Ladyparts

Ladyparts

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personal essays

The Puzzle
On being human in a time of inhumanity
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Deborah Copaken
33
Moving vans and thwarted plans
Since leaving college, I've moved 18 times within 3 different countries. Most were forced. All were stressful. But this move, combining two families…
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Deborah Copaken
66
A Webby for Debbie?
Leaning into my long-ago retired childhood nickname to let you know some good news. But, like, make it rhyme.
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Deborah Copaken
37
Planning a wedding during the apocalypse
Tablescapes, hellscapes, and why celebrating love in a time of hate in America is not unseemly. It's the only antidote.
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Deborah Copaken
29
Ashes to ashes
My best friend was French. Last week, we scattered her ashes on France's northern coast as 80 years of friendship between the U.S. and Europe turned to…
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Deborah Copaken
20
First they came for the scientists
Clinical trials canceled; NIH gagged; NSF on pause; an abrupt silence at the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; HIV drugs denied: what is to be…
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Deborah Copaken
44
Dear Neil Gaiman: consensual ≠ consent
Being in a consensual relationship does not mean one consents to everything the other demands. Particularly in an unequal power dynamic. Related: NDAs…
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Deborah Copaken
19
It's tusovka time!
Take it from those of us who lived in the former Soviet Union: the best way to survive fascism is to find your тусовка (likeminded pals) and hang out…
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Deborah Copaken
19
We'll Always Have Paris
For Marion and me, Paris was not a backdrop for selfies. It was the home where we wandered its streets getting lost, in order to find ourselves. Now…
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Deborah Copaken
28
The Osteoporosis Interviews
Today, my long essay on osteoporosis appears in The Guardian. Herewith, unedited, are two of its primary source interviews: Drs. Avrum Bluming & Muriel…
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Deborah Copaken
15
Sisterhood
The more we women cooperate with one another, instead of cutting each other down and/or competing for rare resources, the better our lives will be.
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Deborah Copaken
8
Everyone has a 9/11 story. This is mine.
An excerpt from my memoir, on the 23rd anniversary of that day.
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Deborah Copaken
4
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