Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty.

Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience. In the 1930s, Michelle Janning’s grandmother was living in a South ...

A man who lost his brother to suicide launched a letter-writing site to try to save lives — and over 400,000 letters have already been sent in two weeks. Ben West, 25, lost his younger brother Sam to ...

Writing down your goals in great detail, including in a letter to yourself, might feel a bit awkward, but it's a practice that's worked for many successful people — and neuroscience supports it. "I ...

The DOJ is probing Jerome Powell over his congressional testimony about the Fed building renovations. Powell sent a letter, dated July 14, 2025, to senators about the renovations. The letter provided ...

A brilliant prose stylist, confident, amiable, and wonderfully lucid when talking about other people’s problems, Updike rarely confessed or confronted his own. One day in the fall of 1951, when he was ...

A bill authored by state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, would create advisory groups largely made up of parents to recommend books for school libraries and give final say on which to procure to ...

Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US operation in Venezuela Hundreds of homes destroyed after power outage in Manitoba First Nation The facial feature experts say is an early warning sign of ...

I wondered if it was still cool for kids to write letters to Santa Claus. An old-fashioned letter, handwritten on paper, sealed in a paper envelope, with a return address and postage stamp. I used to ...

A handwritten thank-you note is a special way to show appreciation, as the medium becomes part of the message. Keep your message short and sincere, and send the note within two weeks of receiving a ...

Source: Caroline Leavitt It started young for me. I didn’t really have anyone to talk with. My father was a sulky, silent brute and I couldn’t risk getting yelled at or hit by speaking up. My mother ...

Now in its 113th year, Operation Santa, run by the United States Postal Service, allows children and families to send letters to Santa Claus. Those letters are posted online—personal details ...