Twenty Something The latest admonition comes from a 60-year-old social psychologist whose book hit the No. 1 spot on The New York Times’ hardcover nonfiction best-seller list. Using a smartphone threatens a child’s mental well-being, Jonathan Haidt believes, and he makes the case in his book “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood […]
Christina Capecchi: Gowns of grace, heaps of joy
Twenty Something Jenna Wright has come a long way from being an NFL cheerleader to a First Communion catechist. Now, rather than sporting a skimpy outfit at the Super Bowl, she’s selling white gowns to second-grade girls and their families — and making it a memorable part of their sacramental preparation. It’s the perfect fit […]
Christina Capecchi: Put 2024 on paper
TWENTY SOMETHING He began at the beginning: “Left St. Paul Jan. 23rd 98 at 4:30 P.M.” In a leather-bound journal, his neat cursive scrolled in pencil across graph paper, Frank Storms charted his epic pursuit: to strike gold in Alaska. He arrived in 1898, in the middle of a stampede — some 100,000 prospectors […]
Christina Capecchi: Leap of faith
TWENTY SOMETHING I’ve been following the press around the most anticipated biography of the year: “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson. I’m interested in the controversial innovator and also the author’s writing process, which involved shadowing Musk for two years. Isaacson, an acclaimed journalist, gained surprising access to Musk, sitting in on high-profile meetings and […]
Christina Capecchi: Hand-me-downs, pick-me-ups
TWENTY SOMETHING It all started with a used coat. Betty Henson didn’t need her fuzzy green coat anymore, so she offered it to her son, an aspiring puppeteer. Jim stuffed and stitched it, creating a round head, a dense torso and lanky limbs. He folded a deep mouth and split a ping pong ball to […]
Christina Capecchi: Her life was a work of art
TWENTY SOMETHING Two parts reverence, one part mischief. That’s how I’d sum up my grandma, whose name — Elinor Marcella — captures her mix of poise and playfulness. She raised five kids with a kind of 1950s ease: neck bows and neatly coiffed hair, family dinners and at-home haircuts, playing Bud & Travis on the […]
Christina Capecchi: No cell phones, no problem
TWENTY SOMETHING It started with news from Camp Wapo, the Bible camp I’d attended as a kid. The camp counselors in Amery, Wisconsin, enforce a strict no cell-phone policy: Ditch your iPhone when you arrive, get it back when you leave. My reaction surprised me. I felt relief, triumph, a sense that the arc of […]
Christina Capecchi: The path of inspiration
TWENTY SOMETHING During his down time at work, a Minnesota surgeon often browses the New Yorker in the hospital library. One day he spotted its famed cartoon caption contest — a caption-less cartoon that calls on readers to submit captions and then vote on their favorites, to be published in the following issue of the […]
Christina Capecchi: The duty of delight
TWENTY SOMETHING Here we are, in the thick of summer, this deep and gentle place. The world is still broken, but we are given a season of delight. Sweet corn and watermelon, birdsong and bare feet and the nostalgic sensation of endless summer stretching out before us like a million tufts of cloud roaming the […]
Christina Capecchi: Designing a better swimsuit
TWENTY SOMETHING For years, Catherine Huss’ twin passions were evident: faith and fashion. The 30-year-old Catholic never felt that her faith was at odds with her penchant for apparel. But the career path she projected for herself did appear lonely. She wasn’t aware of any other Catholic fashion designers. “I didn’t see anyone doing it,” […]
