Personal Essays

Two masculine hands reach toward one another without touching, their fingertips separated by a small gap against a luminous sky that fades from cool blue to warm gold. The left hand softly dissolves into glowing particles, while the right hand remains solid and warmly lit, evoking connection, loss, and remembrance.

I Could Bring My Father Back as a Deadbot. I’d Rather Miss Him.

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What the AI afterlife industry gets wrong about grief.

Retro 16-bit pixel art illustration of three small propeller planes flying across a bright blue sky in warm late-afternoon light. Two planes remain side by side in formation while a third pulls ahead and climbs toward the upper right, leaving a faint white trail behind. Bare winter trees line the bottom edge of the wide image, creating a quiet, nostalgic scene inspired by 1990s flight simulator video games.

I Accidentally Sent a GIF to My Dead Friend’s Sister

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He would have found it hilarious. That's the thing about losing someone who knew you that well.

A couple embracing intimately in bed, their hands and bodies intertwined against white sheets.

What Death Taught Me About Sex and Desire

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I'm a hospice doctor pregnant with her sixth child. Wanting to feel alive is often how we survive it.

What Anticipatory Grief Really Feels Like When a Parent Is Dying

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How caregiving, role reversal, and messy emotions reshape relationships long before a parent’s death.

Two people sitting apart on a couch, not touching

“Take Care of Her” Became a Life Sentence

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How my mother’s final request bound me to a relationship I couldn’t fix—and couldn’t leave.

Aerial view of a fire-ravaged hillside in Altadena after the Eaton Fire, with blackened trees and ash-covered foundations surrounding a single intact, light-colored house still standing amid widespread destruction; smoke hangs in the sky.

My House Didn’t Burn. So Why Don’t I Feel Lucky?

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A year after the Eaton Fire, I see ambiguous loss everywhere.

Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella in My Old Ass – scene related to trauma and grief themes

Lo que “Mi yo del futuro” quiere que sepas sobre los “hubieras”, el amor y el duelo.

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Perder al amor de mi vida me enseñó la diferencia entre el anhelo y el arrepentimiento.

Maisy Stella meets the older version of herself, Aubrey Plaza in My Old Ass (Photo courtesy of Prime)

‘My Old Ass,’ Young Love’s Grief, and the ‘What Ifs’ We Carry

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Losing the love of my life taught me the difference between longing and regret.

4 Ways That Grief Rage Taught Me About Self-Preservation and Healing

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Losing both parents left me furious—at family, at the medical system, at myself. Here's what I learned from it.

Why I Stopped Trying to Cherish Every Moment

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Grieving and mothering changed how I hold joy, pain, and memory—all at the same time.

Dear Noah Kahan, ‘Godlight’ Helped Me Survive Perinatal Loss

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Thank you for the lyrics that somehow understood my soul and this seemingly impossible grief journey.

Writing the Story My Mother Never Got to Tell

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Long after her death, I used the tools of journalism to reckon with memory, regret, and love.

House with darkened windows and two lighted rooms

My Landlord Died From Cancer While We Sheltered In Place Together

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What it felt like to watch her slow, surreal demise during a slow, surreal moment in the world.

Grief Is My Neurodivergence

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I had trouble relating to my son's ADHD – until my muddled mind schooled me after his sudden death.

sound waves

Chemo Stole My Dad’s Hearing. Then, My Daughter Heard Her First Sound.

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Our family's circular journey through cochlear implants, loss, and good vibrations.

A group of three sad emoji faces

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay After a Stressful Political Outcome

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I'm struggling to keep bleak thoughts at bay after the U.S. election. But grieving now is the best gift we can give to ourselves and our communities.

Megaphone shouting "Four More Years!"

Kids Who Die – and Their Families – Deserved a Second Term

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A longer, healthier, carefree life is something most of us take for granted, but one that many parents can’t fathom.

Blurred image of a pregnant belly

Time Moves Differently When You’re Pregnant and Your Toddler is Dying

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As a healthy baby grew inside me, my focus was on actively mothering my dying daughter.

The Second Burial

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After my dad's sudden death, I had to delete his digital omnipresence over, and over, and over again.

A Trauma Therapist’s 3-Part Holiday Grief Plan

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Advice on dealing with All The Feelings during a complicated season.

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