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Essays

Aug 27
A blonde white woman in a pink rhinestone suit sits at a black grand piano on a dark stage.

Dolly Parton Loved Being Dolly Parton

It was one of the most important aspects of her art.
5 min read
Aug 19
Photo of an author signing with Robert and Ina Caro on one side of the table and fans photographing Robert signing a book on the other. In the foreground, two women lean in close to talk.

I Want a Literary Wife

But the economy won't support it.
8 min read
Aug 12
A 17th-century woodcut showing a pact being made between witches and a winged Devil.

Legacy Media Wants to Hire You (No, Not You)

Not me either, but that's OK.
5 min read
Jul 29
The top of a brown moving box that reads "Bedroom: Rahawa Books"

A Summer of Books and Boxes

No one hates books more than someone who loves books too much and has to pack them for a move.
6 min read
Jul 15
Two small children lay next to a woman on a beach towel.

How Much Work Will I Do On My Summer Vacation?

And is it wrong if I kind of enjoy it?
6 min read
Jun 24
Strange Currencies: On the Costs of Self-Publishing

Strange Currencies: On the Costs of Self-Publishing

"If my book was going to exist, it was — it had always been — entirely up to me."
11 min read
Jun 10
A large painting on paper, of the White House, with dark blue sky, and decaying, ripped front columns in a museum gallery.

After Years of Being a Writer for Hire — Can I Write Just for Me?

Latria takes an ekphrastic poetry class and tries to get weird with her art
9 min read
May 06
an array of zines, an art print, a cd and a bookmark laid out artfully on a brown wooden tabletop.

I Don't Miss Twitter, I Miss Zines

Manjula goes to the Santa Rosa Zine Fest and finds more future than nostalgia.
14 min read
Apr 29
Multiple clipped headlines from various news sources are collaged together with rianbow colors and filters over a dark grey background.

List Full of Daggers

What we stand to lose when paperback nonfiction disappears.
14 min read
Apr 21
Photo of a bunch of old flip phones spilling out of a yellow NiKON bag. Beside it is a well-loved black rotary telephone.

Smartphones, Dumbphones, and Delusions of Platform-Building

“I don’t actually need my smartphone to write, but do I need it in order to be seen as a writer?”
13 min read
Mar 24
A sculpture made of a cement rectangle, with human figures in bronze emerging from the top with arms raised.

The Job I Want Doesn’t Exist Anymore

What is lost when arts criticism dies?
12 min read