Bring it on, 2022. — In 2020 I published a list of the neurodivergent thinkers whose books rocked that year. As I fear that not only has “neurodiversity” recently gone astray, but so has most nuanced discourse about the particulars of human life, I hereby present to you an entirely different kind of list, which…

My hope for 2022 is that nuance in public discourse makes a comeback. — My father was raised Jewish and my mother was raised Baptist. I was raised Baha’i. I grew up mostly around Black and Asian families in the heart of San Francisco and was the minority in school as a racialized white kid. At 12 years old a boy who had a…

On a Movement Undermining its Own Linguistic Innovation — I do my best thinking against the hum of long international flights, normally over the Pacific. I often melt into airplane seats, my body collapsing, finding rest for more hours at a time than my usual suburban life in Northern California allows. My husband is originally from Nepal and so…

Here’s how to reframe and harness the woo, with tips. — Spiritual new age woo-woo has struck a chord for a reason in the West — we are nations of trauma. …

The entrenched hierarchy is beginning to crumble — is the industry ready for a radical makeover? — The same flippant look and smile emerge from the women sitting across the table from me — senior level executives in Hollywood talking about “social responsibility,” but with zero followup. I’m accustomed to the caricature of this in film and TV — eery wide-eyed smiles — but to actually witness…

Americans need to interrogate their failure of moral imagination, and pop culture needs to participate. — I sit at a juxtaposition as an interracial family advocate and mental illness media strategist and the killing spree of six Asian American women in Atlanta leaves me in paralysis. The murderer’s horrifying behavior was a hateful choice he made, not the result of mental illness, as much as people…

Why we need them now more than ever. — The cold linoleum floor was a comfort to my pale, frail, freckly 16-year-old legs, a place to ground my overwhelm and confusion as a sensitive youngster. My black hair always pulled back, my ears adorned with something, a long necklace draping my chest. Cement pathways etched the wavy hills of…

How to talk about mental health during the holidays and why it’s vital we create an anti-sanist culture — The year 2020 forced us to reimagine life on the planet in diverse ways — socially, ecologically, politically. …

The entrepreneur’s death highlights society’s role — Tony Hsieh, the beloved entrepreneur and bestselling author, died just shy of his 47th birthday due to a house fire during a time of his life that can best be described as a hazy blazing fire as well, as reports come out about his final days and months on drugs…