First, some news: I am no longer Algiers’ foremost lady of leisure. (As much as this city lends itself to leisure, anyway). I have traded my well-worn pajama pants for pants with a zipper and a button as I have again found myself having a real pants-wearing job. This job is both a real, as […]
A few days before we left beloved Madrid, I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop attempting to order a filter coffee. I knew this place didn’t sell filter/drip/pour-over coffee, but still I liked to ask because how else will they know there’s a demand for something other than bitter espresso drinks? A guy sitting next […]
I no longer live in Madrid. This is a sad fact that I’ll just have to deal with. But as a temporary resident of that beautiful city, I’ve been called on now and then to provide recommendations for those visiting. So I figured I’d put back on my Dame in Spain hat and present to […]
Every grocery store here seems to have “Super” in its name, like Super Deal or Super Sol. I don’t read Hebrew, so I’ll just go ahead and assume the grocery store closest to my apartment is called Super Sad because everyone in it wears a frown and if it was sunny when I entered the store, nine times […]
I’m three-quarters of the way through the low-residency MFA program at New York University and I can say with some confidence that after three intensive residencies in Paris, monthly writing deadlines, and the mentorship of several accomplished authors, I am now a better writer. I can also say with confidence that because I am a […]
Our Spanish tour is on its last legs. Soon, it’ll be hummus and ancient history in Jerusalem in lieu of siestas and tapas. I’ve got two months left here, and you can bet I’ll be savoring my favorite Spanish things during that time. Here’s what I’ll miss most when I leave: 1. Cheap (and Good) […]
One of the more interesting parts of this moving around all the time thing (or, really, one of the more interesting parts of travel) is the markets and grocery stores. Everywhere I go, the grocery stores are so different – different products, different ways of paying, different people – and yet, in many ways, they […]
This summer is off to a busy start. With house guests, trips, and another residency for NYU’s Paris Writer’s Program, I’ve been neglecting this blog, and I’m sorry. I’m currently in Paris, hearing from famous authors such as Zadie Smith and Lydia Davis and generally pinching myself each day. While I’m trying to be present […]
…Jerusalem! Surprised? Remember back when I painstakingly outlined all the pros and cons of moving to seven different cities and asked ya’ll to vote? Well, the winner, Lima, Peru, and all the rest of the places for that matter — London and Papau New Guinea among them — didn’t pan out. We were without […]
1. Have a big accomplishment right before your birthday Load your schedule in such a way that you’ll be done with a big project right before your big day. I turned in this semester’s last packet of writing for my creative writing graduate program and I had an article published on Slate about my great-grandmother’s […]
The Next Dinner Party 