Columns
Can a Bird and Its Nest Really Bring Bad Luck?
Some think good luck or bad luck is with us from birth—though our luck might change if a winged creature steals a strand of our hair.
We Don’t Want More Beds, We Want Disability Justice
Beds transmute into a form of policing while simultaneously being promoted as an alternative to policing.
Dear IU, Our Bodies Are Fine
I knew my body wasn’t ‘right’; it didn’t look like the bodies of the K-pop idols and Korean actresses I grew up admiring.
Belting Jewish Prayers in German Nightclubs
Months later, when people ask me to briefly describe my experiences in Berlin, I tell them I felt Jewish during the day and queer at night.
How Did Chop Suey Become a Staple of Chinese American Cuisine?
The authenticity of chop suey was always the authenticity of survival, of adaptation. And so, like generations of Chinese Americans, chop suey stayed.
My Stutter Scared Me—Until I Found My Community
After each meeting I felt lighter, looser, having spent two hours listening only to disfluent speech—to voices that sounded like mine.
I Can’t Defeat My Grief, But I’m Learning to Carry It
In video games, dead parent storylines give a character depth. Their grief becomes a plot point, something to overcome.
Say “Bread and Butter” and Stick Together
If a pair, walking together, is forced to pass on opposite sides of some obstacle, they should say “bread and butter” or risk a permanent separation.
Surviving Karen Medicine
How do you navigate a healthcare system that wasn’t designed for you?
Why Teeth Like to Touch
When it’s bad enough, a tooth’s quest for touch is suicidal. Imagine asking your teeth to stay six feet apart.
