Some of my best work. I write about everything: culture, books, design, feminism, music, food.
Instant Pot vs Crock-Pot: Which Is Better for You? | Gear Patrol
The Instant Pot vs. the Crock-Pot. Both small kitchen appliances make putting a warm meal on the table simpler, but they're not the same. And as most home cooks know, countertop space is too precious to own both. Which is right for you? We tested the Instant Pot and Crock-Pot to find out.
Shopping for Window Blinds? Here Are the 9 Types to Know | Gear Patrol
It’s time for us to shed some light on blinds. Meant to filter and insulate, blinds are typically defined as horizontal or vertical slats made of metal, plastic and/or occasionally fabric that are used for windows, doors, and rooms.
Shiori Ito’s Black Box is known today for helping launch the #MeToo movement in Japan, and the author was recognized by Time Magazine as a 2020 person of the year.
Vibrant, haunting, and absolutely unforgettable, Girlhood by Melissa Febos is a modern masterpiece full of brutally honest self-reflection.
In Her Words: Diana Ying Liu on How to Invest in & Build an Inclusive Team | Her Product Lab
Diana Ying Liu spoke with Her Product Lab about specific strategies your team can develop when it comes to making sure you’re building an inclusive, diverse team.
I Fell in Love with Princess Peach | Dwelling Literary
when I was five years old. Her glorious pink gown enveloped me, her long blonde hair showered me, and a rush came to my cheeks . . .
An Ode to Coffee Mate Liquid Hazelnut Creamer | Stone of Madness Press
Your sweet beige silk spreads through my medium roast like blood in the water, or smoke in the sky. Mom, I have something to tell you. It billows, enveloping the sour and turning it into a hazelnut and cream symphony.
Marlene Van Niekerk’s "Agaat" Reminds Us Of The Ever-Evolving Postcolonial World We Live In | BUST Magazine
Marlene van Niekerk’s Agaat is a beautiful, complicated epic of agrarian life in South Africa from 1948 onward, and it explores the evolution of a relationship between two women who take care of one another.
Guy Fierotica | Daily Drunk Mag
Take me for a ride in your convertible.
I want you to unbutton your flame shirt
and set my body on fire.
Rebirth | Dream Journal
Once the creatures revealed themselves, my roommates left, so it was just me and them with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Days gone. I’d wake, I’d eat, I’d scroll, I’d run, I’d drink, I’d sleep. I’d wake, I’d drink, I’d scroll, I’d sleep. I’d wake, I’d sleep. The rest blurred.
Itchy | Detour Ahead
I lay awake waiting for them, though I know I won’t be able to tell when they’re there. They feed at night. They’re small, harmless, really. Their puny arms wiggle at you as you squeeze the life from them. However, they’re resilient. They’ve driven me insane.
Shilpa Singh on How to Lead with Influence | Her Product Lab
In our interview from mid-June with Shilpa Singh, senior director of product management at ADP Ventures, we explore how to lead with influence — one of the most important soft skills you can have as a product manager. Shilpa, an industry veteran with 15 years of product management experience in various industries, explains how to maximize your ability to influence across various stakeholders and partners.
Meet the Board: Aaron Davis, Ecosystems Expert and Director of Operations at The Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition | Her Product Lab
Community Manager, Ecosystems Expert and Champion of Gender Equality Aaron Davis is a board member of Her Product Lab, helping HPL with membership, growth, and design since its inception. We chatted with Aaron about how he got involved with HPL, why he’s invested in us and why more men should, well, lean in and get involved with gender equality initiatives.
Top 10 Recommendations | The Bookstore at the End of the World
Ten of my favorite books and why you should read them. Many are memoirs by progressive feminist comedians.
WSIRN Episode 230: Don’t Overthink Your Reading Life | What Should I Read Next?
Live audio and transcript from Anne Bogel’s book tour stop at The Strand in New York City, where I was a featured guest.
12 Books By Black Women Authors To Add To Your To-Read List | BUST Magazine
On The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison: This is not an introduction to Toni Morrison’s work, nor is it written for readers unfamiliar with her novels. Instead, The Source of Self-Regard serves best as a complement to the Pulitzer-Prize winner’s collected works. Through essays, speeches, and meditations organized into three parts, Morrison tackles race, writing, revision, feminism, and the connections between art and politics.
RH announces fourth-quarter earnings, Paddle8 files for bankruptcy, and more | Business of Home
From October 2018 to March 2020, every Tuesday afternoon, I’d publish the news digest on BOH’s website. I created it as a catch-all of sorts, for stories worth telling in a paragraph or two. It became, somewhat miraculously, a landing spot for BOH’s biggest breaking news, reports of exciting new collection releases, and general awards coverage. It was a joy to write— even long after I had transitioned out of my role as editorial assistant in July 2019.
How to Build a Sustainable Closet | BUST Magazine
It’s no secret that the fashion industry is rough on the planet … A lot of brands are starting to address this, but not every one that claims to be “green” is worth buying from—and even the sustainable stuff doesn’t give you a license to consume recklessly. Here’s how to curate a closet you love that you can feel good about, too. (Illustration by Mai Ly Degnan.)
These 3 Autobiographies are All Everyone is Talking About | BUST Magazine
Miller’s narrative is so well-paced that, even when she’s drowning in trauma, she’s able to hold readers afloat and keep us moving. Gripping, deeply sad, disturbing, and finally, consoling, it’s the kind of book that you may only read once, but that you’ll remember forever. While this is Miller’s debut work, it certainly won’t be her last. I can’t wait for her next one. (5/5)
Roadkill Eulogy | Animal: A Beast of a Literary Magazine
Late in winter when I was in college, I set off on a run down this country road off campus where the speed limit was 55 miles per hour and the sidewalk, along with my safety and security, tapered off. Bits of nonhuman neighbors set a mournful obstacle. They had blown aside or seemingly melted into the road: ragged feathers, some tufts of fur, a head here and there. I began to count, but lost track after 30.
Hamsters Won’t Save You From Loneliness | Harness Magazine, Issue V
Let’s explore loneliness with hamsters. For starters, hamsters don’t get lonely. They’re perfectly happy to be all by themselves. This makes them great for single people with full-time jobs. The only downside is, when their owners are home and would like to pet them, the hamsters don’t necessarily want to be petted. They don’t care how fluffy they are.
A designer’s guide to sustainable shopping | Business of Home
Taking the first step toward shopping with sustainability in mind might be daunting, but these 63 brands make it easy to go green. Navigating the nuances of so-called green products can be an intimidating task. First, there’s the sheer volume of goods making green claims—but just because it’s got a recycled-looking brown tag or is labeled “organic,” is it really sustainable? What do all of the stamps and certifications really mean? How much will your clients expect you to know about each product’s provenance if you’re touting its eco-conscious bona fides?
Death Stars, magic carpets and boy wizards: Design reckons with fan culture | Business of Home
Williams-Sonoma released its first Harry Potter collection through Pottery Barn Teen in 2017, cementing its monopoly over snowy owl poufs and Golden Snitch clocks. It’s not just big home brands that have gotten into the game—retailers and manufacturers of all sizes are creating themed collections with major pop culture franchises, contributing to a $26.2 billion marketplace for licensed home decor. BOH investigated the cultural shift behind this phenomenon, and the ways the interior design industry has reaped the rewards of franchise licensing.
Ani DiFranco Says, 'Vote, Dammit!': BUST Interview | BUST
Cohosting with Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show and Lady Parts Justice, and Chastity Brown, a performer and Black Lives Matter activist for a festival combining comedy, music, and activism, DiFranco's hope is to inspire the young and the disillusioned to make democracy real again. I was lucky enough to catch DiFranco on the phone while she was waiting at La Guardia airport, trying to get home after a family vacation to Quebec.
8 “Mom-Ified” Summer Concert Trends | Northern Virginia Magazine
So your children are too young to go see Nicki Minaj by themselves, but they’ve been dying to see her perform ever since “Anaconda” took over the radio last summer. Or maybe they’re obsessed with 5 Seconds of Summer and have been begging you for months to buy tickets. You agree and tag along to keep them safe. Sure, their music isn’t really your thing, but you can at least bop along to the beat.
Why Designing for People with Disabilities is the Right Move for Brands | Business of Home
Christina Mallon wants to make inclusive design the norm—and as a designer with a disability, she’s a living example of her goal. Her day job is helping brands like Microsoft and Tommy Hilfiger be more inclusive for people with disabilities, and at night she helps run Open Style Lab, a nonprofit incubator that creates clothing and other products with and for people with disabilities (recently, they designed backpacks that can fit comfortably on the back of a wheelchair and have super-adjustable straps).
Black designers speak up, hold the design industry accountable | Business of Home
Designers and artists of color have often been excluded from industry panels, licensing deals, press opportunities and more—and it’s not due to a lack of presence, but rather a lack of representation. A group of powerhouse designers with the newly formed Black Artists + Designers Guild and the eight-year-old Black Interior Designers Network, both organizations dedicated to elevating the work and voices of black design professionals, are speaking up—and top industry players are starting to take notice.
Murray Moss on the Ephemeral Nature of Objects | Business of Home
Following his first lecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, Murray Moss was approached by a man modeling a beige suit jacket embellished with 75 neck ties that he had hot-glued himself. He spun around for the design icon, awaiting his reaction. “Well tailored,” said Moss warmly, studying it without getting up from his chair. For his lecture, Moss, who will spearhead an off-campus program for RISD this spring at his home in Hamden, Connecticut, had planned on speaking about the narrative embedded in certain objects, whether they be functional, decorative or art. But, about two hours before Wednesday’s lecture, he revealed that the concept was nonsense.
Bobby Berk on his ‘Queer Eye’ fame and the opportunities it created | Business of Home
Design can be a thankless job. No one knows this better than Bobby Berk (please, hold your applause). In his role as resident interior designer on Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye, which released its third season on Friday, Berk shines in every moment on camera. Whether he’s staring down the lens and reminding us we all fall on the spectrum between masculine and feminine, or, in a three-day restaurant renovation, dedicating a mural of newspaper clips to the owners’ family history, Berk serves both the clients and viewers with his dry wit and warm spirit.
14 Awesome Ways to Use Black Beans | Rachael Ray Every Day
Got an extra can of black beans kicking around your pantry? Whether you're craving tacos, veggie burgers, nachos, or chili, beans are a great way to add texture and protein to almost any meal!
9 Cherry Recipes to Celebrate Summer | Rachael Ray Every Day
If you love cherries as much as we do, you could probably polish off a whole bag in one sitting. These little red wonders are peaking right now, so make the most of the season with these sweet and savory recipes.
Homelessness is a design challenge | Business of Home
To designer Lex Roman, who cites the L.A. County government’s action plan toward homelessness as an example, the solution is straightforward: more housing. Specifically, permanent supportive housing that’s designed to help those transitioning out of homelessness (and offer health care, psychiatric services, ESL, job training and other programs people need to sustain themselves). But public stigma toward homelessness and transitional housing is often a roadblock. That’s where designers come in.
How Sensory Design is Creating Healthier Homes | Business of Home
Looking at a photograph of a beautiful room is a visual experience. But entering into the physical space can inspire all of the senses—and to great effect. The notion that “sensory design” can improve health by connecting the body and mind has begun to gain traction, and brands are taking note: “Sensory design is an integral part of wellness [in spaces] where we live, work and play,” Sara Pereira, associate product manager at bath technology company Kohler, tells Business of Home. “Elements like light and sound have a great impact on how we experience a space. As designers and homeowners alike become more educated on the power of design on the wellness of a space, I anticipate it will grow in popularity.”
This Product Line was Crowd-Sourced With the Help of 10,000 Fans | Business of Home
Need to design the perfect product? Just ask your audience of 13 million what it should look like. More than 10,000 people helped Food52 design its new double-sided cutting board—which debuted this week as part of Five Two, the brand’s first direct-to-consumer line of kitchen and home products designed in-house—via surveys promoted on the brand’s site, social media and email outreach.
New Study Suggests Smart Homes are Revenue Path for Designers | Business of Home
Good news for designers—particularly those fond of integrating smart technology into their home projects. California-based consulting and market analysis company Frost & Sullivan recently predicted that the homes and buildings industry would reach $1.19 billion this year. With double-digit growth in connected homes and LED lighting, the survey cited the incorporation of smart technology into residential and commercial spaces, along with other disruptive innovations, as growing streams of revenue.
On the Beat: Power Bars | Business of Home
Here’s a trend we’ll raise a glass to: Entertaining at home is on the rise, and the bar cabinet is becoming a household essential. “My clients love to end their days unwinding in a comfortable room with their favorite cocktail, and I know I do too,” says interior designer Barclay Butera.
A Chance For Change | Curio Magazine
Depending on who’s looking, project-based housing in Harrisonburg is a sore reminder of the city’s high homeless population. But for those who have no place else to go, they’re a glimmer of hope.
After six suicides, a school changes. Woodson needs to do even more, alums say. | The Washington Post
There are specific events in life that will never be forgotten. As students who went to W.T. Woodson High School in 2014, we will always remember when we heard our principal at the time, Jeff Yost, come over the loudspeaker and with a solemn tone announced the death of a fellow student.
The secret lives of student drug dealers | The Breeze
All it took was for one guy to walk away with a safe box and the glamour of selling marijuana was ruined. $700 in cash and $500 in supplies were stolen right from an open door in a bedroom, taken by a stranger who was visiting JMU for the weekend.
JMU student produces two albums after audition on 'The Voice' | The Breeze
Gina Castanzo is two different people. When she’s performing, she’s Gina Zo. People notice Gina Zo. She’s cool. Castanzo, 20, is cool, but not that cool. She’s a pescatarian. She loves nature. She keeps a prayer box next to her bed. She walks outside and takes a breath of fresh air every morning, just because it makes her feel good. There’s a broken toilet seat hanging proudly on her living room wall that says, in black Sharpie, “Gina broke this.”
Deck the Halls: Holiday Decorating is All About Intention and Expression | Daily News-Record
Ribbons, greenery, lights and other Tinseltown art are a passion for some, and a hassle for others (We get it; trees are heavy). If you're a new homeowner, live on your own, or are trying to freshen up your look, there are a few decorating tenets to stick to as you navigate the aisles and aisles of cheer.
Like No Other: One of a Kind, Local, International Restaurants are In a League of Their Own | Daily News-Record
Harrisonburg is a diverse city, and its restaurant scene reflects that. Food is a way to spread culture and make people happy, bringing them together in the process. For a few owners of international restaurants, they are the only ones of their kind in the area.
Kombucha Makes a Comeback | Daily News-Record
Kombucha sits on the shelf next to its brothers and sisters: smoothies, pressed juice, apple cider vinegar and kefir. Its food equivalent, sauerkraut, has all the charm of a bucket of fish heads. Kombucha is made by mixing tea (typically black) with what's belovedly known as "Mother" or SCOBY, which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.
This Free Program Teaches Underprivileged Girls About Computer Science | BUST Magazine
Every day, thousands of people come to the American Museum of Natural History to learn about science. They explore the exhibits that were painstakingly curated by scientists and broken down by data visualists to spread a love of science.
'I hoped it wasn't real': Eyewitnesses discuss Tuesday's incident on Devon Lane | The Breeze
“Your roommate’s a snitch,” Nikitin, 21, told Hussain while he was still in bed. That was the beginning of what would later turn into the standoff, with Nikitin barricaded in the apartment with a firearm. Nikitin was charged Tuesday afternoon for the day’s events, as well as an incident over the weekend.
How to decorate a room to scale | Northern Virginia Magazine
You made eye contact across the room and couldn’t bear to look away. As soon as you saw that beautiful 40-inch lamp, you were just dying to take it home. So naturally, you did, but once you tried to fit it in your living room, something was a little off.
Ed Helms' bluegrass band The Lonesome Trio to come to The Birchmere June 4 | Northern Virginia Magazine
Sure, its members might live at opposite ends of the country. They have successful careers that have unfortunately taken them in completely different directions, and they deal with schedules that give a new definition to the word “conflicting.”
Why We Still Need to Talk About Woody Allen | BUST Magazine
Last week, Ronan Farrow, son of famous director and alleged child molester Woody Allen, published a letter in The Hollywood Reporter discussing how the media avoid the hard questions, dodging what may limit their access to other celebrities through Allen’s PR representation.
Meet our cover star, Scarlet! | Madison 101 Magazine
Our cover star Scarlet Racey is a fiery force of change. Racey has spent a large portion of her life and collegiate career influencing how students with disabilities are aided on JMU’s campus. By bringing attention to the disabled community, the senior social work major fosters conversation among university powers.
The Feminist Reason Why Millennials Are Having Less Sex | BUST Magazine
Being pressured to have sex just isn't cool anymore, according to a new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. The study, which came out Tuesday, states that while the vast majority of young people are still doing the big bang, many are decidedly not.
The Blues Man | Northern Virginia Magazine
Math is hard. Engineering is even harder. But the seventh-grade students of George Washington Middle School’s Inventions and Innovations class get a fun introduction to these complex concepts by building cigar box guitars.
An Open Letter to Stanford Rapist Brock Turner's Dad | BUST Magazine
Last Friday, Brock Turner, 20, a Stanford University student and champion swimmer, was found guilty of publicly raping an unconscious woman. The woman was then a college graduate living at home with her parents, who had a serious boyfriend, and attended a fraternity party with her younger sister.
Netflix's newest show is quirky, forward-thinking | The Breeze
“Females are strong as hell.” That’s the main refrain in the auto-tuned theme song for Netflix’s newest original series, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” It’s a sitcom about a woman who survives entrapment in an underground bunker for 15 years by a sadistic cult leader and then takes on New York City to move on.
#WhyIMarch: One JMU student's experience at the Women's March | The Breeze
The metro stop at L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., was a sea of pink knitted “pussy” hats and signs that read, “My Body, My Rights,” and “I am woman, hear me roar.”
Wildfire rages through Shenandoah National Park | The Breeze
From a farm in McGaheysville, pristine dots dip down from the haze of smoke-filled skies in Shenandoah National Park. A chain of National Park Service helicopters dip into South Fork Shenandoah River to pour water over the flames, attempting to contain them. The surrounding area is eerily quiet.