PUBLICATIONS
THE VOLTA WAY: DEAR LOIS
ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED
BY LOIS VOLTA
AND PUBLISHED IN GRID MAGAZINE
DEAR LOIS, OW DO I CHANNEL THE ANGER I HAVE INTO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE?
In terms of domestic life, I think a lot about what angers me.
As a cleaning lady, I’ve had clients who’ve pitied me, and others who’ve barked orders at me while offering me their scraps. I’ve had those who’ve stiffed me. Those who’ve looked down their noses at me. And those people made me mad. In all cases, I was on my knees, cleaning their toilets, feeling shame for failing to keep up with the preprogrammed standards of how my life was supposed to look. I was supposed to be better and more successful than what I had become.
DEAR LOIS, IN AN AGE WHERE I'M ALWAYS LOOKING AT MYSELF, HOW DO I ACCEPT MY REFLECTION?
I find myself looking in the mirror more these days.
I’m noticing the bags under my eyes. I see the lines on my face, telling me that I’m starting to age. The targeted ads that I saw at the beginning of the pandemic were preparing me for this moment.
DEAR LOIS, MY KIDS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY. IS IT ME OR THEM?
Over the summer my girls—ages 11, 13 and 14,—and I did a deep cleaning/purging of the house. We reorganized furniture, cleaned out the basement, addressed the backs of closets and set up online learning spaces while we gracefully swept up the settled dust after my husband (their stepdad) removed the last of his things.
DEAR LOIS, CAN COMPASSION BE A PERSONAL AND POLITICAL ACT?
The Volta Way September 2020 Dear Lois, Can compassion be a personal and political act? We are all human and are going to make mistakes, both large and small...
DEAR LOIS, HOW CAN I SHOW CONSIDERATION TO SANITATION WORKERS?
The Volta Way September 2020 Dear Lois, How can I show consideration to sanitation workers? The first people who see our dirt, mess and trash are cleaning professionals and sanitation workers...
DEAR LOIS, HOW DO YOU CLEAN UP YOUR EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL MESSES?
The Volta Way August 2020 Dear Lois, How do you clean up your emotional and behavioral messes? Everything is a mess. I need to remind myself...
DEAR LOIS, HOW MUST GENDER ROLES IN THE HOME SHIFT IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19?
The Volta Way July 2020 Dear Lois, How must gender roles in the home shift in response to COVID-19?…
DEAR LOIS, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
The Volta Way: June 2020 Dear Lois, How are you doing? Like so many, my small business has been…
DEAR LOIS, HOW CAN WE REIMAGINE OUR HOMES NOW THAT WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN THEM?
The Volta Way May 2020 Dear Lois, How can we reimagine our homes now that we…
THE VOLTA WAY: APRIL 2020
The Volta Way April 2020 Dear Lois: I am unmotivated and I don't feel like doing anything around the house. What should I do?...
THE VOLTA WAY: GENDER EQUALITY IN THE HOME
The Volta Way March 2020 Dear Lois: I’m always fighting with my husband about chores. Is gender equality in the home possible?...
THE VOLTA WAY: THE CLUTTER PROBLEM
The Volta Way February 2020 Dear Lois: Can a dirt-and-clutter problem be so bad that you should just move out and move on?...
THE VOLTA WAY: CLEANING UP
The Volta Way January 2020 Dear Lois, Do you ever clean up after your friends, and do your friends ever clean up after you?…
DEAR LOIS, SELF-CARE AND CONSUMERISM
The Volta Way December 2019 Dear Lois, Can we define “self-care” in a way that does not push us toward consumerism?…
DEAR LOIS, THE WORKLOAD OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON
The Volta Way November 2019 Dear Lois, Is it possible to transcend the domestic workload of the holiday season and live out of the heart?…
DEAR LOIS, BRINGING IN CHANGE
The Volta Way October 2019 Dear Lois, How can we bring the change we want to see in the world into our domestic lives?...
DEAR LOIS, WHAT IS A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF CLOTHING TO HAVE?
The Volta Way September 2019 Dear Lois, What is a reasonable amount of clothing to have?…
DEAR LOIS, CLEANING FEELS LIKE A NEVER-ENDING WASTE OF TIME THAT KEEPS US FROM DOING WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO. WHAT'S THE POINT?
The Volta Way August 2019 Dear Lois, cleaning feels like a never-ending waste of time that keeps us from doing what we really want to do...
DEAR LOIS, WHAT IF THE PEOPLE YOU LIVE WITH DON'T CARE IF THE HOUSE IS A MESS? IS IT ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO FIND BALANCE IN THE HOME?
The Volta Way July 2019 Dear Lois, What if the people you live with don’t care if the house is a mess? Is it actually possible to find balance in the home?...