Brief Scenes From Our Marriage
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the Opposite of Feng Shui. A marriage, told in four parts.
personalessays
A collection of 230 issues
To Will a Mockingbird
Fashions come and go, but names tend to stick around forever, even hippie ones.
From Cover to Cover
Music connects to memories, and so do album sleeves. From ELO’s spaceship to Róisín Murphy’s see-through top, the covers that made one writer a fan.
The Game of Love
Anyone who says video games shouldn't appeal to adults, let alone women, has never flirted with General Carth Onassi. Exploring a virtual courtship.
By Any Other Name
Writer seeks pen name: something simple, nothing dippy, and preferably one that avoids implying a lawyer who savors puns.
Making the Bird
To entertain themselves and their friends, two brothers formed a band, Birdhead. Now one traces the history of “the critically acclaimed power duo from Rancho Cucamonga.”
My First Sonogram
A television news report begets a routine doctor’s appointment begets a personal health scare.
Annie Dillard and the Writing Life
Writers aren’t born, they’re made—from practice, reading, and a lot of caffeine. And sometimes tutelage.
Jack & Ginger
Moving back to your hometown offers opportunities to rekindle old friendships—and start new ones. An 80-proof love story.
When the Sun Is Constantly Setting
Eight years later, we continue to struggle with September 11, the day our city was attacked. A report from a more remote position: aboard a military vessel in the Arctic Circle.