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Meet Hengameh Farhang

December 20, 2022 in Retiree

Speaking to Hengameh Farhang about her life experience to date feels like a roller coaster ride: born in Iran, she has uprooted more often than most, first moving to Paris for school and business, then Dubai for love, the US for her daughter, and finally back to France to save her physical and mental health. In this interview, she speaks to us about her three abortions, opening up a business as a young woman, and navigating marriage despite her ex-husband’s addiction issues.

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Meet Elsa Dorlin

December 06, 2022 in Philosopher

French philosopher and professor Elsa Dorlin has devoted most of her career to exploring the relations between violence, gender, and race, which she brought to the old-fashioned philosophy department of the Sorbonne, winning awards on the way. In this interview, she talks to us about her political background, and anti-capitalist commitment which she considers the most fundamental political question of our time, and the issue with contemporary feminism.

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Meet Laurie Simmons

November 09, 2022 in Artist

We might have never come to know Laurie Simmons for her sharp critiques of gender, mass media, and consumerism or as part of New York City’s celebrated Pictures Generation if it hadn’t been for an unsuspecting downtown psychic in 1972. “Join the photography club. You'll meet people, and you'll make friends.” Following this advice set Laurie off on a path of integrity, grit, and curiosity through decades as an artist, wife, and mother. We talked to her about the importance of prioritizing friendship, why a successful marriage is based on accountability, and being unapologetically feminine for the first time in her life.

Camera Roll with Tala Ashe

October 25, 2022 in Actor

In a special edition of our Camera Roll series — where we glimpse into the current moment through an in-depth look at our interviewee’s phones — we speak to Iranian-American actor Tala Ashe about the political situation in her native country of Iran and how she captures the things that matter to her right now.

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Life in 10 Tracks with Fatima Robinson

October 11, 2022 in Choreographer

For Fatima Robinson, the accolades are endless — from starting her career as a choreographer for Michael Jackson’s Remember the Time to lending her vision to numerous Super Bowl halftime shows and a Beyoncé Academy Awards performance. We caught up with her while on break from filming the forthcoming remake of The Color Purple in Savannah, Georgia.

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Meet Josephine Hack

September 27, 2022 in Engineer

One of mechanical engineer Josephine Hack‘s most prominent character traits is curiosity — along with a high degree of self-reflection that applies as much to her career at Brooklyn startup Terra Kaffe as to her philosophy on beauty and fashion. She talks to us about the effects of nature on her mental health, working in a male-dominated industry, and why she likes to wear dresses on hikes.

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Reality Bites with Maddi Bragg

September 13, 2022 in Content Creator, Chef

Maddi Bragg’s first foray into the professional food world was as a sous-chef during a social media break — a necessary step back for the YouTube phenomenon with 1.1 M subscribers. In this conversation, she elaborates on seasonal shopping, leaving home and supporting herself at 16, and her desert island cooking essentials.

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Reality Bites with Fiorella Valdesolo

August 16, 2022 in Writer, Editor

As a writer and editor for the likes of Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, or Vogue, and co-founder of James Beard award-winning food magazine Gather Journal, Fiorella Valdesolo can look back at years of powerful epicurean storytelling. In this conversation, she elaborates on her two-breakfast routine, the NYT cooking app’s comments section, and why we should all eat more kraut.

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Life in 10 Tracks with Ambar Lucid

August 02, 2022 in Musician

Ambar Lucid has come a long way since sharing her first cover on YouTube. She talks about tracks that transport her back in time and reveals what song cures relationship problems when shouted at the top of your lungs.

Meet Rose

July 19, 2022 in Housekeeper

“I have to keep going.” Housekeeper Rose came to the US at 22, leaving her young children in Mexico to provide them with a better life. In this conversation, Rose opens up about her difficult youth, how religion has helped her, and prioritizing family above all else.

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Meet Helen Radulovic

July 08, 2022 in Boxer, Personal Trainer

Helen Radulovic is a self-proclaimed fan of taking the long path: “It will help you become stronger, more experienced, and prepared for all the challenges life brings upon you.” We talk to Helen about uprooting her life mid-thirties to move to a foreign country, turning her basement into a walk-in closet, and why she doesn’t subscribe to traditional communist ideals about women and family.

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Meet Allison Escoto

July 07, 2022 in Librarian

Allison Escoto can’t remember a time without books. She tells us about what makes a good book, her penchant for vintage fashion, and how she protects her hair during early morning swims.

Camera Roll with Andrekza

July 05, 2022 in Musician

Musician Andrekza spends most of her days looking at a screen. The self-declared workaholic doesn’t just use her phone to keep track of song ideas or mark architectural details in the cities she visits. She also runs multiple side gigs from the handheld device — including a fashion venture and successful production company. When it comes to her main creative endeavour, however, Andrekza prefers the quiet surroundings of her studio — or, as she calls it, her “house of inspiration and creation”. There, she can usually be found in the company of her pet bunny Benni. A closer look at the artist’s creative process reveals a longing for emotional connection and presence that explains her prioritisation of the quiet moments. Here, she talks to us about how she keeps track of memories, finding inspiration in other disciplines, and why it’s good to take selfies when you’re sad.

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Camera Roll with Marina Sulmona

May 30, 2022 in Editor, Producer

Between leisure time spent flitting around her Clinton Hill neighborhood and beyond, Marina Sulmona takes on the role of working closely with artists to help bring their visions to life, in fully realized form — be it here, as passerby's treasured editor, or in the work she does as a producer and artist manager. Look carefully into her own creative practices and writing, and you'll notice how the act of joining imagery with words lies at heart. Together, her knack for working with artists and her own keen eye induce the multidisciplinary work she's done here — working with writers, taking stock of our audience's interests, and overseeing it all — and for other clients. Marina grants access into the intricate corners of her life in the conversation ahead, speaking about her obsessiveness, when she makes time to write, and saving movie still screenshots.

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Meet Connie Gao

May 24, 2022 in Marketer

A very recent recipient of an MBA with a focus on leadership from Columbia Business School, Connie Gao earned her degree while working full-time as Book of the Month's Marketing Director. Though her career and academic life are both — alone and together — amply impressive, she still makes time to enjoy life's pleasures. A big fan of the Chelsea Market (and self-proclaimed "huge foodie"), Connie's often spotted perusing its boutiques on her way to "buy fresh seafood from The Lobster Place." In this interview, she describes the challenges she faced as a teen who grew up in China and landed at prep school in Connecticut, the qualities that make an excellent leader, and how her relationship with her mom has evolved over the years.

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Reality Bites with Alexis Badiyi

May 10, 2022 in Stylist

Whether it comes to food or fashion, a certain mindfulness and elegance marks all Alexis Badiyi touches — this is evidenced by the graceful photoshoots she’s styled for the likes of Marc Jacobs or Coveteur, or the thoughtfully arranged and deliciously appealing meals she’s captured for this interview. Naturally, as a stylist by trade, she’s often found on set, or otherwise, in her own space “shooting, shopping, styling, and creating decks.” To recharge and “refill [her] inspiration,” Alexis frequents museums, soaks up nature’s sun, and dines with friends. Here, she chats about slow mornings, the vibrant family for whom food was a love language, and more.

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Meet Gina Correll Aglietti

April 26, 2022 in Entrepreneur

Gina Correll Aglietti has built a life around communing with others through food and music, and her spirit for entertaining is entrenched in her life's work as a founder of Yola Mezcal. Though Gina sees it as in part "a blessing" that socializing is so central to her life and career, it also means that seeking quietude requires focus. When moments of calm do present themselves, Gina's often found passing by the Silver Lake Reservoir, where she walks her pup Donny — a companion who "doesn't want to party." On a spring afternoon, we caught up with her to hear about how she views her home as a morphing entity, what goes into making handcrafted mezcal, and her secrets on how to throw a stellar dinner party.

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Reality Bites with Anna Polonsky

April 12, 2022 in Entrepreneur, Creative Director

A true food-lover, Anna Polonsky has spent much of her life tasting everything under the sun, and her career, supporting "those who use food as a beacon for change." Right now, that's through her strategy and design consultancy, Polonsky & Friends, and platform, The Deligram, which are both run out of the creative co-working space, OSTUDIO. You're most likely to find Anna there during the day — unless she's out sampling the neighborhood's Dominican eats for lunch. Read on as the French native digs into childhood summers spent on her family's farm, why she's bored by pretentious views on food, and the lively dream dinner guests she wishes she could host (Monet included).

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Meet Mélody Thomas

March 29, 2022 in Writer, Journalist, Professor

Self-described as a “creature of habit,” fashion journalist Mélody Thomas is most often found at the neighborhood bistro down the street from her cozy home in Paris’s 18th Arrondissement.

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Camera Roll with Niki Kohandel

February 27, 2022 in Filmmaker, Student

A third-year student studying art and film in London, Niki Kohandel can routinely be found across the UCL campus editing films, making prints, or passing the time outside with friends.