“I’M 51 AND I’VE NEVER LOOKED BETTER” (IN GLAMOUR)
Every time I see my mom, she tells me, “Dye your hair. You look like an aging hippie.” / I’m 51, and while I fear I’m aging out of a lot of things—the ability to run miles and miles without getting injured, for one—I’m not aging out of looks. There’s a photograph of the writer Susan Sontag taken […]
“OWNING MY SHIT” (IN SWAMP APE REVIEW)
It took two years and 130 houses to find the one. It was my first house and I considered my options carefully. I didn’t rush in. Instead, I rushed to the bathroom. / It was always the kitchen that made my stomach seize. This one was the same as all the others: an industrial-sized refrigerator, dark […]
“I WANT A HUSBAND AND A WIFE” (IN TOGETHER MAGAZINE)
The downstairs toilet clogged. I tried to flush it, but then all the water came up. Maybe it overflowed, I don’t know. I ran. / When Victoria got home from work, I asked her to plunge it. She said she would. Later that night, while turning off the light, I asked, “Did you fix the toilet?” […]
“THE HARD EDITS: WHY EVERY WRITER NEEDS AN EDITOR/FRIEND ” (IN THE WRITER)
I emailed my friend Allison a story I wanted to publish. The story was about my experience volunteering in a foreign country and how I discovered something I don’t like about myself – I’m entitled. It was embarrassing to admit, but I know that to write a story worth anyone’s time, you have to tell […]
“A BOY THREATENED TO RAPE MY 13-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. I’M SCARED FOR HER FUTURE.” (IN HUFFINGTON POST)
I’m watching Christine Blasey Ford testify in front of the world. She says she was assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has denied the allegation. / I believe Blasey, because why would anyone put herself and her family through this kind of scrutiny and loss of privacy? Why would anyone make herself the target […]
“CURSE OF BEAUTY” (IN THE RUMPUS)
My daughter posts a bikini selfie on Instagram. Half her ass is showing. I rush to her room and swing the door open so hard the knob makes a hole in the wall. I say, “Take it down.” / My daughter is fourteen. She’s 5’5” and just over a hundred pounds. She looks like a marathon […]
“NOT PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN” (IN THE SELKIE)
I went to a small beach town in Mexico to rescue turtles. I took my daughter, Tashi, who’s 14, because I wanted to teach her about the world and do something good. I did a quick Google search – Volunteering Families – and then gave Tashi three choices: old people in Guatemala; a cultural tour […]
“SPOILED MOM” (IN MUTHA MAGAZINE)
Sebastian came home from school and like every day, he barged through the door of my office, and there he was, sweaty and red-cheeked. He’s in third grade and carries a big backpack, which, seconds after he arrives, ends up on the floor, along with his sneakers. / “Grab a snack and do your homework,” I […]
“SO I EXAGGERATE A LITTLE — AM I WRONG TO JAZZ UP MY STORIES?” (IN AEON)
Before 8 November 2016, I thought it was okay to stretch the truth in storytelling, especially if you were trying to be funny. Now, I’m not sure. / TrueStory was my Match.com handle. I don’t remember Victoria’s handle; what I remember is her picture. She’s wearing drag-queen quantities of makeup: gold swathes across her eyelids, blush […]
“EVERYONE OUT INCLUDING THE BABY” (IN MUTHA MAGAZINE)
At midnight, my midwife, Dana, drove me to the Hollywood Birth Center. My mom, her boyfriend Bob, and my two best friends followed in a separate car. / The Birth Center, until we got there that night, was just an empty house. I took a shower right away because Dana said hot water would ease the […]
