All Stories

Polly want a grief counselor?

“What is grief if not love persevering?” The Marvel Cinematic Universe unexpectedly delivers this profound line at the end of “WandaVision,” reframing heartbreak as a positive continuation of feelings we as humans signed up for. Grief requires active participation to…
· by · 0
Rachel Sennott really does love LA

Six years ago, Rachel Sennott shared an unflattering imaginary snapshot of Los Angeles life in a viral video she describes as “the trailer for any movie set in LA.” As the beat from Azealia Banks’ “212” thumps in the background,…
· by · 0
Trump’s SNAP shutoff is vicious political theater

On most days, my Nextdoor feed plays the usual standbys: Neighborhood coyote sightings, reports of porch pirates and catalytic-converter thefts, conspiratorial screeds about city government, heated arguments about whether or not it’s a hanging offense to put dog-poop bags in…
· by · 0
I smell dead people – Salon.com

I’ve never referred to my mom’s dad as grandpa. Not grampa. And certainly not grandfather. To me, and everyone else in my family, he’s always been papa. A lifelong Illinois farmer and lover of maintaining a stretch of land, big…
· by · 0