On Worry

‘On Worry’ is a numbered, lyrical essay that critically interrogates the concept of “worry,” charting Erica Berry’s coming-of-age through her evolving worries, and braiding memoiristic scenes alongside researched excavations into the linguistic, historical, and cultural connotations and contradictions of the term. This essay explores the kinship between worry and fear, the link between “worry” and “care” in regard to relationships with family and friends, and the prevalence of worry as both feminine virtue and neurosis, especially in a world rife with sexual violence.