Wit has truth in it.

Poets, I believe, are some of the most comforting people that exist. I’m talking not just about real poets like Billy Collins, wordsmiths whose verse welcomes like a freshly brewed cup of tea or a familiar cardigan sweater, but poets of all kinds: songwriters, filmmakers, actors—thinkers and feelers, magicians and alchemists, translators and tour guides.
I’m […]

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One of Anne Lamott’s favorite prayers is “Help me, help me, help me.” It is a plea that has certainly entered into my own repertoire since I moved to north Philadelphia: not just because my mother fears for my life on these mean (or, in my own mind, merely disgruntled) streets, but because almost everywhere […]

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In the 19 days since I gave up television, I’ve read three entire books for pleasure. This alone is worth all the effort.
I’ve taken to reciting the Lord’s Prayer recently. The language is so beautiful. If I’m particularly tense, I close my eyes and start by reciting it slowly, focusing on my breathing, in and […]

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Outside its cold and slush and windy. The sidewalks are coated in the kind of white chalky salt that melts ice but gets stuck in the treads of your shoes and plays like a gristly maraca on any kind of linoleum floor. Your faces are chapped and your cheeks are red and—if you’re anything like […]

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