Columns
On Martha and the Harm in “Perfect” Womanhood
In the etiquette class, everything had a proper place and use—even me.
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Boy, You’re a Runner Now
It was the first time I’d ever pointed at myself and claimed “boy,” even jokingly.
Carving Out a Vietnamese Identity in the New South
For Asians in the South and everywhere, there is still narrative scarcity.
What Black Women Writers Lose to State Violence
How do you begin when your legacy is loss?
Women of Color in Academia Often Work Harder for Less Respect
The racist assumption that women of color are hired as faculty because of our identities rather than our credentials can have a serious impact on our careers.
How Easy Is That?: Chasing Ina Garten’s Perfection With My Mother
On other cooking shows, the cooks might make mistakes and laugh about them. Ina Garten has never made a mistake.
The Faint Spirits: On Ghosts, Grief, and Motherhood
I do not have flesh; I only have ghosts. In this story, the dead are only what I say they are. Does this make them less real?
Learning to Live in France With(out) The Nose Wrinkle
My relationship with my French teachers became more like the ones I had with my therapists: I desperately wanted them to like me.
My Grandfather and the Fukien Tea Tree: A Botanical History
I added it to the list of things off-limits: questions about the past, the wars, why my grandparents had fled China for Taiwan. Why eventually they left that place too.
Why My Father Could Not Embrace His Name
From his youth until late in life he was able to “pass,” his heritage all but invisible until he mentioned his name.
