Love and the Burning West

“She nearly died while fighting a fire. All she could think about was the tragedy of dying while still a virgin.”

Source: Shondaland
Published: Jun 9, 2021
Length: 6 minutes (1,667 words)

The Quest for New Friendships in the Dregs of Adulthood

“Roshani Chokshi always had friends — until she had to make all new ones. The best-selling author chronicles the rocky road to meeting people as an adult.”

Source: Shondaland
Published: Sep 10, 2019
Length: 7 minutes (1,816 words)

The Sanitized Words of Complicated Women

Essayist Dianca London Potts wonders whether our culture’s tendency toward turning the words of writers and theorists we admire into soundbites and affirmations easily consumed on Twitter, coffee mugs, and tote bags helps us avoid truly reading and absorbing their work.

Source: Shondaland
Published: Apr 12, 2018
Length: 6 minutes (1,603 words)

Kristi Yamaguchi, Unlaced

Nicole Chung interviews figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi about her life after winning at the 1992 Olympics, being the only Asian-American Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, representation in sports and the media, and the Always Dream Foundation — the early childhood literacy organization she founded.

Source: Shondaland
Published: Jan 3, 2018
Length: 13 minutes (3,406 words)

It’s Possible: An Oral History of 1997’s “Cinderella”

For years, Whitney Houston had envisioned a version of the previously white “Cinderella” for young black girls. Here is the story of the historic film’s creation, told by the people who made it happen.

Source: Shondaland
Published: Nov 1, 2017
Length: 54 minutes (13,678 words)

Amy Tan on Writing and the Secrets of Her Past

Nicole Chung interviews novelist Amy Tan about her parents’ secrets, whether her late father might have voted for Donald Trump, and her new memoir, Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir.

Source: Shondaland
Published: Oct 16, 2017
Length: 10 minutes (2,556 words)