Mourning My Mom, Before And After Facebook
My mom died before Facebook was invented. Sometimes I wonder if mourning her would’ve been easier if it had been around.
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Ebola Is A Wake-Up Call For Sierra Leone’s Upper Class
Sierra Leone’s wealthiest citizens have been uninterested in what’s going on in the rest of the country for far too long. This piece originally appeared on Okayafrica.
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Why I’m Still Coming Out To My Twin Sister After Five Years
My sister and I finally have “the talk” we’ve been avoiding, because although my sister’s acceptance means everything to me — I’ve never been sure that I’ve had it.
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My Boyfriend Came Out To Me After We Dated For Six Years
“You can’t hide from me. I see you.”
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Here’s Why The New York Times’ Television Criticism Is So Bad
How a decades-long blind spot culminated in the “Angry Black Woman.”
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Missing Church, Not Religion: Why I Read Marilynne Robinson
Returning to the incredible sensory memories of church — and the feel of religion without evangelism.
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When I Wasn’t Paying Attention, My Pregnancy Almost Killed Me
I thought nothing could go wrong — and then I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a pregnancy-related illness I had never even heard of.
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I Had a Stroke at 33
On New Year’s Eve 2007, a clot blocked one half of my brain from the other. My reality would never be the same again.
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This Indian Does Not Owe You
Just because you’re curious about my ancestry, my beliefs, and my experiences doesn’t mean I owe you answers.
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Bored Cops, "Suspicious" Women: On Getting Arrested In America
I’m a black woman who was arrested while out with my white male friend. The cops said it was a case of mistaken identity, but eight years later, I find that hard to believe.
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What Being A "Pageant Girl" Is Really Like
The reigning Miss America has been accused of hazing pledges in her former sorority, which has shed unwanted light on a system that some consider sexist and outdated. A former “pageant girl” on what’s good, and bad, about that world.
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The Trouble With Treating Female Characters Like Meat
Liam Neeson’s new crime drama, A Walk Among the Tombstones, turns female characters into gruesome cannon fodder in a way that feels outdated, not retro.
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How Cleaning Out My Closet Helped Me Embrace My Body
After years of keeping clothing that didn’t fit, I finally decided to kick the bad habit with some help from a professional stylist. What I found was that there was more to what I wear and don’t wear than I thought.
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Piecing Together My Abusive Ex-Boyfriend’s Final Summer
I thought if I could figure out why he’d stabbed someone, then died in a motorcycle crash, I’d be able to find closure with our abusive relationship. But the story of his death was just as complicated as his life was.
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The Unbearable Whiteness Of Late Night
Late night stays white because it’s taken everything it needs from black pioneers like Arsenio Hall. Comedian W. Kamau Bell weighs in on why that matters.
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The Books That Made Me Who I Am
I am the product of endless books.
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Baby’s First Photo: The Unstoppable Rise Of The Ultrasound Souvenir Industry
Keychains, lifelike dolls, photo studios… all before the child is even born.
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The Cleavage Of Consent Between Bollywood’s Leading Ladies And Their Voyeurs
Objectifying Deepika Padukone without her consent has implications far beyond Bollywood: It endangers every single Indian girl and woman.
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The Future Of The Future Of Books
Thoughts on Amazon, e-books, and the future of how we read words.
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Ditching Twitter
The cost of ambient intimacy.
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15 Responses To The Question: “What Does The Word ‘Queer’ Mean To You?”
“Queer is what you make it.”
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My Year In The NRA
I grew up and raised my family in Newtown, Connecticut — and own guns. After 26 of my neighbors were massacred, I signed up to see how the organization that controls our gun debates works.
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Those Jennifer Lawrence Pictures Aren’t Scandalous
Why Jennifer Lawrence’s “dirty” photos shouldn’t — and probably won’t — make you think differently about her.
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How I Rebuilt Tinder And Discovered The Shameful Secret Of Attraction
Why we swipe the way we swipe.
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Notes On An Eating Disorder
I still tell my friends I am in recovery so they will hold me accountable.
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I Have Spina Bifida And I Am Beautiful
I used to think God made a mistake when he made me. This is how I realized I was wrong.
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Inside The Secret World Of Teen Suicide Hashtags
Young people will always find ways to talk about depression, self-harm, and internal pain. Right now these conversations are happening with hashtags on the internet.
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The Devastating Loss Of Joan Rivers
The comedian, who never wanted to stop working, has died at 81.
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These Charts Show How Much College A Minimum Wage Job Paid For, Then And Now
A summer’s work at minimum wage used to easily pay for a whole year’s tuition. Not now.
