<![CDATA[Stories by Elizabeth Spiers on Medium]]> https://medium.com/@espiers?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/fit/c/150/150/1*Va5FbsAx7Jedvho9djMfLg.jpeg Stories by Elizabeth Spiers on Medium https://medium.com/@espiers?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 Medium Sun, 15 Nov 2026 08:08:47 GMT <![CDATA[The Troublemaker’s Guide to Afflicting the Comfortable]]>

Punching up: why are right wingers and rich people so bad at it?

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/the-troublemakers-guide-to-afflicting-the-comfortable-1617e728c9d2?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/1617e728c9d2 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:23:48 GMT 2026-10-26T18:23:48.584Z <![CDATA[James Carville, Please Go Away, a column by me]]>

No matter how hard I try to excise any commentary from James Carville from my media diet, he persists in my inbox, and in the newspapers I…

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/james-carville-please-go-away-a-column-by-me-c15ae4b71643?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/c15ae4b71643 Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:11:25 GMT 2026-10-22T13:11:25.638Z <![CDATA[Why Democratic Leaders Keep Waging War on the Young]]>

I DISAGREE! GET ON MY LAWN, KIDS!

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/why-democratic-leaders-keep-waging-war-on-the-young-d2c34c4d033f?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/d2c34c4d033f Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:22:08 GMT 2026-10-15T13:22:08.297Z <![CDATA[I Was Raped at a Frat Party, and My Experience is Horrifyingly Common]]>

The problems that make colleges a hostile environment for women start long before.

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/i-was-raped-at-a-frat-party-and-my-experience-is-horrifyingly-common-86ad1cdcb29f?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/86ad1cdcb29f Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:26:38 GMT 2026-10-06T19:26:38.655Z <![CDATA[The Correct Answer to “What Is A Woman?”]]>

There’s a real answer, but it’s not a good faith question.

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/the-correct-answer-to-what-is-a-woman-91f3d8af604d?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/91f3d8af604d Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:57:49 GMT 2026-09-18T16:11:28.157Z <![CDATA[I‘m a professional opinion writer. Here’s why you shouldn’t use A.I. to write.]]>

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller made news this week after the Wall Street Journal published his op-ed critiquing Treasury…

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/i-m-a-professional-opinion-writer-heres-why-you-shouldn-t-use-a-i-to-write-8d24072bc779?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/8d24072bc779 Thu, 27 Aug 2026 20:58:50 GMT 2026-08-27T21:11:09.974Z <![CDATA[Late Summer Stuff]]> https://espiers.medium.com/late-summer-stuff-2ff9b110dcf5?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/2ff9b110dcf5 Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:17:54 GMT 2026-08-05T17:21:23.537Z photo of an ocean sunset
Photo by Martin Franco on Unsplash

Updates, new workshop schedule, and random thoughts

Here in NYC, public school kids don’t start their summer break till late June, and they go back the first week of September. When I was growing up in Alabama, we ended school at the beginning of May and started back at the very end of August. There are pros and cons to both, but I hate that NYC gets out so late because it feels like a third of the actual summer is already done by the time Ford is done with school.

It’s only August 5th and stores have had back-to-school stuff on shelves for a couple of weeks now, and I would like to just stick my head in the sand and pretend that the Fall craziness, followed by holiday craziness, is not nearly as close as it is. I have not yet swimmed in a pool, or gotten a sunburn, or stared into the deep abyss of an endless ocean contemplating how small and insignificant I am in the overall scheme of the universe — and these are all summer musts for me.

Also, work is slow, which is not good. I’m not really sure how to remedy it other than to keep pitching and occasionally dropping resumes for full time stuff that seems appealing. I’ve pulled back on pitching columns a tiny bit because I’m trying to finish a long form thing (like, the longest form thing, the kind of thing you put between two cardboard covers) and can only use my brain to construct coherent sentences for so many hours a day. It’s a bit of a risky bet, but I’m hoping I can finish it and work prospects will be better in the fall.

I’m lucky and grateful to have the work I do have, though. Media economics aren’t good right now and I’m not nearly as far up shit creek as a lot of people (my paddle still works). It also helps that I’m somewhat inured to the stresses and vicissitudes of freelancing, having done it for so long. But, man, it would be nice to coast for a week or two.

In other admin-y work updates: I’ve posted new workshop dates through November, and they’re below. (Gift certificates are available if you want to gift a friend a creative workshop or torment a high school student with an essay workshop instead of giving them cash.)

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy what’s left of our quickly disappearing summer. Get a sunburn for me!

Elizabeth

LATE SUMMER / FALL 2026 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION

OPINION WRITING

Opinion Writing | Sunday, August 30th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Opinion Writing AUDIT ONLY | Sunday, August 30th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

Opinion Writing | Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026 | 9:00 am — 12:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Opinion Writing AUDIT ONLY | Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026 | 9:00 am — 12:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

Opinion Writing | Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Opinion Writing AUDIT ONLY | Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

Opinion Writing | Sunday, November 15th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Opinion Writing AUDIT ONLY | Sunday, November 15th | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

PERSONAL ESSAY

Personal Essay | Sunday, September 6th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Personal Essay AUDIT ONLY | Sunday, September 6th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

Personal Essay | Tuesday, October 20th 2026 | 9:00 am — 12:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Personal Essay AUDIT ONLY | Tuesday, October 20th 2026 | 9:00 am — 12:00 pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

Personal Essay | Tuesday, November 17th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $350

Personal Essay AUDIT ONLY | Tuesday, November 17th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $100

CREATIVE IDEATION/PRACTICE WORKSHOP

Creative Practice | Sunday, August 23rd, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 3:00 pm pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $65

Creative Practice | Sunday, September 27th, 2026 | 1:00 pm — 3:00 pm pm ET (via Zoom) REGISTER HERE $65

Previous issue

J.D. Vance and Me

]]> <![CDATA[J.D. Vance and Me]]>

I wrote about J.D. Vance’s new book for The Nation. Anyone who knows me knows I dislike politicians magically transforming into good ol’…

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/j-d-vance-and-me-568a1b4fd912?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/568a1b4fd912 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:33:01 GMT 2026-06-25T21:33:01.714Z <![CDATA[What Has Elon Musk Cost Us?]]>

I wrote about Elon Musk and the SpaceX IPO for The Nation. One of the screwed up things about our society is that we venerate the wealthy…

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/what-has-elon-musk-cost-us-76c80f65b20b?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/76c80f65b20b Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:03:32 GMT 2026-06-17T19:03:32.957Z <![CDATA[I Went to Duke With Justin Fairfax and Cerina Fairfax. Decades Later, He Killed Her]]>

Cerina, Justin, and their kids

Continue reading on Medium »

]]> https://espiers.medium.com/i-went-to-duke-with-justin-fairfax-and-cerina-fairfax-decades-later-he-killed-her-4dbb9bdcd4b5?source=rss-9f4db2167991------2 https://medium.com/p/4dbb9bdcd4b5 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:36:50 GMT 2026-04-30T19:11:54.547Z