On the short list of places known for creating the world's oldest writing systems, Africa doesn't often make the cut. But for thousands of years, people across the continent have made and used a rich ...

This is not a cautionary tale…Welcome to a speech about “Writing and the Meaning of Life.” I want to thank my host and dear friend Mark Trahant for giving my talk that title. It’s the best lesson I’ve ...

"So, if you have found something that brings you meaning—whether a hobby, a cause, a learning experience or a creative endeavor—but fear that life's constraints will hold you back from engaging in it, ...

Aloïse Corbaz, “Materdolorosa” (1922), graphite, ink, and colored pencil on card stock, 3.7 x 5.6 inches (photo by Sarah Baehler, Atelier de numérisation, Ville de Lausanne, courtesy Collection de ...

Assistant Teaching Professor of Global Arts, Media and Writing Studies, University of California, Merced Ordinary and universal, the act of writing changes the brain. From dashing off a heated text ...

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman points out that "experienced happiness" refers to your feelings, to how happy you are as you live your life. In contrast, the satisfaction of the remembering self refers ...

A few weeks ago, Ottessa Moshfegh, the author of the new short-story collection Homesick for Another World, sent me a video of the Scottish-born singer Lena Zavaroni. I couldn’t believe I’d never ...