Columnists

10/18/2026 · Somerville

The Two-Second Pause That Protects Your Time

You don’t need a perfectly worded boundary or a dramatic exit. Sometimes, you just need two seconds before answering.

10/17/2026

Shakespeare’s Secret for Writing About Time Without Saying “Time”

In Sonnet 73, Shakespeare doesn’t lecture us about aging—he gives us a fading year, a dying day, and a fire burning down to embers. The result is a small masterclass in making an invisible feeling impossible to ignore.

10/17/2026

Column

The Baldwin Test: Face It Before You Fix It

James Baldwin’s sharpest practical insight is not about courage in the abstract. It’s about the awkward first step that makes every real change possible: seeing the thing clearly enough to stop arguing with its existence.

10/17/2026

Column

The Tariff Circus Meets the Grocery Aisle

Washington keeps selling tariffs as a negotiating trick, while households see them as another bill. Congress also faces a funding fight, the Federal Reserve watches stubborn prices, and one quiet court battle could reshape federal power.

10/17/2026

Column