First Person

Coming home at night to a rural home can give the past a second wind, but let it be a short one.

Being anointed "cultural advisor" to 19 visiting American college students can make for a class of its own.

For the paranoid person, a relationship means opening a portal into a beautiful but terrifying world.

The author bids a bittersweet farewell to her "accidental" vocation of Rome tour guide.

A Toulouse-Lautrec print brings back sharp memories of a murdered brother.

There are times when two languages come together to take your breath away.

Harry Potter was as much a companion as a fictional character. Which makes what he's up to now less interesting.

When it comes to 21st-century anxiety, seek refuge in superheroes like modern Madeline and Stone Age Ug.

A writer's love of Michael Phelps resurfaces just in time for the Rio Summer Olympics.

A veteran translator appraises her "hardening," otherwise known as maturity.

How a gift given in passing became a creation capable even of rekindling a love affair — with a city.

Two people exchanging ideas can be a joy — unless you happen on an Italian mansplainer.