Art Essays

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

This work is a collection of humorous insights into important topics ranging from annoying pet people ("I’m Not Talking About You, of Course"), to analyzing your inner child ("Irrational Fears"), to living like the Amish in the aftermath of a hurricane ("A Jolt of Electricity").

Chicago radio personality James VanOsdol was once told by an employer, "You haven't earned the right to have fun yet". It was a statement about his status in the company that came to symbolize the more dramatic soul-crushing aspects of the modern workplace. In this funny, accidentally motivational, and highly listenable new book, VanOsdol recounts his own successes and failures in the job market, stopping along the way to share mood-appropriate playlists to run on your streaming platform of choice.

At 8,000 words, this collection of humorous essays explores such quirky topics as: disastrous home repairs, ("A Trip to the Hardware Store"), an unfortunate dinner party ("Dinner is Served"), the truth about lazy people ("Lazy Bones"), the weird life of a debt collector ("Your Account is Past Due") and obsessions with gadgets ("Gadget Girl"). Other essays examine how surreal the aging process is ("Where Did the Time Go?")