Rebecca Lindenberg on diabetes, a final phone call, and letting yourself fall in love.

Catherine Barnett on improv, misfit details, and the humor in elegy. 

Mike Sonksen on the Los Angeles fires and what it means to love a city in danger.

Helen Vendler and Marjorie Perloff in the words of people who loved them.

Caleb Femi on parties, golden pavements, and the downside of self-awareness. 

Cass Donish on grief rituals, putting on makeup, and letting in joy.

Cass Donish on grief rituals, putting on makeup, and letting in joy.

Elisa Díaz Castelo on vertigo, breaking a chicken, and her grandmother's advice for a good life.

Violeta Orozco on the US presidential election, leaving Mexico, and her connection to deep time.

Tyler Mills on the truth, how to love a cockroach, and her grandfather's silence about the bomb.