It’s a very American sort of hymn — Tuesday, May 24, 2022 I am writing from the upstairs bedroom of a yellow farmhouse in northern Illinois, far from the crumbling castles and cobblestones of the Setúbal region that I love. Outside, spring rains are soaking the prairie fields, already lush with clover. I returned to the States…

An ode to misfits, malcontents, and Enneagram 4s Several weeks ago, a reader named Harriet asked, “When and how do you feel that you belong?” Ever since, I can’t stop thinking about what it truly means to belong; weighing first in one hand and then the other how much belonging does — or doesn’t — matter. Harriet was…

A brief preoccupation with sliding into oblivion — One day near the end of her 84 years, my Nana told me, “Whatever you do, LaDonna, don’t get old. It’s the pits.” “Ok, sure, I’ll get right on that,” I told her. “Do you know any vampires?” She just flapped her blue-veined hand at me and laughed her smoky…

What I’ve learned (so far) since leaving the United States — December 12 marked the six month anniversary of our arrival in Portugal. As with most dates significant enough to circle on a calendar, I marvel at how quickly the time has passed, and how it feels like only yesterday. It seems worthwhile to sit still for a moment and take…

A Reflection on Imperfection From a distance, the picture is perfection. The afternoon sun glinting just so off the candy-colored buildings. The charm of the laundry swinging from a double-decker line. The curve of the bell tower, the stretch of the shadows, they all promise magic just around the bend. …

When beauty fades, make friends with snakes — I never believed I was beautiful until it was over. Until I had gained 15 pounds, or 12 gray hairs, or 4 fine new lines at the crinkles of my eyes. I never believed until I looked back from a different decade and saw the woman who had once stared…

VOICES Series — In this space for the past month — Women’s History Month — you met 15 women from across the U.S. and around the world. You heard the voices of artists and writers and students and nurses and designers. …

VOICES Series — Kathy is a 49 year-old art director living in San Francisco, California. …

VOICES Series — Tiffani is a 39-year-old writer, editor, mom, and Queen of All Word Things at a Silicon Valley tech company. She likes most people, and tries to find the best in them— or at least understand where they’re coming from — even when she disagrees. Prologue: I believe the stories…