When humorist Judy Gruen’s husband presented her with a visit to a spa for her birthday, she realized, “This was the first time I ever had a facial steam treatment other than when I opened the dishwasher in the middle of a load.”... Read More

“‘You go through life…’ ‘thinking you’ve pretty much seen it all.’ You think that maybe you’re even a little bit on the edge of things, she thought, a little daring. Then you get a peek of true underbelly, and you realize... Read More

“I enjoy nothing more,” wrote Jean-Baptiste Colbert, France’s Minister of Finance under King Louis XIV, “than making love, dining well and drinking the rich red wines of Bordeaux, and I am never more pleased when I can carry out... Read More

“Herman Melville Crazy” was the assessment of a typical review of his Pierre: or, the Ambiguities, published in 1852, the year following the appearance of Moby-Dick. Other reviews were similarly devastating: “sound, fury, and... Read More

In his college application essay, seventeen-year-old Ruchir Shah, the author of three historical comic books, writes that he was inspired to make history more interesting for children by portraying it in comic form. “As exciting as it... Read More

These quick bursts of cracked brilliance, these splintered bedtime stories for grown folks, have the power to make readers laugh, and then think… Then scoff at the futility of thinking. The lineage for this spirit of irony traces... Read More

Recently, the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul began developing a light rail system that would shuttle commuters, Twins baseball fans, and Mall of America shoppers across the metro areas. Plans to expand the lines are being embraced... Read More

At a kitchen table, a red-haired and dark-haired girl pull characters from a recipe file, settings from a cookie jar, and actions from an egg carton. Thrown into a mixing bowl, these ingredients will soon become a story. A smiling chef... Read More