Experts Say It’s the Key to a Well-Adjusted Child. I Tried for Years. This Holiday Season, I Encourage You to Give Up. The injustice of it all will begin to hit.

My no-gifts story got its first clap back. Thanks @rebeccaonion.bsky.social!

slate.com/life/2025/12...

The Parents Who Don’t Give Their Kids Gifts While most parents struggle to stuff stockings, some well-off ones bask in the blank space under the Christmas tree.

This year, the most luxurious kid's gift is... no gift at all!

My latest for @thecut.com about the rich parents eschewing presents got surprisingly political. Join me on a journey into brownstone Brooklyn, homesteading Instagram, and "feminine energy."

www.thecut.com/article/kid-...

Know any parents who DON’T give their kids gifts? Or who only do secondhand/handmade/empty amazon box gifts? Is this you?

I want to talk for a story ASAP! emi@eminietfeld.com

thank you!! You can take it down

Opinion | I Photographed an Appalachian Family for 15 Years

“She understands that people don’t just get “stuck.” They fight to stay afloat while the world tries to push them under.”
Beautiful photo essay of a family growing up in Appalachia.
Words by @eminietfeld.bsky.social
Photos by Maddie McGarvey.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/o...

Yes, please do! Thank you!

Opinion | Seeing Those Who Are Forgotten: An Act of Witness in Appalachia

Maddie McGarvey spent 15 years photographing a young girl growing up in the natural splendor and deep poverty of Appalachia. McGarvey's act of witness is breathtaking and heartbreaking and life-changing. I'm honored to write about it for the New York Times.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/o...

You're invited to "Class Not Dismissed." Tap here to RSVP - Paperless Post Card The Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) is building a media that spotlights the stories - and the storytellers - often left in the shadows: the working-…

Excited for Class Not Dismissed this Monday about reporting on class -

with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project! Speaking w/ @jiatolentino.bsky.social @alissaquart.bsky.social and more!!

It's free! RSVP here: pp.events/bgAA6xxa

Would die for @karaswisher.bsky.social's take on this one...

thank you!

Thank you so much for reading and sharing, Dana!

thanks so much! So, in Texas?

Bi sees a model for surrogacy in the antiabortion laws that 'recognize and protect the right of a fetal life.' She thinks that when doctors see surrogates go against medical advice, they should report it to the police.

Thanks so much to my expert @michelebgoodwin.bsky.social!

Where are those ads located? Do you remember the agency? I am super curious...

you're welcome!

The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It? When her son died in utero, a venture capitalist went to extremes to punish her surrogate.

A stillbirth transforms a surrogacy arrangement into an absolute nightmare. The intended parent, a venture capitalist, wages a ruthless campaign against the surrogate, exposing the perilous landscape of America's unregulated surrogacy industry.
Excellent job by @eminietfeld.bsky.social

Thank you so much for reading!

Huge thank you to my editor, fact checker, sources, and experts!

A private investigator. Psychics. Calls to the FBI. Dozens of reports to regulators. A million dollar legal battle. A restraining order. An arrest warrant.

American surrogacy raked in approximately $5 billion in 2024. What can go wrong?

I'm looking for men who got depressed after having a baby to talk about their experience. Please DM me if this is you or someone you know! Looking to talk by Thursday!
#journorequest

I can't wait for this event tomorrow. all my Brooklyn folks, I hope I see you there!!

partiful.com/e/HLgL5MLN3P...

I started going to church after Trump was elected for his second term. Looking for other folks who are looking for faith (any faith tradition!) post-election for a story. TIA!

I'm SOLD! Wish I were in Atlanta

To Care for My Family, I Thought I Had to Hide My Abuse I wanted to believe my children’s father wouldn’t hurt us. I wanted to prove I’d care for him no matter what.

"I’d explained Russell’s fury not as abuse but as symptomatic of #PTSD — from childhood trauma and wartime deployment, from losing his best friends in combat and his mother too young."

highlights the danger of thinking about #trauma as an excuse for bad behavior, getting more and more common

To Care for My Family, I Thought I Had to Hide My Abuse I wanted to believe my children’s father wouldn’t hurt us. I wanted to prove I’d care for him no matter what.

You must read this absolutely gutting essay about DV and the fear of CPS removals that keeps moms trapped in abuse. About PTSD, veteran mental health, how racism hurts everyone.
About trying to be a good human and not knowing how
@moashort.bsky.social @thecut.com

www.thecut.com/article/repo...

bin it or burn it

A book titled “acceptance”. It has a picture of a young woman sitting with her legs crossed on the cover.

thanks for the holiday break reading, @eminietfeld.bsky.social !!

Dr Inna has some great resources on What's problematic about Van de Kolk.
tr.ee/BfxplAJD6C

Aww thank you Jillian! I appreciate you! I would love to know what you think if and when you read it.

thank you for reading!!