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Meet Niat Amare

March 28, 2023 in Lawyer, Immigration Specialist

Niat is a lawyer who moved to the US in the early 2010s from Ethiopia’s conflict-torn Tigray region. Marked early by social and political injustice, her childhood and upbringing caused Niat to embark on a legal career that focuses on immigration, human rights, and gender-related issues — fields that have taught her much about our shared human experience. We speak about the traumatic experiences that sparked her professional ambitions, activism, and what lasting effect the ongoing conflict in her home country has had on her life and sense of self.

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Meet DeNeita Watson

February 28, 2023 in Postal Worker

Postal worker DeNeita Watson is most likely to be spotted on the road — her daily 9-mile walking route through Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, to be exact. After growing up with a single mother in South Carolina and having not one, but two children straight out of high school, she moved over ten years ago to take advantage of her familial support system in the city and leave behind memories of a destructive relationship. DeNeita talks to us about early motherhood, the physical ramifications of her job, and how her fashion sense has evolved over the years.

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Meet Meryanne Loum-Martin

February 14, 2023 in Hotelier, Interior Designer

Meryanne Loum-Martin’s morning commute is likely the most picturesque of any passerby to date: having made her permanent home in Marrakesh after spending much of her childhood on the go as the daughter of a diplomat, she now walks past palm trees on her way to the office. We talk to Meryanne about her definition of home, the importance of independence in marriage, and why, for her, staying intellectually challenged is the key to youth and happiness.

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Meet Miyako Bellizzi

January 31, 2023 in Stylist, Costume Designer

Costume designer Miyako Bellizzi, the brain behind the character-defining looks for movies like Uncut Gems, Good Time, or HBO’s hit show Scenes from a Marriage, sees her role as “cultural anthropologist with a specialization in clothing.” Born in the Bay Area, Miyako moved to NYC 15 years ago to embark on a multi-faceted career across film, tv, editorial, and print that is marked by patience and her DIY attitude. We speak to the fashion maven about growing up in a family of stylish women, her research process, and home-made beauty remedies.

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Meet Naomi Fry

January 17, 2023 in Writer

If you’ve ever read one of Naomi Fry’s pieces for The New Yorker — or follow her on social media, for that matter — you know that her sense of humor and ability to curate culture into text (from highbrow art all the way to reality tv) is unparalleled. In our conversation, she speaks about growing up across two continents, the financial aspects of raising a family in NYC, and why she’ll never quite feel a sense of belonging in America.

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Meet Hengameh Farhang

December 20, 2022 in Retiree

Speaking to Hengameh Farhang about her life experience to date feels like a roller coaster ride: born in Iran, she has uprooted more often than most, first moving to Paris for school and business, then Dubai for love, the US for her daughter, and finally back to France to save her physical and mental health. In this interview, she speaks to us about her three abortions, opening up a business as a young woman, and navigating marriage despite her ex-husband’s addiction issues.

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Meet Elsa Dorlin

December 06, 2022 in Philosopher

French philosopher and professor Elsa Dorlin has devoted most of her career to exploring the relations between violence, gender, and race, which she brought to the old-fashioned philosophy department of the Sorbonne, winning awards on the way. In this interview, she talks to us about her political background, and anti-capitalist commitment which she considers the most fundamental political question of our time, and the issue with contemporary feminism.

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Meet Laurie Simmons

November 09, 2022 in Artist

We might have never come to know Laurie Simmons for her sharp critiques of gender, mass media, and consumerism or as part of New York City’s celebrated Pictures Generation if it hadn’t been for an unsuspecting downtown psychic in 1972. “Join the photography club. You'll meet people, and you'll make friends.” Following this advice set Laurie off on a path of integrity, grit, and curiosity through decades as an artist, wife, and mother. We talked to her about the importance of prioritizing friendship, why a successful marriage is based on accountability, and being unapologetically feminine for the first time in her life.

Camera Roll with Tala Ashe

October 25, 2022 in Actor

In a special edition of our Camera Roll series — where we glimpse into the current moment through an in-depth look at our interviewee’s phones — we speak to Iranian-American actor Tala Ashe about the political situation in her native country of Iran and how she captures the things that matter to her right now.

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Life in 10 Tracks with Fatima Robinson

October 11, 2022 in Choreographer

For Fatima Robinson, the accolades are endless — from starting her career as a choreographer for Michael Jackson’s Remember the Time to lending her vision to numerous Super Bowl halftime shows and a Beyoncé Academy Awards performance. We caught up with her while on break from filming the forthcoming remake of The Color Purple in Savannah, Georgia.

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Meet Josephine Hack

September 27, 2022 in Engineer

One of mechanical engineer Josephine Hack‘s most prominent character traits is curiosity — along with a high degree of self-reflection that applies as much to her career at Brooklyn startup Terra Kaffe as to her philosophy on beauty and fashion. She talks to us about the effects of nature on her mental health, working in a male-dominated industry, and why she likes to wear dresses on hikes.

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Reality Bites with Maddi Bragg

September 13, 2022 in Content Creator, Chef

Maddi Bragg’s first foray into the professional food world was as a sous-chef during a social media break — a necessary step back for the YouTube phenomenon with 1.1 M subscribers. In this conversation, she elaborates on seasonal shopping, leaving home and supporting herself at 16, and her desert island cooking essentials.

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Reality Bites with Fiorella Valdesolo

August 16, 2022 in Writer, Editor

As a writer and editor for the likes of Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, or Vogue, and co-founder of James Beard award-winning food magazine Gather Journal, Fiorella Valdesolo can look back at years of powerful epicurean storytelling. In this conversation, she elaborates on her two-breakfast routine, the NYT cooking app’s comments section, and why we should all eat more kraut.

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Life in 10 Tracks with Ambar Lucid

August 02, 2022 in Musician

Ambar Lucid has come a long way since sharing her first cover on YouTube. She talks about tracks that transport her back in time and reveals what song cures relationship problems when shouted at the top of your lungs.

Meet Rose

July 19, 2022 in Housekeeper

“I have to keep going.” Housekeeper Rose came to the US at 22, leaving her young children in Mexico to provide them with a better life. In this conversation, Rose opens up about her difficult youth, how religion has helped her, and prioritizing family above all else.

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Meet Helen Radulovic

July 08, 2022 in Boxer, Personal Trainer

Helen Radulovic is a self-proclaimed fan of taking the long path: “It will help you become stronger, more experienced, and prepared for all the challenges life brings upon you.” We talk to Helen about uprooting her life mid-thirties to move to a foreign country, turning her basement into a walk-in closet, and why she doesn’t subscribe to traditional communist ideals about women and family.

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Meet Allison Escoto

July 07, 2022 in Librarian

Allison Escoto can’t remember a time without books. She tells us about what makes a good book, her penchant for vintage fashion, and how she protects her hair during early morning swims.

Camera Roll with Andrekza

July 05, 2022 in Musician

Musician Andrekza spends most of her days looking at a screen. The self-declared workaholic doesn’t just use her phone to keep track of song ideas or mark architectural details in the cities she visits. She also runs multiple side gigs from the handheld device — including a fashion venture and successful production company. When it comes to her main creative endeavour, however, Andrekza prefers the quiet surroundings of her studio — or, as she calls it, her “house of inspiration and creation”. There, she can usually be found in the company of her pet bunny Benni. A closer look at the artist’s creative process reveals a longing for emotional connection and presence that explains her prioritisation of the quiet moments. Here, she talks to us about how she keeps track of memories, finding inspiration in other disciplines, and why it’s good to take selfies when you’re sad.

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Camera Roll with Marina Sulmona

May 30, 2022 in Editor, Producer

Between leisure time spent flitting around her Clinton Hill neighborhood and beyond, Marina Sulmona takes on the role of working closely with artists to help bring their visions to life, in fully realized form — be it here, as passerby's treasured editor, or in the work she does as a producer and artist manager. Look carefully into her own creative practices and writing, and you'll notice how the act of joining imagery with words lies at heart. Together, her knack for working with artists and her own keen eye induce the multidisciplinary work she's done here — working with writers, taking stock of our audience's interests, and overseeing it all — and for other clients. Marina grants access into the intricate corners of her life in the conversation ahead, speaking about her obsessiveness, when she makes time to write, and saving movie still screenshots.

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Meet Connie Gao

May 24, 2022 in Marketer

A very recent recipient of an MBA with a focus on leadership from Columbia Business School, Connie Gao earned her degree while working full-time as Book of the Month's Marketing Director. Though her career and academic life are both — alone and together — amply impressive, she still makes time to enjoy life's pleasures. A big fan of the Chelsea Market (and self-proclaimed "huge foodie"), Connie's often spotted perusing its boutiques on her way to "buy fresh seafood from The Lobster Place." In this interview, she describes the challenges she faced as a teen who grew up in China and landed at prep school in Connecticut, the qualities that make an excellent leader, and how her relationship with her mom has evolved over the years.