Life Lives is a a diary of a life lived reading, writing, traveling, and w(a)(o)ndering. I started this newsletter in January 2024 to encourage myself to think about the books, movies, art, and television that challenge me, inspire me, and keep me up at night.
The name of this Substack is plucked from a Charles Baudelaire quote that I love:
“Looking from outside into an open window one never sees as much as when one looks through a closed window. There is nothing more profound, more mysterious, more pregnant, more insidious, more dazzling than a window lighted by a single candle. What one can see out in the sunlight is always less interesting than what goes on behind a windowpane. In that black or luminous square life lives, life dreams, life suffers.”
Reading is my favorite form of storytelling, but I like to think deeply about all forms of narrative. Movies, TV shows, museums, particularly meaty New Yorker cartoons—etc. In this space, I share what art I’m currently obsessed with and why I think it’s so great to (hopefully) get you excited about the stories around you.
I post once weekly, sometimes twice if I’m feeling verbose. Some of these posts will be free, but a paid subscription will gain you access to my best posts and literary recommendations.
That’s me! I’m a health and wellness writer living in Los Angeles. My journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Runner’s World, and Outside, among others. But, honestly, my heart belongs to reading and creative writing.
If you want to support me and Life Lives, please consider upgrading to paid. Paid subscribers receive four full posts a month, as well as the occasional bonus post. That means: all the recommendations, essays, and takes I dish out. Going behind the paywall also means that you’ll be supporting my writing dreams, and that means the world to me. In fact, it makes me feel like this:
If you’re not ready to sign up for a paid membership, consider paying what you can. It helps me continue to do the work I love.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Elena Ferrante
Why I Write, 02: Shelter From the Storm
Thank you for reading and subscribing to Life Lives!
