Things
The Tiger in Harlem Who Helped Me Heal
All the buildings I walked by each day and thought nothing about now seemed like they contained the answers to questions it hadn’t occurred to me to ask.
Why I Turned to Candy-Making as My Family Fell Apart
If I was in the kitchen making candy, usually my mom wasn’t in there screaming or throwing a butter dish at my dad.
Should We Stop Using the Word ‘Pariah’?
What do we do with language that is steeped in colonial history?
“A Modern, Up-to-Date Young Woman”: Shopping, Fashion, and the Rules of My Girlhood
All the fashion rules I learned as a girl were informed by the view that women’s bodies are never okay as they are—they always need fixing.
Take You Me For a Sponge?: How My Marriage Survived Illness and Caregiving
Sea sponges lack heart, lungs, and the ability to move. They perform their ancient tasks because they must.
Flour, Yeast, Water, and Salt: How Breadmaking Helped Me Get Through My Divorce
Breadmaking made me feel purposeful, instead of feeling as if I scarcely had control over anything.
A Living Time Capsule Shows That to Be Human is to Be Wild
Most time capsules are enclosed underground, but this one faces the world.
The Rose Quartz Ceiling: When It Comes to Love, Men Are Praised for What Women Are Simply Expected to Give
When love and femininity are intertwined, only some of us are expected to do the job of loving.
Amethyst: When You Seek Balance at All Costs
Maybe telling ourselves we’re balanced, that we’re in control, is almost as good as the real thing.
My Suits Helped Me Try on Another Life, But I Don’t Need Them Anymore
Sometimes I still think about my suits and the life I could have had. Now I work for myself, and my standard uniform is jeans and a T-shirt.