Tallulah Fontaine | The Walrus

Illustration of several plates containing cassava-based dishes like pie and sliced root. The plates are garnished with purple and green flowers.

First Person / January/February 2021

Why My Mother’s Cassava Pie Is More than a Comfort Food

December 11, 2020December 15, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

Learning the history of resistance behind my family’s favourite dish

Illustration of baseball cards, an open notebook, a baseball, and a tumbler of amber liquid with ice.

First Person / November/December 2020

Loving Sports at Any Age

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

Even in his eighties, my father dared the rest of us to keep up

Illustration of a person sitting at a table, turning his head to watch a woman in the kitchen.

First Person / September/October 2020

My Other Mother

August 20, 2020August 26, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

My nanny helped raise me. Now it’s time for me to get to know her children

Illustration of a woman on a couch playing guitar. In front of her is an open laptop on a coffee table; behind her is an easel with a painting of a sun. Scattered books and vases are around and beneath the table.

COVID-19 / First Person / July/August 2020

If a Book Is Published in a Pandemic, Will Anyone Read It?

May 21, 2020August 14, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

We already undervalue our artists. COVID-19 has only made it worse

Illustration of a dark haired woman, crouching to pet a rooster. Around her are two other chickens.

First Person / May 2020

We Turned Our Pet Chickens Into Dinner

April 17, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

First we bonded over our unusual pets. Then we bonded over butchering them

Illustration of an elderly woman sitting in a chair with her back to the viewer. She is surrounded by animals––an owl, a leopard, a turtle, a goose, and a dog, which she pets while it sits at her feet.

April 2020 / First Person

What I’ve Learned from What My Mother Has Forgotten

March 19, 2020March 27, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

My mother’s dementia made me think about my own future in a new way

Illustration of a goldfish in a bowl, a pair of brown shoes, and a pair of headphones in an airport security tray on a conveyor belt.

First Person / March 2020

How to Travel with a Goldfish

March 5, 2020October 8, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

The weirdest things I’ve packed in my carry-on luggage

A brown kitchen chair seated at a round table, covered in a yellow checked tablecloth. On the table are two glasses of wine, a slice of cake, and several face-down playing cards with the ace of spades facing up.

First Person / January/February 2020

How Euchre Healed My Family

December 12, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

We have played through illness, arguments, divorces, and death

December 2019 / First Person

How to Make the Perfect Popcorn

November 22, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

If you microwave your popcorn, never speak to me again

A woman's hands holding a picture of a saint.

Arts & Culture / November 2019

How a Seventh-Century Irish Princess Got Me Back On a Plane

November 1, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Tallulah Fontaine

To overcome my fear of air travel, I turned to Saint Dymphna