Vickie Vértiz maneuvers her way around teenage love, friend envy, and being outed by her Mexican mother.
adolescence
I Never Wanted my Hemangioma to Define Me
Emily Weitz looks back at a childhood filled with surgeries, harsh stares, and proving she was more than just the skin on her face.
Happiness is Fleeting
Good grief, adolescence is difficult. Luckily Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell found solidarity and guidance from The Peanuts Gang.
Bikini Kill — and My Bunkmates — Taught Me How to Unleash My Anger
While away at summer camp, Melissa Febos discovers the power of her generation’s rage and feminism.
Riding the Highs and Lows with My Mom
On a night out in the Hollywood hills, Valentina Valentini’s lifelong role-reversal with her mother becomes upended.
Just a Spoonful of Siouxsie
Surviving seventh grade with a practically perfect punk nanny.
Parenting in the New Age of Anxiety
Are we sacrificing our childrens’ inner lives by protecting them too much?
The Path to Healing is Lined with Small Bursts of Sweetness
Aaron Hamburger’s essay in Tin House, “Sweetness Mattered,” was our top longread of the week last week, and with good reason.
How To Build An Intellectual
For one young immigrant, growing up Iranian in New York City meant raising herself.
Outside the Manson Pinkberry
Manson bloggers, the world of murder fandom, and the philosophy of being — can you ever escape who you are, or were?
