Essays
The Talented Ms. Highsmith
I worked for the novelist in her final months. I thought she wanted to kill me.
Elena Gosalvez Blanco
When Does a Divorce Begin?
Most people think of it as failure. For me it was an achievement.
Anahid Nersessian
What Happened When I Began to Speak Welsh
By learning my family's language, I hoped to join their conversation.
Dan Fox
Browse
Essays
The Wondrous Banality of Democracy
Counting the votes in one Pennsylvania county during the 2020 presidential election
John Fabian Witt
November 13, 2020
Seven Theses on the Open-Closed Theaters
The pandemic has shuttered theaters, but the need for communal experience has never been more vital
Feisal G. Mohamed
October 21, 2020
![photograph of metal match box with "a [image of a match] for you at any time" printed on the front](jpg/chsdm-edf76e1c89982-000001_2_1_0_0_0.jpg)
My Silent Childhood
I didn’t know my name until I went to kindergarten. Then I became a writer.
Maureen Sun
September 1, 2020
Soup Can; or, On Hospitality
Anything can become a weapon in America, especially against those who dare to cross the color line
Wendy S. Walters
September 1, 2020
We Miss Each Other, But Do We Even Know Each Other?
After a long-ago theater closure, a female playwright complicated what it means to be intimate with another body
Katherine Mannheimer
July 23, 2020
