nice essay by @jasonfarman.bsky.social about how usability has gone too far slate.com/technology/2...

writing is a direct conversation with a reader. it happens between two (or, in the case of teams of writers and editors described in this piece, more) people. writing with AI isn’t like using an 808 to make music — it’s lip syncing. www.newyorker.com/culture/open...

so wild. my baby got a dose of the MMR vaccine early as a precaution for *domestic* travel.

unfortunately I think that AI writing is going to be like Ikea furniture, human writing and human communication is going to be bespoke, rich-person stuff. look at what's happening with news, customer service, doctor's offices. anything where you talk to a human is behind a giant paywall.

had an entire conversation with my husband this morning where we agreed to disagree about the conclusion of an NYT op Ed about Lindy West … and the reason we disagreed is because there are TWO OF THEM.

welcome to .... UNHINGED! slate.com/advice/2026/...

we have a juicy advice column launching tomorrow at Slate 👀💅

Can I change your mind about DNA? My first book, BEYOND INHERITANCE, descries a sea change in how we talk about our genes. It comes out in a couple weeks—preorder your copy or audiobook version (narrated by me) today: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711682...

men are very into wellness and beauty — they just don’t call it that slate.com/technology/2...

a smart take on how Ozempic et al could be prescribed with a touch more caution slate.com/technology/2...

it's a good day to listen to a Slate podcast slate.com/podcasts/icy...

I mostly agree that it depends, however, if you're asking everyone to go out to dinner somewhere fancy for your birthday you should pay for everyone ... otherwise it's like throwing a party and making people pay to attend. slate.com/advice/2026/...

this is so good! wow 😭

absolutely monstrous

I’m writing the Slatest for a couple days! It’s a fun newsletter even when I’m not writing it. Sign up! slate.com/news-and-pol...

my health insurance company accepted the claim from the hospital for my child's birth, marked it as paid, and then ~6 months later is saying "we take it back—he had secret insurance through his father during the birth." it is a new one for me.

goodbye to this woman and her hoop earrings! a good time to read @pdvarona.bsky.social's piece slate.com/life/2026/01...

a fun one by @gidmk.bsky.social! we really do have to make things work here on Earth slate.com/technology/2...

I volunteered as tribute to read Peter Attia's near-500-page longevity bible OUTLIVE after the influencer showed up in the Epstein files. It showed me that we never should have listened to him. My essay for @slate.com: slate.com/technology/2...

@shanpalus.bsky.social reviews "Flackers" and nails the problem with Casey Means. slate.com/technology/2...

worth re-upping this piece I wrote last spring, sigh slate.com/technology/2...

peter attia is out at CBS News after showing up in the Epstein files ... but maybe we shouldn't have been listening to him in the first place slate.com/technology/2...

Strongly recommended to anyone gestating My own experience: I'm glad I breastfed (kept it up 'til Kid was 2.5; for most of that time, it was a small portion of her calories but the centerpiece of our morning routine) but wish I'd combined w formula MUCH, MUCH SOONER. We were ALL happier & healthier

is there anyone who has a more impressive writing process than lauren groff? i suspect not. lithub.com/you-just-do-...

I wrote about a new book about how to formula feed your baby slate.com/life/2026/02...

this is a really good piece defending something I initially bristled at slate.com/technology/2...

sometimes i look at the spam in my inbox and am like ... yes, same

we moved to an apartment in the suburbs this spring when i was 6 months pregnant -- not a house bc have you seen the prices? -- and it has accidentally worked out wonderfully. not as communal as the set up in this piece, but almost! www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/o...

My latest: A look inside the secretive immigration prisons at Guantanamo—and the ethical questions that doctors and nurses face to treat those inside.

I consider 2025 my finest professional year. The Post just laid me off.

it can’t all just be substack, it simply cannot

Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙

what if the healing powers of psychedelics are "just" the placebo effect? slate.com/technology/2...

it's hard to comprehend the damage that is being done to families right now slate.com/technology/2...

our health leader seems to be under the mistaken impression that whole milk is more "natural". by @gidmk.bsky.social slate.com/technology/2...

Looking for sources for a @nature.com story about how researchers are coping in the midst of current events: If you're a PhD or other academic who's struggling to focus with everything that's happening in the world and would like to be interviewed for this story, please get in touch ASAP!

it's time to seriously ask: what's going on with trump's health? slate.com/technology/2...

I went on @lizzieohreally.bsky.social's podcast to talk about my piece on RFK Jr.'s war on women slate.com/podcasts/wha...

This is important journalism, actually

yes I will be taking my friend and mentor @lizzieohreally.bsky.social’s advice slate.com/life/2026/01...

I won’t, but now seems like an amazing time to take up smoking slate.com/human-intere...

I wrote about RFK Jr.'s war on moms slate.com/technology/2...

what's with Kristi Noem's hoop earrings? in which @pdvarona.bsky.social files a complaint about ICE Barbie's favorite fashion accessory: slate.com/life/2026/01...

I wrote about @dpcarrington.bsky.social's Guardian report on microplastics research, and what i think is the real problem with these kinds of studies slate.com/technology/2...

A few months ago, ICE hired me I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I almost certainly failed the drug test. I'm real outspoken about my opposition to the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable And yet, there it was, in plain English. "Welcome to ICE!" My latest for Slate

hello! if you are an expert who would like to write for Slate, here are a few formats that work well for us: 🧵 you can pitch me at [email protected]. with yoru pitch or submission, please include links to other work/your linkedin/a faculty page/etc so I can verify who you are!

I wrote about one of the many thoughts about Renee Good that’s been keeping me up at night https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/renee-good-killing-ice-watch-mom.html

I hear from a lot of people who think there's no way to make freelancing work, but it's easily the most sustainable and stable job I've ever had. If you're freelance-curious, consider signing up for the class @charleylocke.bsky.social and I are teaching on how to pull it off.

“I don’t know exactly what I should be doing right now, as a person who lives in the United States in 2026 and cares about others. But I know I’m falling short.“ slate.com/news-and-pol...

hm I hate to say it but it's actually very helpful when writers include the LinkedIn in their email signature these days. very easy way to help me tell that you are a human not a bot and a journalist/freelance writer not a comms person.