Columnists

06/17/2026 · Cook & Lake Region

The One Thing Your Nervous System Actually Needs (And It's Not Another App)

You've probably heard about grounding techniques, but nobody tells you why your body is literally demanding them right now—or how to actually use one without feeling ridiculous.

06/16/2026

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Column

Why We Keep Misreading Emily Dickinson—And What Her Dashes Actually Mean

Those scattered punctuation marks aren't poetic affectation. They're Dickinson's secret language for slowing you down, and once you hear it, you can't unhear it.

06/16/2026

Column

The Dangerous Comfort of the Unexamined Quote

We share inspiring quotes constantly—but most of us have never actually read the books they came from. That gap between the quote and its context is where meaning dies.

06/16/2026

Column

The Fed Just Admitted It Has No Idea When Inflation Stops, and Markets Called Them on It

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell opened the door to rate cuts this week, and investors immediately punished him for the contradiction. Here's what actually happened behind the closed door.

06/16/2026

Column

My Partner Won't Stop Comparing Me to His Ex—And I'm Losing It

He says it's just "objective observation," but hearing "My ex always remembered my coffee order" one more time might actually end us. How do I make him stop without sounding jealous and crazy?

06/16/2026

Column

Skip the State Capital—Go to the Courthouse Town Instead

Every state has one: a small town built around a historic courthouse that time mostly forgot. Here's why your next weekend should happen there.

06/17/2026

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