Essays
TIME MAGAZINE: Coping With Grief on Father’s Day
I hate Father’s Day. Not because my father died this year, making it the first without him. It was sudden, but we’d exchanged loving New Year’s greetings 10 days earlier. Despite our political differences, we were on good terms. He had enjoyed every day of his 86 years so much that we teased he inspired…
Read MoreWRITERS DIGEST: Why Is Memoir the Rodney Dangerfield of Writing Genres?
When I stopped to sign books at Barnes & Noble in NYC’s Union Square two years ago, the bookseller spoke through their mask to ask where I’d like it shelved. My memoir, A Boob’s Life, had been out in hardback for several months, so the question surprised me. First, they walked me to the shelves labeled “Biography,”…
Read MoreHow to Write A Novel Synopsis
The Women’s Fiction Writers Association asked me to write the FIX IT column about “The Dreaded Synopsis” for their newsletter. They provided a submission from a fabulous, ripped-from-the-headlines story, How Far We’ll Go, by Caitlyn Weaver, for me to revise. If you haven’t joined the WFWA yet, I recommend you do. Meanwhile, we can thank…
Read MoreHow I Got to Here, Leslie’s New York Times, Modern Love Essay
How I Got to Here, Leslie’s New York Times, Modern Love essay. When I told him I would never marry again, I meant it. We were holding hands in a restaurant in Santa Barbara, Calif., on our first weekend away, and I was hiding my nerves behind the boldness of high heels and a…
Read MoreAmerica’s Deep-Rooted Fear of a President With Boobs
Politics is the most obvious symptom of a deep cultural divide. The personal is not only political, but goes deep into our emotions, intellect… and bodies. The results are insidious. I admit, I’m obsessed, too. It started so early, I wasn’t even aware of it. Not long after Mr. Frederick invented the inflatable bra, I…
Read MoreNYT Modern Love: How I Got to Here
When I told him I would never marry again, I meant it. We were holding hands in a restaurant in Santa Barbara, Calif., on our first weekend away, and I was hiding my nerves behind the boldness of high heels and a garter belt. I wasn’t trying to bait the hook, or reel in the…
Read MoreWill Covid Kill the Bra?
Will Covid Kill the Bra? By Leslie Lehr November 3, 2020 Are you wearing a bra? I mean the kind with the metal fasteners that Mark Twain invented. You read that right. The strap with hooks that has been digging into our backs for the last century was invented by Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, in…
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