NANCY DAVIDOFF KELTON

Austin, Texas residents, you’re in luck! Mr. and Mrs. Mastman’s grandson is opening a deli for you. In Buffalo in the 1950s, Mastman’s...

I wrote personal essays for women’s magazines before they became ALL about fashion, beauty, and how to flatten abs, and before I became...

I’m writing a few more words than just a few words—actually, an entire blog–about the 7th item on my last post. Hard to believe...

1. As of the last NYU class, the bird was fine, substantially bigger and chirping. Thank you, Harry, for asking. The owner brought it...

1. I read Roald Dahl’s wonderful book, MATILDA, before seeing MATILDA on Broadway. Instead would have been fine. The little girl in the...

I have never used the word “putz” in my writing, but I have never written about Eliot Spitzer. When he announced his comeback, my first...

Write about a toy or game you played with as a child, revealing something important about your experience. (The New York Times Book...

1. I stopped going to overnight camp at age 13 once the fast boys started pairing off with the fast girls. The necking (that’s what it...

A colleague has her students write about a humiliating experience. For many reasons, I would not dream of giving that assignment to my...

On my last trip to Las Vegas at age 25, I played roulette every day after swimming. One afternoon, Richie Havens gambled at the same...