PinnedMember-onlyDiscovered! The Lost Novels of Nellie Bly!It was the first day of December, 2019, and like Alice, I was down a rabbit hole. I was working on a short-story follow-up to What Girls Are Good For, my 2018 novel following the early career of groundbreaking undercover reporter Nellie Bly. …Journalism10 min readJournalism10 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThe Only Relationship Question You Ever Need To AnswerOver the years, a fair number of people have approached my wife and me for relationship advice. I guess we look like we have our shit together. When people ask us for the secret to our marriage, Jan often quotes an old NPR story about a couple that had been…Life Lessons5 min readLife Lessons5 min read
Nov 13Member-onlyExposed by Nellie BlySunday, November 11, 1888 A Swindling Magnetic “Doctor” Caught at His Tricks Prof. Ernest De Blanc, of Brooklyn, Proves to be a Notorious Criminal He Has Advertised to Give a Big Free Exhibition To-Night, but “The World’s” Active Reporter Discovered Him Just in Time — His Ingeniously Secreted Electric Wires…Journalism14 min readJournalism14 min read
Sep 4Member-onlyShakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet: Comedy Subverted, Tragedy Reinvented“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” William Shakespeare’s The Tragedie Of Romeo And Juliet reinvented theatrical Tragedy by taking standard Comedic elements and subverting them, with unhappy outcomes. This makes Romeo & Juliet less a Tragedy than a Comedy-Gone-Wrong. While it is strange today to think of Shakespeare as being a subversive playwright, from the first…Shakespeare15 min readShakespeare15 min read
Aug 24Member-onlyNellie Bly — Woman’s Part In PoliticsSunday, August 12, 1888 Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood Talks About Herself to Nellie Bly The Feminine Candidate for the Presidency of This Great Country Thinks She Has a Fighting Chance — Mrs. Cleveland, However, Is Stronger — Something About Her Home Life — Her Washington Office. Equal Rights. — We…Journalism9 min readJournalism9 min read
Jun 25, 2022Member-onlyA Post For MenThis is a post for the men. Not gonna debate abortion with you. Women should have bodily autonomy, full stop. I want to make a broader point: We do not get to the Supreme Court overturning Roe without a lot of men hating women. You probably didn’t know this, but…Abortion2 min readAbortion2 min read
May 10, 2022Member-only“Oh Honey, You Shouldn’t Be Here.” — Our Abortion StoryThis was originally published under a pseudonym. With the looming repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision, it seems a more important topic than ever to discuss openly. My wife and I make great kids. We’re just really bad at being pregnant. It took us 18 months of trying to…Abortion12 min readAbortion12 min read
Mar 19, 2022Member-onlyPioneering Feminist Saw Danger of Corporate Greed in 1895Nellie Bly called corporations “Great Money-Grasping Machines, Headless and Heartless.” NELLIE BLY SAYS New York World — February 19, 1895 I hear so much about the employed having no loyalty for their employers. Who says anything about the employer having no loyalty for his employees? No one. And yet this is the secret of the whole trouble. There is almost…Corporations4 min readCorporations4 min read
Jan 28, 2022Member-onlyNellie Bly — It Pays to Treat Employees RightNellie Bly’s 1921 Article About Bad Employers From the start of her reporting career in 1885 to her final days in 1921, Nellie Bly was always — always — a champion for the rights of working women. For all the stunts, all the travel, her guiding star was ever women’s…Nellie Bly7 min readNellie Bly7 min read
Jan 27, 2022Member-onlyNellie Bly’s Last ColumnWeeks before her death, Nellie Bly continues to confound expectations Today marks the 100th anniversary of Nellie Bly’s tragic death of pneumonia. I’ve been watching with delight as people pen articles, listicles, and tributes to this amazing woman. She deserves all of it, and more. Bly has made up a…Nellie Bly6 min readNellie Bly6 min read
