The Purple Crayon
The mother of a college-age daughter faces the pain—and the promise—of an empty nest.
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Diana Divecha
Crossing a Line
“Crossing a line” is a common phrase these days, a staple of the American vernacular. But what does it really mean? Dozens of local writers took a crack at the topic this fall, submitting moving personal essays about line-crossing experiences of love, loss, and more. Here, our top five picks—and our gratitude to everyone who sent us their work.
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True Colors
Essayist Diana Divecha always feared dressing with style would undermine her legitimacy among psychology colleagues. But before heading off to college, her feminist daughters told her to take a second look in the mirror. Divecha writes about her rendezvous with some color and fashion experts.
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Home Sweet Home
Where the heart is, where you hang your hat, where you want to be . . . home is in the eye of the beholder. Autumn asks us to hunker down, trim away all but the essentials, and reflect on where we are. Four writers tell fresh stories about home–the ones they’ve lost, made, or found in unlikely places.
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Separated From the World by Choice
Hidden in the East Bay hills, the Carmelite nuns of Kensington live at the most secluded monastery in the United States.
Faces of the East Bay
Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Urges Parents to Discuss Race
A Cal psychologist has a simple prescription for race relations.
Being a Long-Distance Caregiver
Experts say that when caring for an elderly parent who lives far away, the most important thing is to join a support group with people experiencing the same challenges.
In the Philanthropic Swim
Rockridge residents John Bliss and Kim Thompson may live far removed the gritty flats of East and West Oakland. But this philanthropic couple see themselves as one with the citizens of Oakland, particularly those who are struggling financially, and they’re leading a campaign to get their “financially blessed” peers to invest in the community like they have by funding city programs to teach kids how to swim.
My Father, My Lie
Oakland author Meredith Maran accused her father of the ultimate betrayal. Then she un-accused him. In this first-person essay, adapted from her new book, My Lie, she reveals how it all went down.