Narratively

I traveled around the country telling strangers how to better their lives—until I learned that the those offering to solve your problems are often the ones who need help.

An economically devastated swath of Appalachia became ground zero for America’s alarming epidemic of opioid addiction. These are the people trying desperately to lift themselves up and out.

I was a lonely writer in a strange new city. The Internet told me joining a book club would solve all my problems. But the Internet has never had to read historical romance about Hitler or earnestly discuss “The Help” with joyless Midwestern...

After a broken engagement, my daughter was just one more millennial moving back into her childhood bedroom. And I was one more aging parent feeling guilty for wanting my humble home to myself.