ArcaMax

I had a frilly pink dress in second grade that I only wore a handful of times. There are some photos of me striking some sharp poses in our backyard, but after I outgrew that dress, I didn't follow up with any similarly typical frilly costumes of girlhood. As I grew, I went with comfort over style for a long time -- and some might say even to ...Read more

Starting at about second grade, when the novelty of reading about a family of bears started to wear off, I inhaled ghost stories. One of my favorites was "Wait Till Helen Comes" by Mary Downing Hahn. It was about dead kids, dead parents, and, the cherry on top of a trauma sundae, navigating a blended family.

I was lucky as a child. I didn't ...Read more

I'm probably not supposed to admit this, especially as a writer, but I'm not afraid of AI. I don't think it's here to steal our souls or our jobs. In fact, I think it might help us rediscover what's uniquely human and how we feel about those core principles of ourselves.

According to the general vibe on social media, AI is the next tidal wave ...Read more

It started with a comment during school pickup, something my mom said about the china plates she remembered from her parents' home. The delicate plates and cups, which were kept behind glass, were reserved for use only once or twice a year. I mentioned that the china was a good metaphor for the differences in our generation. Hers kept some ...Read more

I waited to return her call until I had all the information I could get. Unfortunately, the ultimate why for the destruction of the trees was beyond my reach.

She left a message in a resigned panic. She couldn't stop those cutting down the old mesquite trees, even though she tried to reach out to the postmaster at two of the post offices in ...Read more

You know that line from "The Avengers," where Bruce Banner turns to Captain America and says, "That's my secret, Cap: I'm always angry"? I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Because I think that's where the youth are now. And as a middle-aged youth, that's where I still am, too.

After a youth shooting, our city is about to have a series ...Read more

The victims of the shooting could have been at the table next to us at Olive Garden. Or, it could have been the shooters. It's hard to know.

The table had a group of young men, perhaps in their late teens or early 20s, wearing their grown bodies like oversized coats inherited from their fathers. My son and I shared the wall-length booth with ...Read more

For millennials and Gen Z, life is mediocre. Whatever we label the drive for overachievement -- the hustle, the grind, or paying your dues -- we've found that it doesn't necessarily lead to success. Especially if we've redefined what that looks like for us.

It's not just about money. Working 40, 50, or even 60 hours a week with one or two jobs ...Read more

A few years ago, a friend of mine asked if I'd be willing to be the emergency contact for her kids at their school. I told her it would be an honor to be a part of her village.

We say it all the time: "It takes a village." But we rarely stop to consider what that actually means. We long for community and a sense of belonging, for people to show...Read more

As millennials, we were told not to have kids until we were financially responsible. The world had to be just right. Our careers should be stable. Our savings, sufficient. Our ducks? In a row. Yet, the same generation that was warned about the unpredictability of parenthood was also sold on the idea that homeownership was the key to stability. ...Read more

It feels like there are people in America who wake up every morning, stretch like a cartoon villain, and immediately start working to make things worse. They clog up school board meetings, launch unhinged Facebook rants, and propose legislation that makes you check if it's satire. And you know what? They do it with confidence that would be ...Read more