Essays

Many literary journals and magazines reserve their web sites behind a pay wall. These journals cannot survive on goodwill, so please consider subscribing or seeking out an issue now and then in your local independent book store. Libraries are great resources for finding copies of literary journals as well.

Harper’s Magazine is one of my favorite things in the world. There are 171 years of back issues, and if you subscribe you can have access to all of them. Imagine being able to read everything here. If you simply want to buy a back issue, you can call the magazine at 212-420-5720.

Please don’t pirate my work. Share it if you’d like, but pay a fair price. Much obliged.

 

PUBLISHED ESSAYS:

Mere Belief, Harper’s, November, 2023

A Winner Every Time, Oregon Humanities, Summer, 2022

Everything Dies, Lion’s Roar, September, 2021

We, the Aliens, Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture, Winter 2020-21

Thing of Ether, Harper’s, December, 2020

The Sheep, Ploughshares, Winter 2019-2020

Curtains, in the anthology Apple, Tree: Writers on Their Parents, edited by Lise Funderburg (University of Nebraska Press, 2019)

Signs, Zyzzyva, Spring, 2019

Mirage, The Sun, Spring, 2019

Twelve Hours, Conjunctions, Spring, 2019

Catechism of the Waters, Harper’s, March, 2019

Out of TimeHarper’s, March, 2018

Traditional Chinese Massage Number 1Conjunctions, Fall, 2017

The Hinge Zyzzyva, Spring, 2017

The Buffet, an essay in What’s Wrong With Mindfulness (And What Isn’t), edited by Robert Rosenbaum and Barry Magid (Simon and Schuster, Oct. 2016)

Gaijin – Conjunctions, 2016

On Dignity – Tricycle, Summer, 2016

Miracles and Wonders: One Woman’s Search for the Perfect Bra – Harper’s, November, 2015

Self Care for Future Corpses – Tricycle, Winter, 2015

The Magic Toilet – Harper’s, June, 2015

Offshore Assets – Sunset, April, 2015

Push a Lizard into the Grass – Schwa Fire, March, 2015

The Indigo City – Web Conjunctions, August 12, 2014

Great Buddha Gym for All Mens and Womens – SheBooks, July, 2014

Here Be Monsters – Conjunctions, Winter, 2013

An Uncommon Pain – Harper’s, May, 2013

The One in Front of You – Harper’s, July, 2012

Falling – Conjunctions, #57, 2011

An Education – Vogue, July, 2011

On Spectrum – Harper’s, April, 2010

We are Causing a Commotion – Portland Magazine, June, 2010

As If There is Nothing to Lose – Tricycle, Spring, 2010

How Things Happen in Eye of My Heart, 2009 (Harper, NY)

Speaking in Tongues – Portland Magazine, Spring, 2009

Sutra of Maggots and Blowflies – Conjunctions, 2008

Twitchy – Antioch Review, Spring, 2008

The Deep End of the Ocean – Reader’s Digest, June, 2008

Washing Out Emptiness – Tricycle, Fall, 2007

Balls – Seattle Review, vol 1, #1, 2007

Chemo World – Harper’s, June, 2007

Beloved Community – Tricycle, Fall, 2006

Cadavers – Antioch Review, Spring, 2004

In the Realm of the Everlasting – Portland Magazine, Winter 2004

On Being Text – Creative Nonfiction, 2004

Scars – Portland Magazine, Winter, 2003

The Birth – Portland Magazine, Spring, 2003

Second Chair – Antioch Review, Fall, 2002

Recording – Threepenny Review, August, 2002

Seeing Clearly – Audubon, January, 2002

Violation – Tin House, Summer, 2001

Mean Cuisine – The Sun, Oct., 2000

One Taste – Copia, June, 2000

Portland From the Air – essay accompanying photographs, (Graphic Arts, Portland, 2000)

Rescuing Orchids – Audubon, Sept./Oct. 2000

Boy Crazy and Double Dare – in Mothers Who Think: Tales of Real-Life Parenthood (Villard, NY, 1999)

Manta Dance – Sierra, Sept. 1999

“I’m From Here,” –
Conde Nast Traveler, Nov. 1999

Wolves – in Lucky Break: How I Became a Writer, ed. by Howard Junker (Heinemann, 1999)

Marginalia – Portland Magazine, Spring, 1998

The First Time I Saw Florence – Conde Nast Traveler, March 1997

You Can’t Always Get What You Want – in Click: Becoming Feminists, ed. by Lynn Crosbie (Macfarlane,Walter and Ross, Canada, 1997)

Big Ideas – Antioch Review, Summer, 1997

The World Made Whole and Full of Flesh – in Secrets, ed. by Denny and Linny Stovall (Left Bank, Portland, 1996)

The Hounds of Spring – Salon, July 1996

Censors and Sensibilities – Mirabella, Jan. 1 1995

The Basement – in Home: American Writers Remember Rooms of Their Own, ed. by Sharon Sloan and Steve Fiffer (Pantheon, N, 1995)

Never Let the Locals See Your Map – Harper’s, September 1995

The Only Good Mongoose – Outside, Dec., 1994

The Buddhist Sex Quandary, Tricycle, Winter, 1994

Good Soldiers – The New Republic, Jan., 1994

Bowing, Tricycle, Fall, 1994

Meat – Antioch Review, Summer, 1994

The Happiest Place on Earth – in Kids’ Stuff, ed. by Denny and Linny Stovall (Left Bank, Portland, 1993)

The Weight That Women Carry – Harper’s, March, 1993

Sweet Surrender – Outside, October, 1993

Private Matters – Vogue, July, 1992

Talk Dirty to Me – Harper’s, Dec. 1992

It’s Been Real – Esquire, April 1991

Personal Best – Vogue, July 1991

Gentleman Caller – Zyzzyva, Fall, 1991

One Mother’s Gain – Vogue Dec. 1991

Neither Morons Nor Imbeciles Nor Idiots – Harper’s, June, 1990

Bound Upon a Wheel of Fire – Harper’s Jan., 1990

The Only Harmless Great Thing – New Yorker, Jan. 23, 1989

We Do Abortions Here – Harper’s, October, 1987

Orphans – Zyzzyva, Winter, 1986-87
ANTHOLOGIES

How Things Happen in Eye of My Heart, Barbara Graham, Ed., 2009 (Harper, NY)

Boy Crazy and Double Dare, in Mothers Who Think: Tales of Real-Life Parenthood (Villard, NY, 1999)

Wolves, in Lucky Break: How I Became a Writer, ed. by Howard Junker (Heinemann, 1999)

You Can’t Always Get What You Want, in Click: Becoming Feminists, ed. by Lynn Crosbie (Macfarlane,
Walter and Ross, Canada, 1997)

The Happiest Place on Earth, in Kids’ Stuff, ed. by Denny and Linny Stovall
(Left Bank, Portland, 1993)

The World Made Whole and Full of Flesh, in Secrets, ed. by Denny and Linny
Stovall (Left Bank, Portland, 1996)