Published Work

“Marketing is persuasive; art is generous. Art does not have to provide any answers.”

— Our Art is Going to Get Us Through

“The sky grew darker and darker as he worked. Grandpa kept the peels on; that’s where the vitamins were, he said. Then he plunged them into the oil. The rain was coming down sideways and thunder shook the kitchen walls.”

— Grandpa’s Fries

“I am not at all surprised that my father has come back to earth in the form of a grey and white cat. It suits him. Like all cats, my father cares nothing about me or my life.”

“Paul Farenbacher was involved in something called the Instinctive Nutrition Movement, a group who smelled their food and then decided to eat it based on their intuitive reaction to the odour. They used to eat live shellfish, he told me. Right out of the ocean.”

— Paul Farenbacher’s Yard Sale

The strawberries still need to be washed. They tumble over one another like drumbeats in the silver colander. When I turn off the taps, I can see that each berry is a small heart.”

— This Cake Is for the Party

Magic has a mind of its own; it’s a force that’s bigger than us, bigger than we can understand. It probably encompasses everything. But if you believe in it, you have to make sure that you’re there to listen to it.”

— There’s No Place Like Home

“Reading LaineyGossip is like being in a media criticism class—except your cool, funny, chic, sarcastic, smart best friend is teaching. You show up for class early because you can’t wait to start thinking about stuff. Lui articulates ideas you haven’t even been able to put into words yet: why the Anthropologie catalogue makes you angry, or why that Mad Men episode felt insulting.”

— Gossip Girl

“With this move, I traded fast for slow, anxiety for calm. My all-black wardrobe was the first thing to go.”

— How Moving to the Country Changed my Style for the Better

“Florence is potent and gorgeous. At the Mercato Centrale the bins overflow, almost indecent: thick curves of porcini mushrooms, mottled magenta and white borlotti bean pods. The figs are ripe, chartreuse testicles. The plums — don’t get me started on the plums.”

— This Your Honeymoon

“When I got to work, there was no time to think about wanting to be at home watching Twin Peaks. I had to kick into gear in order to work efficiently for the seven or eight hours I was on the floor. Then it would be over, and I would say good night and drive home, my hair smelling like cheese buns and fried shrimp.”

—The Payoff

I was actually impressed by their efficiency. They’d demolished three floors in hardly any time at all. And yet. Even amidst all the chaos (there wasn’t a place to walk, because the floors were carpeted with everything we owned — all of our clothes, papers and provisions), there was one untouched element throughout the house.”