I believe we all have lists of shame. Long lists. We live with our constellation of shames quite privately. But they weigh us down. I wish I could ab….

I'm pretty afraid of death. People have told me that they're not afraid, but I certainly am. The things of the world matter to me. It's hard to imagi….

Once a big loss has happened it is part of the picture forever. Not something you "get over." While each loss has felt specific, one thing I miss wit….

Art Objects is important not only as a plea to the public to read serious literature and to read it seriously, but it is a terrific book of instructi….

My mother had a life-altering stroke when I was nineteen and she died when I was twenty-three. I'm now older than my mother when she died and my rela….

Oh, for that remarkable and complex economy of motherhood. Those back and forth generosities-where one day a mom ferries the kids to the swim meet, o….

I love secrets. Here's a bunch of people who think they know each other over a long period of time. And they do. And they don't. Secrets aren't the s….