Recent Work

The problem with all our fears is that they tell good stories. The plots may vary, but the core message is unsettling. It’s about uncertainty, about our profound lack of control over our lives, on this planet, in this universe.

We find so much comfort in the presence of others, sometimes without realizing it. Even having someone in the next room is a comfort. But when the house is still and there’s nothing else to do, the self confronts. And we would do almost anything to avoid hearing what it has to say.

Americans don’t need to name their success stories constantly because they’re all sewn into the tech mythology. But history is being made in real time by Canadians at home and abroad in an industry that has little narrative of its own.

At night, by candlelight, the world feels enduring, ancient and slow. To sit and stare at a candle is to drop through a portal to a time when firelight was the alpha and omega of our days.

How is it possible that elderly falls still claim as many American lives as some forms of cancer? As Baby Boomer demographics intensify the crisis, some emerging tech may help.

Tech culture rewards disruptors. But the process of getting a new drug or medical device to market is long and convoluted. Can tech innovation can find common ground with scientific products in the health sector? Under certain conditions, VCs say.

When it comes to the mecca of sourdough, separating scientific fact from lore means breaking a few taboos. Also, baking your own highly questionable bread — for science.

An essay for The Walrus about how we grapple with the deep question of belonging in Trump’s America, seen though the lens of growing up in a Quebec that was pushing for separation — and pushing my family out.

In grade 8, Julia Scott was bullied so badly by a group of girls that she changed schools without telling anyone. Soon after, the girls from her old school showed up at her house and rang her doorbell.

Five years ago, Caleb Orozco lent his name to a legal challenge to overturn Belize’s anti-sodomy laws. Now his name is a national slur.

“So are you guys in an equilateral triangle, or are you more of a V?” A dark-haired woman leans over to an eager-looking young couple seated next to her and holds up her thumb and forefinger. Each of the V signifies a person; the fleshy connective tissue between them stands for the partner to whom they’re both sexually connected.

Edited by Julia Scott, this hilarious collection includes authentic and original pretentious poetry, tedious journal entries, and rambling fiction by an amazing roster of writers including Dave Eggers, Gillian Flynn, Rick Moody, Chuck Palahniuk, Mary Roach, Amy Tan and others.