“What do we mean when we say the internet is reading our minds?”
relationships
What Happens When Sexting Chatbots Dump Their Human Lovers
“People who grew accustomed to sexting with Replika’s AI-powered companions were heartbroken when the company blocked its bots from engaging in racy chats.”
What Rainbow Trout Know About Relationships
Lauren Silverman weaves together issues surrounding relationships, immigration … and rainbow trout. It is a beautifully written, and highly personal, essay. Here’s a fish that is born with multiple destinies. It can choose to stay in its native river forever, or swim hundreds of miles into the deep blue — and it makes this life-altering choice […]
Love, COVID, and Other Risks
Throughout the pandemic, Emma Healey and her immunocompromised partner — a liver transplant recipient — have constantly weighed and navigated day-to-day risks. As Toronto opens up, making decisions have become even more confusing. In this essay, Healey reflects on health, risk, and love. We are all making our decisions the same way—with one eye on […]
Ungrown
“Here it is: Women are the gravity stopping humanity from drifting off aimlessly into the void. We mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, grandmothers — women — are the backbone of the world.”
Why Can’t We Be Friends
“Podcasts and other forms of ‘parasocial’ media reframe friendship as monetized self-care.
The Legion Lonely
“For all these reasons—the socialization we receive as kids, as well as emotional restraint, homophobia, experiences of betrayal, and many others—many men stop confiding in each other, trusting each other, supporting each other, and expressing emotion around each other.”
The State of Waiting
Separated by war, boundaries, and immigration policies they cannot control, one young Yemeni couple refuses to give up on love.
My Trans Mother, Myself
“Trans women imparting knowledge to each other is really, really crucial to survival, but it’s also incredibly fraught.”