The Interview

from Leave it to Leonor

[litl-theinterview]

Doree Shafrir

1. What is your favorite thing right now? 

Listening to my son figure out words

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? 

An owl

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? 

You're a good mom

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 

The Maldives

5. What do you consider your best feature? 

My eyes

6. What is one thing that makes you happy? 

My son

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island? 

Ice cream (probably very impractical)  

8. What is something you never get tired of? 

See above (ice cream)

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? 

I did theatre in high school

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 

If someone tells you who they are, believe them

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? 

Emily Mortimer

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite.

I hate having photos taken of me, but we had a professional photographer (Diana Ragland) take photos of us for Forever35 and had our hair and makeup done, and I felt pretty and relaxed, and I think that comes across here! 

Doree Shafrir is a writer and podcaster. Her first novel, Startup, was published by Little, Brown in 2017 and was called “biting and astute” by the New York Times Book Review. Her memoir, Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer, will be published by Ballantine in June 2021. In addition to Forever35, Doree is the co-host with her husband of Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure, a podcast about navigating infertility and the IVF process. She has also written about culture, women’s issues, parenting, media, and celebrity for publications including The Cut, The New York Times, and Slate, and was formerly an editor at BuzzFeed and Rolling Stone. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. 

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Michael Love Michael

1. What is your favorite thing right now? 

My favorite thing? My tiny shoebox apartment - it's old and in an unrenovated building in the East Village, I have no control of the heat in the winter, the sink leaks sometimes & I throw my clothes everywhere and it looks like a hurricane swept through it half the time. But it's mine and it makes me feel luxe and ol

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? 

It would have to be a jaguar. Stealthy, sleek, gorgeous, intelligent, and fearless.

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? This might be crazily vain but I LOVE when people ask me if I'm a dancer. Dancers are impeccable & graceful yet raw & up-close. I love even the idea that something about me strikes strangers that way.

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 

Paris. Always Paris.

5. What do you consider your best feature? 

I love my legs. I used to hate the fact that I was born with curves, but as I grow more into my femininity (of paramount importance to my experience as a nonbinary person), I love my thick, strong thighs and the toned lean calfs they sit atop. You can't change your skeleton but you can change the way you feel about it.

6. What is one thing that makes you happy? 

The fact that I somehow found the energy and inner strength to complete,  release & promote my first album in the middle of a global pandemic.

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island? 

Are you kidding? An everything bagel toasted and buttered with chili jam and egg salad, with a coffee made light and sweet. Done.

8. What is something you never get tired of? 

SEX.

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? 

That I've run three marathons since age 21 (I'm 32 now) and I hope to run lots more. I suppose that also explains why I love my legs so much.

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 

Take life a day at a time, a moment at a time - that, I've learned from being sober for several years. Take what you need, leave the rest in the dust. Weed everything but the wildflowers - this is wisdom passed down to me from my grandmother.

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? 

No one could play me like I could play me. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. This was taken in the wilds of Tennessee in 2015 during a transitional period of my life. When I’ve been in major periods of transition, or even when not, I’ve often sought refuge in nature. Mother Earth makes room for all of me, and I’m free to be. This photo captures serenity, vulnerability and a quiet inner knowing. I might have to use it for cover art for any of the new songs I’m making...

Michael Love Michael (they/them) is a musician, writer and multifaceted social justice activist. As a seasoned culture journalist for the last 10+ years, their work has been featured in PAPER, New York Magazine, ELLE, Glamour, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic and others.  As a musician and writer, they have been featured in The New York Times, MTV, WWD, NYLON, Them, Gayletter and more. They released their debut album “XO” in August 2020. Michael is also a permaculture farmer. They live in their beloved New York City.

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[litl-theinterview]

Anne Helen Petersen

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

This is a hard question, because I'm writing this from inside smoke so thick in Washington that I can't go outside. But my favorite thing this summer been watching my spaghetti squash grow and mature and approach harvest time.

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? 

A sleepy older dog or a bear that hibernates. I spend a lot of time thinking about hibernation.

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

"I didn't agree with that piece, but it was fair" 

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 

To Bergen, Norway, where I was supposed to be right about now if not for the pandemic 

5. What do you consider your best feature?

I find pretty much everything interesting 

6. What is one thing that makes you happy?

My ugly garden 

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?  

I think about this a lot and the answer is broccoli 

8. What is something you never get tired of?

A glass of white wine on an empty stomach 

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn?

Depending on how they meet me: that I'm from Idaho, or that I used to be a professor. 

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Whenever you achieve a real milestone or accomplishment, take time to really feel it 

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life?

Julia Stiles morphing into Frances McDormand

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favoriteI took this photo after a long, exhausting, but fulfilling day of reporting. I felt like it captured what it feels like to chase those things at once. 

Anne Helen Petersen writes Culture Study on Substack & wrote CAN’T EVEN: HOW MILLENNIALS BECAME THE BURNOUT GENERATION which is out on September 22nd. 

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[litl-theinterview]

Bim Adewunmi

1. What is your favorite thing right now? The line between “fave” and “keeping me going” is very thin these days… but my plants make me very happy and their prominence in my life has only grown since I Came Indoors back March... Tied for that #1 spot right now is this rosemary and sage hair spritz by a small black-owned business in Brooklyn, Ms Tina’s Hair & Body. She’s the mum our former Thirst Aid Kit producer, TK Dutes. The spritz makes my hair smell amazing and incredibly soft and moisturized, wow. 2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? I love dogs, man, so that’s the obvious choice, but I’m going to say a New York rat so I can be hated and feared. It’ll make a nice change. 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? Someone once asked me, “how did you get so good at writing?” and I floated on the pleasure of that for at least a week. 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? I’d return to Italy. I know the exact dinner in the exact restaurant in Florence I would go to for dinner, I know the pizza place in Rome I would get lunch from, and I know the precise Bernini sculpture I would eat it in front of. (But also, I’ve never been to Vietnam and I’m desperate to go.) 5. What do you consider your best feature? My legs, easy. Always have been. They seem to never change; they remain strong and beautiful. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Having a long rambling conversation with my sister or my BFF. They make me laugh till I choke or cry. They’re both in London and I have missed them fiercely this year. 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   Any form of bread. Most forms of bread. Bread, Leonor! 8. What is something you never get tired of? Laughing. 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? That I am actually a little shy and very private. I think — and I hasten to add I understand why, in this age of connectedness and the warmth of the audio medium! — people confuse access for intimacy and often act as such. And when I recoil online or in person, I can feel their surprise. But like, I’m Yoruba — that means I only present 10% of myself unless we’re kin/friends. :) 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? My mum once told me to approach most things as a 50/50 proposition… Basically, when you break it down, it will either happen... or it won’t. It feels very Zen, and I use it as a handy reminder that all things will pass, good or bad. Enjoy the good, get ready to do over on the bad. Try again next time. Repeat. 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? The French actor Aïssa Maïga, or American actor Anna Diop. I don’t think we look alike at all, but I see the dark evenness of my skin in theirs; whenever I go to the braiding shop to get my hair done, the aunties always believe me to be Fula: Senegalese or Guinean or Gambian. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. This Eid self-portrait I took this year. I spent Eid alone, an ocean away from my family, and to feel closer to one another, we took pics and exchanged them on WhatsApp. The outfit is one my mum had had made in Nigeria, and she insisted I bring back with me to New York when I was home at Christmas. I'm so glad I did. I love the way I look in yellow. I mistimed the countdown on my camera which is why I'm not facing it, but was so happy with the image  that I kept it: the accidental bunny ears from my snake plant, the song of Jamaica on my right and the coleus on my left, the sun catching the lightest parts of my head scarf... it makes me happy.

Bim Adewunmi is a journalist and playwright. She is a producer at This American Life, and co-hosts Thirst Aid Kit, a podcast about pop culture and desire, with Nichole Perkins. Her first play, Hoard, is published by Samuel French, and her writing can be found all over the internet as well as in The Best American Magazine Writing 2018. She loves bread.

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Anjali Menon

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

My current work-from-home routine and the flexibility it allows. I used to be a stickler for getting a good night’s sleep. Now, no matter how late I head to bed, I always make sure I chant (nichiren buddhism) for an hour - even if I am barely awake - and set the tone for the rest of my day. It’s awesome.

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be?

The obvious answer would be a dog because I adore them. But..let’s go with the unobvious and pick a blue whale. I love the idea of being this harmless, gigantic creature calmly cruising the ocean, quietly observing all the marine life around it and building stories in my head about them. That’s what whales do with all their free time, right?

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

My best friend calls me “effervescent”. I picture a burst of bubbles from an Alka Seltzer tablet dropped into a glass of water and it makes me chuckle every time.

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

Paris! Portugal! But before any of those beautiful places, I’d have to make a pit stop in Mumbai, to see my family and give everyone a big, long hug.

5. What do you consider your best feature?

My positive attitude (thanks, dad). There are few things that can get me feeling down for very long.

6. What is one thing that makes you happy?

Pure, unadulterated, teary-eyed laughter with my closest friends. (and of course, a couple of great cocktails for added company).

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?

Oh this one’s tough... I grew up in Singapore and have been completely spoilt by all the amazing eating the island-city offers. I’ll probably take Nasi Lemak with me. Its the perfect dish with all food groups represented in one dish.

8. What is something you never get tired of?

See above: food. I’ve been known to spend hours researching recipes and Frankenstein-ing a few to make one whole one recipe. It’s weird but it’s one of those things I can easily lose myself in, oftentimes peering at my computer screen, bleary eyed and telling myself for the tenth time that I need to head to bed.

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn?

Perhaps the fact that I attended boarding school for 5 years in a small city in the hills of Tamil Nadu, South India. It was an international school where I met people from all over the world, many of whom remain some of my closest friends to this day. It was one of the best experiences of my life. That, and the fact that I am a (self proclaimed) karaoke queen.

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

“If at first you fail, try and try again” (dad, again) It’s a nudge to remind myself that nothing is ever final and that only you control your destiny.

11. Who would you like to play you you in bopic of your life?

I have no clue! Someone once told me I look like Meagan Markle. So I’ll go with her. Or Rashida Jones.

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why is it your favorite?

This one was taken at the very beginning of the year. It was a milestone birthday, and I was so grateful to celebrate it over lunch with my entire family in Mumbai. It was extra meaningful because I was scheduled to fly back to New York the next evening. I think they were singing Happy Birthday to me right when this photo was taken. It was the perfect afternoon filled with love and birthday cake.

Anjali Menon is an Mumbai-born graphic designer who came to New York City by way of Singapore. Arts school brought her to the city, the city kept her here (18 years and counting!). It is where she is constantly expanding upon her deep love for food, culture and art. Follow some of her passions on Instagram at @this_i_ate_ and at anjalimenondesign.com

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[litl-theinterview]

Nichole Perkins

1. What is your favorite thing right now? My favorite thing right now is the way my cat scrunches up her paws when I’m giving her scritches and it gets good to her. 2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? Definitely a housecat. Or some kind of big cat. 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? I love it when people get angry at their emotional responses to my writing. 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? Le Sirenuse in Positano, Italy. 5. What do you consider your best feature? My silliness. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Seeing my mom happy. I'm missing her right now. 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   I was gonna say my Aunt Ruth’s chocolate pound cake, but I think I’ll change my answer to spinach to make sure I have some roughage I can actually eat. I am not a super healthy person but being constipated on an island sounds miserable. 8. What is something you never get tired of? Prince’s Sign O’ the Times album. I take breaks, of course, but every time I come back to it, it is perfect. 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? I’m a middle child. I seem to give off bossy oldest child or spoiled youngest child energy. I’m not sure how to feel about that. lol 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? The best bits of advice I’ve ever received are all kind of connected: “Apply anyway.” “Why not you?” “Let them reject you; don’t do it yourself.” “Take the leap.” 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? I imagine part of the thrill of being the subject of a biopic is that someone much better-looking will become you so I’d suggest Naomi Ackie or Nafessa Williams. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. This is my current favorite picture of myself because it makes me seem like I’m kinda sultry. Even though I speak about sex and desire very openly, I am super awkward and flat out terrible at flirting. This picture makes me feel like I can seduce my way to an all-expenses paid trip to Le Sirenuse.

Nichole Perkins is a writer from Nashville, Tennessee, currently based in Brooklyn.

Around the internet, Nichole writes about the intersections of pop culture, race, sex, gender, and relationships. Her memoir Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be will be coming soon from Grand Central Publishing. It will cover black womanhood and sexuality, online messageboard communities, and the effects of pop culture on female desire.

Nichole is a 2017 Audre Lorde Fellow at the inaugural Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat and a 2017 BuzzFeed Emerging Writers Fellow. She is also 2016 Callaloo Creative Writing Fellow for poetry. She has participated in the Napa Valley Writers' Conference (2010, 2013).

She co-hosts Thirst Aid Kit, a podcast about pop culture and desire, with Bim Adewunmi. She is also one of the hosts of The Waves, a podcast that examines news and culture through a feminist lens. Both podcasts are at Slate. Her first collection of poetry, Lilith, but Dark, was published by Publishing Genius in July 2018.

Although her first writing love is poetry, Nichole also writes personal essays, cultural criticism, short stories, and screenplays.

She loves Prince, romance novels, and the television show Frasier. She finds it difficult to write about herself in the third person.

[litl-theinterview]

Leonor Mamanna

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

Listening to Mamiche repeat every word that comes out of my mouth. Highlights include: interesting and excellent. 

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be?

A pampered cat. Initially I was going to say dog, but cats have the benefit of being able to be aloof. I like that as an option. 

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

I used to think this was less of a compliment and more of a subtle burn, but I've had several people tell me that I am the most reliable person they know. I like that a lot. Also: a reader of this newsletter recently referred to me as a "Gold Medal Reader" and that is an A+++ compliment. 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

I realize now that this is a cruel question to have to answer during this pandemic. I want to go to Paris, always, perpetually. I want to go to Rome and eat all the pasta and pizza and gelato and stay somewhere fancy. I want to go to Grenada since our trip in April was cancelled. I want to go back to Isla Mujeres because it has been too long. But if I could go anywhere tomorrow, safely, without cause for concern, I'd go to the Upper West Side to see my grandparents and family with Mamiche. 

5. What do you consider your best feature? Another thing I have come around on is being tall. It's great to reach the high shelves. In terms of my personality, my loyalty is unmatched. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy?

It is so so corny to say Mamiche?! It's too corny! That can't be my whole answer! (Even if it is true).  I will add that feeling when you get caught up in a book and you look up after a while and your eyes are a little bleary and it takes you a minute to reorient yourself. That feeling makes me so happy. 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?  

In a world where we are pretending that I wouldn't die immediately and therefore this is very much a land of make believe I would take tacos which would obviously magically replenish. If I was really trapped, I'd take rice. 

8. What is something you never get tired of?

See above: tacos. 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn?

When I was 13, I conducted a percussion orchestra of my peers at Symphony Space. I will take no further questions at this time. 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Always take the meeting. Even if you aren't looking for a job, it never hurts to take the informational meeting and you never know when that connection 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life?

Having just seen Knives Out, the only possible response to this is Ana de Armas. She's significantly younger and oh-so-hot, which I think is very important when making this decision. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite.

My niece took this photo of me on my first Mother's Day in 2019. Mamiche was 15 days old and fast asleep. I was so so tired and everything hurt. All of our family came over for brunch. It was a perfect day.

Leonor Mamanna is the writer of this newsletter.

[litl-theinterview]

Sara Urbaez

1. What is your favorite thing right now? Walking past jasmine bushes in my neighborhood that are in bloom, the smell is intoxicating and transports me every single time. Oh, and freshly baked chocolate croissants from my friend’s bakery La Fournée. 2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? A spoiled miniature dachshund in a loving household, basically my dog Luna. She's living the absolute dream. 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? A slack message my coworker sent me which read “Sara you are a massive towering vibrant Sunflower in my mind”.  It reminds me of my strength of grace. I love that. 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? New York City, my hometown. I’ve always been a person who obsessively keeps travel lists of all the places in the world where I want to go. I would update lists constantly and even while I was in the middle of traveling somewhere I wanted to visit, I would be planning my next trip. But this pandemic has completely changed my relationship to travel and what is important for me. I lost a family member to COVID, and was not able to be present for the funeral. None of us were able to be with them while they were in the hospital. A nurse used her personal cell phone during her 14 hour shift to set up a facetime with our family, so we could say goodbye. I want to visit the gravesite, tell them how much I love them and miss them, and tell them how much they mean to me. Afterwards, I’d take a walk through my childhood neighborhood, and order a Dominican lunch. Everything else can wait. 5. What do you consider your best feature? I am extremely driven. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Ashtanga yoga. It’s a 6 day a week yoga practice, and although it is challenging and not very pleasant during - every time I finish my practice I feel more at ease. For me, happiness takes work and requires facing my inner voice and patterns. I have to face down the difficult things daily to overcome them, and I start by showing up on my mat. I’m grateful to my teacher Timothy Lynch and our yoga community. 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   A veggie burrito, with lots of rice and beans. 8. What is something you never get tired of? Photography. My career is in the photo industry and even after a long day at work - I still love looking through photos and connecting with artists, and working on my personal project LISTO. Photography fuels me. I remember once meeting a clairvoyant type during college, when I was passing through Big Sur, California. We were at a dinner party, and as soon as I sat down they looked me in the eyes and explained the importance of my eyes and the way I see the world. They kept talking about my relationship to photography. At the time, it didn’t really make sense I wasn’t taking photographs anymore and could not imagine having a career in photography. I brushed it off. Looking back on that encounter now is definitely interesting. I love looking through photos every single day. It connects me to something deeper, it never tires me. 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? That i’m a Real Housewives fanatic. I’ve started referring to myself as a Housewives Historian. Every joyous occasion or difficult scenario in life can somehow be linked back to the Real Housewives. I grew up watching Spanish telenovelas, and it laid the foundation for a love of watching drama, romance, and betrayal. Because of my background in art, it’s surprising to people that I love trash TV. There are certain episodes of Real Housewives that I consider to be works of art and speak deeply to the human condition.  I.E Dinner Party From Hell, Scary Island Parts I and II. And of course, the New Jersey Housewives episode with the table flip that shook the world. 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? When someone tells you who they are, believe them. 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? Thandie Newton, her resilience and determination to excel in an industry that was not built to protect her and is white dominated resonates for me deeply. She gave a recent interview with E. Alex Jung where she says “We got to press on, haven’t we, my love?” I want to grab drinks with her and talk about our lives for hours. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. I enjoy being behind the camera, absolutely not in front. The few photos  I do like of myself were all taken in museums. This aura portrait was taken of me at the Whitney Museum of Art. I was so angry that day- it was a weekend the trains were a mess and the meatpacking district is not my favorite neighborhood. Maybe all the red in the picture is related to how pissed off I was. Who knows. It’s my favorite photo because it captures my love for woo woo things, and also the Native New Yorker in me that is no BS.

Sara Urbaez is a first generation Dominican photo editor currently based in Berkeley, CA. She is the founder of LISTO a curatorial platform devoted to BIPOC photographers. She has worked in the photo departments of Airbnb, WIRED, Departures, and Art + Auction, among others. In her spare time, she volunteers as a full spectrum doula. 

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[litl-theinterview]

Jen Bekman

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

My roof ravens! Our house in SF is on a corner + up a small hill, which makes it a popular spot for our friendly neighborhood corvids. It’s primarily two couples—they mate for life, did you know that? I’ve been feeding them peanuts in the shell and getting to know them, and my fella has been extremely generous in indulging my obsession by setting up not one, not two, but three cameras on the roof so I can watch them. All they really do is eat those peanuts and make a bunch of noise, but seriously, I could (do!) watch them for hours. I’m actually a little embarrassed by how into it I am. 

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? Three-pronged answer here. If I’m being honest, it might be a sloth. But when I was kid, I had a book I loved about Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing—two pandas on loan from China to the National Zoo—so when my brother and I played make-believe I always wanted to be the first panda in space. But at my best, I’d say an elephant. They’re emotionally smart, complex, and nurturing. And also extremely cute. All aspirational qualities. 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? I’m lucky to say it’s a category of compliment, specifically artists coming up to me to tell me that being featured on 20x200 (or participating in Hey, Hot Shot!, the photo competition we used to do, or showing at the Spring St gallery back in the day) was something that really launched their career. Equally gratifying: the people who’ve told me they didn’t feel like they could collect art until they walked into my gallery, or bought a 20x200 print, or even just started reading our newsletters. There are lots of folks who bought their first piece of art on 20x200 who’ve gone on to be obsessive collectors! I love that. 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? Home to New York. I’m a native New Yorker and I’m usually bi-coastal, but I’ve been quarantined in San Francisco since early March. 5. What do you consider your best feature? My big mouth. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Ice cream! I like it all, but mocha almond fudge is probably my favorite flavor. 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   Well I would say ice cream again but let’s go with something more practical. So, French fries. 8. What is something you never get tired of? Art! 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? Probably that I didn’t even consider an art-related career until I was in my early thirties. I opened Jen Bekman Gallery in 2003, without any gallery +/or arts-related experience. (I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’m still glad I did it!) 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? I still have a hard time wrapping my head around and believing this sometimes, but the best advice I’ve ever received is that money isn’t the only measure of success in business. 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? Kyra Sedgwick is pretty great. And people have told me that I look like Candace Bergen before, which I just have to mention ‘cause… c’mon. ICON. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. Stefan Ruiz took this photo of me in my East Village apartment several years ago. I lived there for 26 years, so it became this extension of myself. Stefan was shooting me for FOAM magazine and this was basically the one area of my home that I didn’t want people to see because it was messy. I said as much, so of course that’s exactly where he ended up positioning me for the final shot. He was right… it’s about as close to the real me in that moment in my life that you could get, and I like that it’s got a sorta badass vibe. It’s a good reminder that I can be messy and be a badass at the same time.

Jen Bekman is the founder and CEO of 20x200.com, the pioneering art ecommerce site which made its debut in 2007. She got her start in the artworld back in 2003, when she opened her eponymous gallery on Spring St in New York City, and its founding mission has been the impetus for all her artworld endeavors since: she believes that everyone can and should collect art, and that more artists should be able to make a living by making art. 

Jen has curated over 100 exhibitions during her career, many of which were reviewed and/or featured in publications like The New Yorker, ARTnews, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and more. Jen has also juried numerous photography and illustration competitions, worked on collaborations with museums, retailers, and major brands, and written extensively on the subjects of art and design. She has been named one of Forbes.com’s Top Ten Female Entrepreneurs to Watch and one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Tech, and has been profiled by The New York Times and American Express’s OPEN Forum, among other publications. She's spoken at a broad range of conferences, including SXSW Interactive and the XOXO Festival, and has hosted numerous panels and discussions about art, technology and design. 

A native New Yorker, Jen has split her time between New York City and San Francisco for more than a decade. She looks forward to resuming her bicoastal lifestyle post-pandemic, but in the meanwhile she's a full-time San Franciscan, tending to her garden and roof ravens and missing NYC something awful.

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[litl-theinterview]

Simone Oliver

1. What is your favorite thing right now? 

Being kind, my crazy kids — for better or for worse — and The Walking Dead. Yeah, my husband and I went THAT WAY during shelter in place. 

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? 

Cheetah, black panther or dolphin. 

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? 

“You’re a good listener.”

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 

Puerta Vallarta, Mexico 

5. What do you consider your best feature? 

My cheekbones/smile.

6. What is one thing that makes you happy? 

Netflix and chillin with my man while the kids are asleep. 🥃 

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island? 

Take? You can do that lol? Turkey jerky. 

8. What is something you never get tired of? 

Laughing. 

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? 

I played drums, did Karate and was a tomboy as an adolescent. 

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 

Leave the red tape behind. 

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? 

That’s hard. Issa Rae or Regina Hall. 

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite.

Why? Because this was a moment where I had been working really hard on this activation for work. I was in NOLA in July, it was hot af, seven months pregnant and had to sit down, take a breath for a moment and be proud of the work my and my colleagues had done. It was a reminder to myself that I’m a #%*$ boss.

Simone Oliver is in charge of lifestyle partnerships @facebook/@instagram, an adjunct professor @newhousenyc, and an alum of @condenast and @nytimesfashion. She is from New York City. 

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[litl-theinterview]

Lisa Hooper

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

That this time of extreme isolation and hardship has the potential to help us individually to become more resilient, innovative, and humble – and collectively more connected and compassionate. The creativity exploding out of #socialdistancing is also inspiring and I hope it continues. On a personal front, my husband is an FDNY EMT and I’m in awe of his dedication to his work. And to the optimism that he carries with him every single day to the people of NYC, despite the odds. His PMA is my favorite thing. 2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be?

A hummingbird — because they pack a powerful punch and do it with such grace. 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

It's a 2-way tie: Once in college, someone told me that I dressed like I was from the future. (whoa) Recently, I had only been in my new job for about a month — generally feeling self conscious about having made the right choice, fitting in, being seen, etc. And a person I hadn’t met yet, who apparently sat just a few seats away from me, came up to me at our holiday party and said “I just want you to know that I’ve been watching you work and the way you interact with people with such integrity, and you’re really amazing. Please keep it up and I’m so glad you’re here.” The whole exchange really touched me — especially since I hadn’t been interacting with her directly — that she ‘saw’ what I was about and went out of her way to tell me. 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? If money and time were no object, I would head to the Maldives and stay in a hut in the sea.   5. What do you consider your best feature? My hair. We speak the same language. When it was super short years ago, strangers on the street used to stop me because of my hair and ask me questions about it. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Strong coffee with vanilla almond creamer 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   Avocados. They're the perfect food. Give me some salt, lemon, a knife and spoon, and I'm set any time of day. 8. What is something you never get tired of? Organizing and self-improvement. There's always an opportunity to get better. 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn?  That I’m both business-minded and creative sometimes catches people off guard. I have both an MBA and an MFA and live at the intersection of making creative work better so knowing how to both read a balance sheet and justify an artistic decision comes in quite handy. Oh, and I can draw. That never ceases to surprise/impress — especially at restaurants with paper tablecloths or at dinner parties. 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Growing up, my mom always used to tell me “When you can’t go through the door, find a window.” I still find it so applicable, every single day. It helps remind me that — with tenacity and ingenuity — there’s always a solution to any kind of problem you may face. 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life?

Parker Posey. I would be honored to have lived a life worthy of her talent, infinite snark, and facial expressions. 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. Photos like this from when my twins were babies remind me that I’m capable of overcoming seemingly-impossible challenges, on very little sleep. This particular shot is from our first adventure with them —in Pittsburgh for a family wedding to which children weren’t invited. So there was a whole slew of coordination off-camera (babysitters, coverage plans, pumping, equipment, etc.) that we had to get through to get to this moment. Big picture-wise, I nursed them, worked full time, juggled a toddler, marriage, and household in NYC without family nearby. I find it amazing that I somehow managed to shower and leave the house once in awhile let alone take them on trips. It reminds me to never give up, no matter how difficult my present situation may seem. Plus, I look so well-rested and youthful in this photo — how was that even possible?! <swoon>

Lisa Hooper is from West (by-God) Virginia who moved to New York by way of DC and Boston nearly 20 years ago. She is currently a Director of Creative Operations in advertising after being long-time EP and Operations Director for celebrity portrait photographer Martin Schoeller where she regularly worked with clients like The New Yorker, Amazon, GQ, Netflix, Vanity Fair, Porsche and more. She is a relentless optimist, loves both dancing and cocktails, and believes deeply in the power of collective enterprise. Lisa is currently gathering people’s post-pandemic 2020 challenges/goals to help maximize their success potential — submit yours here.

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[litl-theinterview]

Diana Tsui

1. What is your favorite thing right now? 

Being that we're in self quarantine, I'm currently obsessed with my Great Jones pot and my donabe from Japan. I'm cooking a ton at the moment and all my recipes center around stuff I can make in these pots.

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? 

I'm definitely part Husky -- give me a snowy mountain any day of the week!

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? 

"You don't look like the kind of person who climbs and snowboards" or "Your style is best described as avant garde jelly fish, there's always a tentacle-like thing on your body"

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 

Sigh, I really dream about life post Covid-19 so I can go back to Tokyo and eat all the sushi.

5. What do you consider your best feature? 

I'm very lucky to have thick hair that grows super fast, although right now it's the bane of my existence since my roots are growing out.

6. What is one thing that makes you happy? 

A big dim sum spread.

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island? 

Rice!!! I can't live without it.

8. What is something you never get tired of? 

Ugh, I hate how much I love Instagram.

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? 

I almost became a doctor! I took my MCAT and worked at Mass General Hospital as a patient coordinator for clinical trials. I learned phlebotomy and I can definitely tell you which vein is easiest to draw blood from.

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 

Ask for forgiveness and not permission.

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life?

Awkwafina -- we're both from NYC and we're both blunt as hell.

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite.

This was taken back in September 2018 and feels like a lifetime ago. It was in Copenhagen at the Louisiana Museum. I miss traveling so much and I hope some day we'll be able to do it.

Diana Tsui is the editorial director of MedMen. 

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[litl-theinterview]

Thi Minh Huyen Nguyen

1. What is your favorite thing right now? Taking sundays offline, sleeping in and then taking the time preparing food. It’s so healing when you make time and nourish yourself with all the ingredients that make you feel good and sharp. I have a second favourite thing: Being able to carry a book and my tea mug with me while commuting since I was just in a boot and on crutches for 6 weeks due to a sports injury. 2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be?

I love the idea of being a panther, elegant, fast but also mysterious. 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

A photographer friend whose work I respect recently made an introduction with these words: “She’s highly intelligent, has an incredible way with words and a truly analytic mind that always has angles to point out that make one think deeper. Her opinions are strong and pronounced, but always reasonable and respectful.” For someone who still struggles to accept compliments in a society in which especially wom*n of color are being told that we are never enough, this one really stood out and made me feel appreciated. 4, If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

Vietnam.

5. What do you consider your best feature? My curiosity. I love to learn, study, think deeper about something and ask questions. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Running. After being injured the past 3 months, I am looking forward to get back on the roads. 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   Probably my mother’s Phở. 8. What is something you never get tired of? Reading. I remember I would spend a lot of time reading, writing and drawing as a child and growing up, until my early adult years in which I was caught up with boyfriends and partying. Later, my undergrad in media science was so intense and competitive, it wasn’t until afterwards I started picking up books for pleasure and true learning again. Now, after having worked full time for a couple years and back at graduate school, I feel like I owe it to myself to truly spend time with and read the things I am most curious/ concerned about. I am also choosing to read and write in German language again (so that I can participate in the change here) and am enjoying speaking Vietnamese as well (my family's language). My love for words and what kind of power they hold never ceases. 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? That I participated in hiphop choreography classes from age 13-15 and I still love watching dance videos (secretly :-P). 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Take the good, leave the bad. One of my mentor figures/ friend/ sister/ healer/ life advisor said this to me around 10 years ago. It’s simple and reminds me to stay in the present moment. I always return to it. 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? Really tough question, and now I am asking myself: where are all the Vietnamese actresses?! Maybe the lovechild of Lucy Liu and Awkwafina :))) 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. This has become my all-time favourite, since it shows me in my traditional Vietnamese Áo Dài (a traditional dress or tunic worn for graduation and celebrations like Lunar New Year, birthdays and weddings). While I wasn’t celebrating anything particular that day, it was truly special to me, to wear this in New York and to be photographed by dear friends Rog + Bee Walker after years of making me small, hiding and trying to be German. It took me 25 years to unlearn and ‘become’ Vietnamese, so much so that I’d say I am proud to be who I am and where my ancestors are coming from now.

Thi Minh Huyen Nguyen is a Vietnamese German-born marathoner, creative and womxn’s rights activist. As a professional in the sports industry, she helped build District Vision and her clients include: Maurten and Outdoor Voices. She started Gold to Green, an online publication and podcast at the intersections of health, running, sustainability and culture in 2011. Huyen has co-founded WocForward in Brooklyn (a monthly exercise club for and by womxn of color) and Wayv Run Kollektiv in Berlin to elevate BIPOC, WOC, LGBTQI* runners. When Huyen is not running, she’s writing and raising awareness for womxns matters while pursuing a master’s degree in media science.

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[litl-theinterview]

Louisa Cannell

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

Emotionally? Boyfriend, friends, family :) Materially? I got a weighted blanket for Christmas and I sleep so much better now. I highly recommend to anyone with anxiety.

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be?

Bird, maybe a Storm Petrel, which is a sea bird that nests underground. Seems adventurous and cozy. I'm afraid of heights, but I assume I would get over that after a bit.

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

When women tell me they feel represented in my artwork, that is makes them feel confident and beautiful.

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

I mean, if price was no object, I would definitely lounge on a boat on the Amalfi Coast tomorrow.

5. What do you consider your best feature?

I think I'm good at improving. I make mistakes all the time but I'm good at recognizing them and taking note for next time. 

6. What is one thing that makes you happy?

Long intricate skincare routines.

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?  

Tacos. Or olive bread.

8. What is something you never get tired of?

Parks and Rec and the Harry Potter audiobooks.

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn?

That I played squash in college. I did not play well, but I was on the team!

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Always write a thank you letter, email, or text. It goes a long way. 

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life?

Katharine Hepburn please

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite.

This is from the last day of 2019, at the beach in LA. The sun was so nice and I had just had a really delicious sandwich!

Louisa Cannell is an illustrator based in Brooklyn. Before going freelance, Louisa worked in photo and art production at Condé Nast, helped launch VICE's tv channel on the marketing team, and was part of Refinery29's design team. She has worked with companies like goop, the Women's March, Times Up Now, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Apple, Planned Parenthood and more. You can check out here work here.

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[litl-theinterview]

Olivia de Recat

1. What is your favorite thing right now?

This facial steamer my roommate and I are using to clear out our sinuses because we’re both sick.

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be?

A rich person’s dog.  

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

That I’m “statuesque,” which I think is another way of saying “you’re tall and have o.k. posture” but I’ll TAKE IT.

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

Tomorrow? Colorado. My cousin lives there and I she was in my dream last night. We were out dancing. I’d like to do that tomorrow!

5. What do you consider your best feature?

My hands. They do so much in a day. Thank you, hands!

6. What is one thing that makes you happy?

Getting hand-written letters in the mail.

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?  

My grandma’s homemade ravioli. Not sure how well that’d keep, but would be a good final meal. (There’s no way I’m surviving on a desert island.)

8. What is something you never get tired of?

Sleep. See what I did there? No, but, truly…sleep is the best.

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn?

How to pronounce my last name. It’s like eureka with a “d!”

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

My mom would always tell me “this too shall pass,” which used to annoy me. It just seemed like a boring thing people say to make you feel better. But then I got older and realized how important it is to have some grasp on impermanence. There is still a part of me thinks that no matter how I feel or what I’m going through, it’s going to be that way FOREVER. Happiness, sadness, boredom, indigestion-- every feeling is the PINNACLE and TRUTH of my EXISTENCE. I still feel my feelings in a big way, but now I know that they’re running through me, instead of, like, being me. *Cue wind chimes*

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life?

As a human woman in 2019, I am contractually obligated to say Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite.

This photo features several things I love: doodling, wine, smiling without my teeth, and of course, cheese!!!

Olivia de Recat is a cartoonist and writer living in Los Angeles. She has been contributing to The New Yorker since 2017. She can also be found posting daily drawings to her Instagram account, @drawingolive, where she explores topics such as love, loss, and flatulence. 

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[litl-theinterview]

Bifen Xu

1. What is your favorite thing right now? 

I love looking at beautiful images of interiors which also makes me sad too. I can look at the Eames Home, anything Billy Cotton. the Mjolk stone house, everything Leslie Williamson shoots, minimalist homes with natural material, daylight and plants suck me in. I've just described my Instagram hole. 

2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? 

A bird so I could fly everywhere. 

3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? 

I went to a very competitive high school (Stuyvesant HS. in New York) so I'm always so insecure about being considered "smart." So yes I like when people describe me as intelligent or smart. ) Not that I get this compliment a lot though. 

4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 

I'd like to go back to Japan. I haven't been since my son was born and I always love it for the culture, shopping, food, and beauty. 

5. What do you consider your best feature? 

My perceptive-ness. The Koreans call it Noonchi.  Or do you mean physical? I take great care of my skin and love washing my face and using a lot of beauty products (p50 & Retin-A are some favorites)

6. What is one thing that makes you happy? 

My 3.5-year-old son is starting to talk and engage in conversations now and he says the funniest things. He currently thinks that a MetroCard is the most valuable thing you can own.

7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?  

I never tire of bread and cheese and it seems like it would be practical to eat on an island. 

8. What is something you never get tired of? 

Books and reading. I'm in a bad mood if I don't have something good to read. The last good book I read is Life Undercover.

9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? 

That I dream of being a lawyer or an agent in the CIA. 

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 

"Don't do what you think you should do but what you want to do." From my old boss and friend Joe Zee

11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? 

Janeane Garofolo has my vibes. 

12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. This was taken at a wedding in a photo booth and it makes my friends laugh.

Bifen Xu grew up in New York City. She attended Stuyvesant High School and Northwestern University. She has worked for media companies Conde Nast, The New York Times and Yahoo Style which she launched with Joe Zee and Dora Fung in 2014. Her family is from Hong Kong and Guanzhou, China. Her favorite comfort food is her mom’s stir-fried tomatoe and egg dish with rice and no matter how many times she tries to make it herself, it’s never as good as her mom’s. 

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[litl-theinterview]

Dora Fung

1. What is your favorite thing right now? Learning to make kimchi stew and making Myles do accents to amuse me. 2. If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? A pug. In fact, I think I was a pug in my previous life and got reincarnated as me! 3. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received? No one has yet to impress me with their compliments! 4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? Argentina, Vancouver, Mustique 5. What do you consider your best feature? My hair, my decolletage and my appetite. 6. What is one thing that makes you happy? Unexpected weight lost! 7. What is the food you would take to a desert island?   Ramen noodles, fresh chili and soy sauce. 8. What is something you never get tired of? The smell of eucalyptus 9. What is something about you that people are always surprised to learn? I hate beans sprout and duck- being Asian, this can almost count as treason! 10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Be polite to people! It does not take a lot to say hello, please, thank you and goodbye. 11. Who would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? A member from Black Pink, I am not fussed which one! In fact, I can’t tell which is which so they can all take turns! 12. Please share your favorite photo of yourself and why it is your favorite. Its so silly! 

Dora Fung moved from London to New York City in 2004 and helped launch Vogue China, worked at Carine Roitfeld’s magazine CR, and The Cut and various media companies.  With Bifen and Joe Zee, Dora launched Yahoo Style in 2014. Her family is originally from Malaysia. Dora’s favorite comfort food is rice with soy sauce which she knows is so basic but she loves it anyways.

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