InsideHook • 14th March 2024

Can One Hit Album Change a Whole Town?

Last April, it was Cornelia Street. Taylor Swift fans made pilgrimages to the star’s old New York apartment after she parted ways with the actor Joe Alwyn — observing tearful and almost religious (if overplayed) moments of silence, bouquets of flowers in hand. In a song which shares the street’s name, Swift promises that if she ever “lost” Alwyn, “[she’d] never walk Cornelia Street again,” which prompted Swifties to make this visit for her.

GRAMMY.com • 14th November 2023

Lola Brooke Stays True To Herself On Debut Album 'Dennis Daughter'

Lola Brooke Stays True To Herself On Debut Album 'Dennis Daughter' The breakout rapper is set on attaining real staying power. On her recently-released debut, the Brooklyn-based artist peels back the layers of her personal history with biting wit and a humble perspective. Lola Brooke exudes an outsized warmth for someone who stands at 4'9".

1883 Magazine • 20th October 2023

Jake Wesley Rogers

Since appearing on the seventh season of America’s Got Talent back in 2012, Jake Wesley Rogers has had a metamorphosis. More precisely, he fully and unabashedly came into himself — blooming from a shy, bespectacled fifteen-year-old from Missouri who wowed AGT judges with his soulful guitar ballads into a flamboyant, confident, still-bespectacled twenty-six-year-old who wows global audiences and encourages them to live their truths daily.

Rogers is a queer icon in the music world for whom the re

1883 Magazine • 24th September 2023

JP Saxe

The Canadian singer-songwriter has just released a new album, is going to be John Mayer’s opener in less than two weeks, and is busy prepping for his own headliner tour in 2024. Despite such a packed schedule, Saxe is staying true to himself — hanging on to his quirky, soulful, empathetic side that fans have come to know and love.

Jonathan Percy Starker Saxe — professionally known as JP Saxe — appeared on the public radar (or, rather, catapulted onto the mainstream music scene) in 2019, with th

1883 Magazine • 31st August 2023

James Smith

With the release of his latest singles, James Smith continues carving out a space for himself among the singer-songwriter greats: who write with soul and tap into something timeless through their music.

The first thing you must get straight about James Smith is that he’s tired of being defined by his past: specifically, as the Season 8 finalist on Britain’s Got Talent. That was back in 2014, when Smith was a budding musician at the age of 15 — still shy behind his guitar and covering songs by i

1883 Magazine • 16th August 2023

Victoria Canal

With her new EP WELL WELL, Victoria Canal is speaking to a generation of young queer women.

Victoria Canal is Zooming in from her iPhone — dressed in a comfy cable knit jumper, as Brits might say. In fact, she’s in London, sitting on the grass in a park, about to rush to an event at a nearby gallery. Canal is a busy bee these days, what with the release of her latest EP WELL WELL. This album can be interpreted as Canal settling into herself: becoming older (she turned 25 on August 11th) and com

The Boston Globe • 30th March 2023

Twitter is quick to attack young journalists. Take it from me. - The Boston Globe

What followed the publication was an onslaught of online hate from Twitter (retweets of my article got millions of views; a New York Times culture reporter meme-ifyied my work; Amanda Knox notably chimed in; and everyday users hurled insults like “no one will want her as a wife” or “this is why everyone hates Americans”).

The Independent • 17th March 2023

I’m that ‘obnoxious’ study abroad student. Here’s what I say about your outrage

If you’re on Twitter or have any kind of digital news “diet,” you know who I am. My March 9 article for Insider – detailing my less-than-ideal experiences during a study abroad semester in Florence – instantly went viral, generating response pieces in numerous publications around the world.

Teen Vogue • 25th February 2022

What It Feels Like to Watch Bombs Fall on Your Childhood City

On Thursday, I woke to find headlines announcing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Outlets were publishing maps pinpointing regions where Russia was actively setting off missile strikes and explosions. In videos from professional and civilian sources alike, smoke could be seen rising over buildings like the Defense Ministry in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city.

StyleCaster • 18th February 2022

Disappointing First Dates Made Me Love Myself More

In the summer of 2021, I transferred into NYU and moved to the city of my dreams, wide-eyed and optimistic about the beginning of my young adult life. I was entering my sophomore year of college, which meant living in my first apartment, cooking my own food, and holding down a true (albeit minimum wage) job. And like most new college recruits, dating was also part of this novelty for me. There was suddenly a fresh “batch” of eligible singles I could meet from my school and the wider NYC scene. T

HuffPost • 5th December 2020

I Began Taking Prozac. Here's What It Taught My Conservative Family About Mental Health.

In May I found myself curled up on the kitchen floor ― numb and crying. My mom stood beside me begging for me to stop. Eventually, when she realized I wouldn’t respond, she got down on the floor and molded her body to mine and just held me. We stayed like this for a while ― a very sad version of spooning. At some point, I was too worn-out to cry any longer and my hip started hurting from the linoleum, so I got up and went to bed. It was just 2:00 p.m.

USA TODAY • 18th August 2019

Churches could win back teens like me if they were more welcoming and less judgmental

When I entered the musty church hall for Easter Mass and dipped my fingers in holy water, I noticed an approaching woman boasting a self-important demeanor. She promptly came up to my mom and started to shame her for wearing pants, gesturing aggressively to her own ankle-length skirt and Soviet-era headscarf. “This is God’s house,” she said, as though it were an engrossing new revelation.

Food & Wine • 27th August 2024

The Trick to Serving Ice Cream Like a High-End Restaurant

Ice cream comes in all kinds of flavors...and shapes, it turns out. When finessed into an oval with a cold, slightly wet spoon, it’s called a quenelle. You might’ve seen one on the The Bear’s second season, when pastry whiz Luca teaches Marcus how to scoop shiso sorbet using a spoon, or on your own plate at a high-end restaurant.

LGBTQ Nation • 14th May 2024

Psychedelic retreats are often discriminatory. So this couple created a queer-affirming paradise.

In the jungle of Macas, Ecuador sits a large, off-white cottage with yellow doors and a roof the color of baked terracotta. It is flanked by the Upano River, which runs through the southeastern part of the country. On most days, you can see people walking in and out, as well as lounging in the building’s self-proclaimed “Om” room or resting in adjacent hammocks.

Brooklyn Magazine • 10th April 2023

An insider’s guide to Brighton Beach

Hop on Q-train before the tourists arrive and check out this enclave for dining, boutiques, manicures and a blast from the Soviet past.

Washington Square News • 6th March 2023

Eating with your eyes: Reviewing NYC’s most extravagant restaurants

When I moved to New York City in the summer of 2021, I immediately began searching for the best places to get food, sorting through endless lists and carefully curated posts on Instagram. I soon found that the restaurants everyone seemed to rave about somehow missed the mark. The prices were too expensive, the portions were too small and the reservation systems were impossible to navigate.

Nonetheless, I found establishments whose completely extravagant and insanely gorgeous interiors made up f

Apartment Therapy • 29th November 2022

Full Moon Parties: What They Are and How to Host Your Own

Full moon parties weren’t the invention of some astrology-loving, Co-Star-checking, tarot-card-pulling fanatic. They actually began in 1980s Thailand, when a group of tourists decided to start celebrating full moon nights on the island of Koh Phangan. Since then, the Thai celebration has attracted 20,000-30,000 travelers each month — marked by eating and drinking, fire shows, glow-in-the-dark body paint, lanterns, and a full evening of dancing.

Thrillist • 11th November 2022

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Will Start 30 Minutes Earlier for the First Time Ever

On Thanksgiving morning, we love the tradition of watching the world-renowned Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from our kitchens, while chopping veggies for Friendsgiving dinner with the day’s first boozy drink in hand. But sometimes, there’s nothing better than seeing all of the helium-filled excitement IRL. Whether you’re determined to cheer on the action along the parade route this year or would much rather stream it all under a pile of weighted blankets, read on for all of the details. Here’s

Washington Square News • 7th November 2022

Off-Third: How to prepare for your returning study abroad friends

You’ve heard the rumors: people change — I mean, become insufferable — when they return from a semester abroad. Now, it seems like it’s your turn to experience the joys of welcoming your friend back from wherever in Europe it was they’ve spent the past four months. Based on their Instagram feed, the answer to that is everywhere. So, put your jealousy aside. Here’s how you should prepare for their arrival so that you can give them the proper, hearty and all-American homecoming that they deserve.

Bustle • 19th September 2022

I Tried Lady Gaga's Favorite Workout Machine & Now I'm Hooked

Just when I thought I had tried every unusual workout imaginable — from barbell HIIT to kickboxing-and-treadmill intervals, paddleboard yoga, and pool cycling — the VersaClimber entered the scene.

Mashable • 21st March 2024

Echo vs. Echo Dot: Which Amazon device should you buy?

With the rise of AI and ChatGPT, nothing seems too unthinkable and futuristic in the world of tech anymore. Moreover, products that once seemed advanced (read: the Amazon Echo when it was first released in 2015) don't seem to be all that advanced anymore. This means companies have to constantly innovate to continue attracting buyers, which is what Amazon did in 2022 when it released its 5th Generation Echo Dot. Since then, the corporate giant has unveiled even newer products (in the Echo Show an

Mashable • 21st February 2024

5 best wireless headphones under $100

If you want to cheat the system a bit and get your hands on incredible, crisp sound from a pair of headphones under $100, we've got you. You no longer need to choose between a cheap pair of headphones and incredible functions like active noise cancellation and active transparency mode.

Mashable • 1st December 2023

The best soundbars compensate for your flat-screen TV's flat-sounding speakers

The best TVs deserve the best soundbars, but your budget or mid-range TV will actually benefit the most from some additional audio power.

As great as TV tech is today, the actual audio output of even top-of-the-line TVs leaves a lot to be desired. Most speakers are built into the back or bottom of a flat-screen, which aren't exactly optimal locations for quality audio. This means you're making a tradeoff between having a thin TV mounted flush to your wall (aesthetic AF) or basking in rich, mult

Mashable • 10th October 2023

Step aside, Kindle — the Kobo Clara 2E e-reader is just as small and mighty

If you know anything about e-readers, you probably know that Kindle is the unofficial leader in providing books on-the-go — thanks to its lightweight reading devices. For instance, we named the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition as the "best Kindle overall," the standard Paperwhite as the best option for outdoor reading, and the Kindle Scribe as the "best for taking notes." Yet, it would be a mistake to claim that Kindle is the be-all and end-all in the world of e-readers, while refusing to loo

Mashable • 7th September 2023

Is the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle worth a $2K investment? We tested it to find out.

When it comes to keeping fit, I'm a simple girl: all I really need is a basic stationary bike (my go-to cost me less than $200), a yoga mat, a few sets of weights, resistance bands, and a YouTube fitness instructor I've grown to love. That's precisely why when I was offered the chance to try out the NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike, I was thrilled. After all, who would pass on the chance to trial a commercial-level bike that looked straight out of an Equinox cycling class?

I took advantage of Nordi

Mashable • 16th August 2023

The Yeedi Mop Station Pro looks futuristic as hell — but is it worth the investment?

As someone who is staying at her parents' house in the 'burbs this summer, I was thrilled to try out the Yeedi Mop Station Pro's 2-in-1 vac/mop capabilities on the 1,300 square feet of our first floor. When the massive package arrived on my doorstep and I set up the vacuum, along with its docking station, I had high hopes based on just how futuristic and promising it looked. Daydreams of glistening hardwood floors and perfect vacuum lines on fluffy carpets started floating through my head. I wan

Mashable • 16th June 2023

Small business spotlight: 5 LGBTQ businesses to buy from this Pride Month and beyond

It's June, which means we're celebrating Pride while commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, the gay liberation movement, and all the activists who have stood up for LGTBQ rights before and since. Many businesses misinterpret the June agenda, however, and partake in what's called "rainbow washing" — a practice in which brands display over-exaggerated support for the LGBTQ community starting June 1, but seemingly forget its existence come July.