First Person | The Walrus

An illustration of a woman, sitting at a window inside an apartment. In front of her is a laptop with an open window that says "stay home." Outside the window is a park and a block of buildings, in which people socialize, picnic, play basketball, and talk, not bothering to maintain any physical distancing measures.

Family on the Front Lines of a Pandemic

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 - by Judy Ziyi Gu

Until my uncle was sent to care for patients in Wuhan, the outbreak didn’t feel real to me. If only we had all paid attention sooner

A photo of a Black woman with her hair in a bun, looking to the right of the frame. The image is slightly blurred.

First Person / Society

The Pressure to Describe My “Background”

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 - by Eternity Martis

As a Black child in a brown family, I had to learn how to define my identity in a new way

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 Damian Rogers

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

A stick-figure illustration of three figures beneath raining clouds. To their right are large pink flowers being consumed by flame. The background is midnight blue and the figures are outlined in green.

Environment / First Person

Parenting Through an Apocalypse

March 17, 2020March 27, 2020 - by Liz Harmer

What stories can we tell our children to help them face the world they will inherit?

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, 2020March 27, 2020 - by Michael Winter

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 Jessica Myshrall

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 Kevin Sylvester

If you microwave your popcorn, never speak to me again

A gold award ribbon that says "The Smart One," floating against a pale pink background.

First Person / Society

Beauty Standards Are a Rigged Game

November 21, 2019November 26, 2019 - by Sarah Trick

If I couldn’t be seen as both disabled and beautiful, I decided I’d win by becoming “the smart one”

First Person

Me, My Dad, and His Old Clothes

September 30, 2019 - by Michael Lista

After my parents divorced, I began to wear my dad’s cast-off suits and loafers everywhere

Arts & Culture / First Person / July/August 2019

What I Learned From a Summer of Not Catching a Single Fish

June 24, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Marni Jackson

Don’t use deli meat as bait, for starters