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There is a brief, glorious stretch of summer when tomatoes seem to be everywhere. Garden vines bend beneath their weight, farmers’ market tables overflow with heirlooms in shades of red, gold, green, and purple, and even a simple tomato sandwich suddenly feels like something worth celebrating. This is the moment to let tomatoes be the …

There is something wonderfully satisfying about a garden in early fall. The air turns cooler, late-blooming flowers glow against deepening autumn colors, and the frantic pace of summer gardening begins to ease. Yet this quieter season is far from the end of the gardening year. In many ways, autumn is one of the most important …

On August 24, we remember one of the most distinctive literary minds of the modern era: A. S. Byatt, the British novelist, critic, essayist, and storyteller whose richly imaginative books seemed to contain whole libraries within their pages. Born Antonia Susan Drabble on August 24, 1936, Byatt would have celebrated her 90th birthday today. She …

Creamy, gently sweet, and warmly scented with vanilla and cinnamon, this easy rice pudding is the kind of old-fashioned dessert that feels instantly comforting. It is made from a handful of simple pantry ingredients and cooks right on the stovetop—no baking required. The finished pudding is soft and luxuriously creamy, with tender grains of rice …

Vanilla may be one of the most familiar flavors in the world, but the plant behind it is surprisingly exotic. Those fragrant brown vanilla beans tucked into jars in the pantry begin as the fruit of a tropical climbing orchid—a plant that requires warmth, humidity, patience, and, in most gardens, a little help from its …

On August 23, we celebrate the birthday of Nazik al-Malaika, the Iraqi poet, critic, scholar, and literary innovator whose work helped reshape modern Arabic poetry. Born in Baghdad on August 23, 1923, al-Malaika became one of the defining literary voices of the 20th-century Arab world. She is particularly remembered as one of the pioneers of …

There is something unmistakably hopeful about the start of a new school year. Fresh notebooks appear on store shelves, backpacks wait by the door, and even an ordinary Monday begins to feel like a clean page. A new manicure can capture that same sense of possibility: a small, colorful detail that makes the first day …

A bowl of miso soup has a way of making even an ordinary meal feel a little more thoughtful. The broth arrives warm and fragrant, delicate clouds of miso drifting around tender cubes of tofu, ribbons of seaweed, and a scatter of fresh green onion. It is simple, soothing, and deeply savory without ever feeling …

Some writers leave behind a famous book. Others leave behind a voice so unmistakable that, decades later, you can still hear it arriving before they do. Dorothy Parker belongs to the second category. There is the quick intelligence, of course. The devastating observation. The elegant little sentence that appears perfectly civilized until you realize it …

There is something quietly powerful about having one small corner of your home devoted to stillness. It does not need to be an elaborate spiritual sanctuary filled with candles, crystals, statues, and incense. Your meditation altar might be nothing more than a small table beside a sunny window with a favorite stone, a plant, and …