospective adoptive parents are strongly encouraged to read Lauren’s post on Adoptee Exploitation before reaching out to her directly.

Adoptive Parent Fragility: An exploration of adoptive parent fragility, its harmful impact on the adoption community, and what we can do to combat the phenomenon

Adoptive Parent Responsibility: A transracial adoptee’s examination of adoptive parents’ responsibility to themselves and adoptees in terms of combatting human trafficking, talking about race, and educating themselves on the adoptee experience

Emotional Labor: An explanation of emotional labor, the forms requests for emotional labor take, and the role emotional labor plays in my presence in the Instagram adoption community

Adoption as an Industry: An examination of the adoption industry, the harmful impact of the dominant adoption narrative, and an evaluation of where adoption begins

The Dominant Adoption Narrative: An exploration of the dominant adoption narrative, its effects, and the myths used to promote it

How to be a “Good” Adoptive Parent For Dummies: A crash course in changing your thinking and acknowledging your responsibility

Adoptee Exploitation: How DMs are being utilized to exploit adoptees for their knowledge and experience

WRITING

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, editor, and writing instructor. After earning her MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing in 2018, she published her debut novel, Inconvenient Daughter (2020). Her creative work has appeared in literary magazines and various anthologies. In addition to two years as managing editor and marketing director of an independent publisher, Lauren serves as a features editor at The Rumpus and a columnist for DIY MFA. She also hosts FREE writing workshops, as well as intensive writing shops on a sliding scale.

PROMOTIONS AND SPONSORSHIPS

Lauren J. Sharkey does not do paid sponsorships or sponsored content. Lauren is also not a brand ambassador for any retailer, business, or other profit-based entity. All products, services, and other business-related content (such as restaurants, sites, etc.) are simply products, services, or business-related content she likes to share.