Lessons From a Fast, Furious Friendship With My Idol
The award-winning memoirist reflects on her intense, instantaneous social-media friendship with a favorite singer—only to be left to try to make sense of her just-as-sudden disappearing act.
Essay
Lessons from Iran’s Long Lost Freedom
The Iranian-born writer, who now lives in the U.S., watched her home country devolve into a brutal theocracy, hoping it would return to some semblance of normal. That was 40 years ago. Could it happen here too?
I Wanted Joan Didion’s Heart to Be Messy
Many of us expect our women writers to lay their emotions bare. But as this excerpt from 'Slouching Toward Los Angeles' reveals, emotion does not define meaning for California's native daughter—and that can be a hard lesson.
What You Don’t Know About Michael Jackson’s Alleged Victims
A childhood sexual-abuse survivor explains the emotional minefield of defending their adult abusers, especially the most charismatic, powerful, and public among them.
It’s Still Radical For a Woman to Be Alone
Why has the image of a solitary woman historically elicited a range of emotions, from sympathy to suspicion and fear?
The Golden State Killer in My Backyard
Reflecting on her childhood fear of the serial rapist-murderer, who was recently arrested in her hometown, the actress and writer wonders how her parents were able to ultimately make her feel safe.
Telling the Stories of the Unclaimed Dead
A longtime child welfare advocate uses her skills to locate next of kin for unsolved cases, bringing closure to grieving families, and making peace with her own painful past.
Can Relationships Kill Our Sense of Competence?
Many couples divide responsibilities along traditional gender roles. For this writer, following her divorce, that meant having to relearning the basics.
Why Do We Smoke?
A longtime smoker reflects on the cultural history, appeal, and vilification of the cigarette—and why so many of us still light up, whether publicly or in secret, despite knowing its risks.
Living in the Moment Is Overrated
A native New Yorker and author of 'An Abbreviated Life' searches for the type of mindfulness that doesn't require her to slow down.