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1. What was your first column?

My first column was “Bad (so bad that it’s good?) romance.” It discussed the ways in which I feel I should be more sophisticated, refined, adult and all the ways that I feel I don’t meet those expectations. I have to say that those issues are still a part of my life. How do I balance my love of clothes and makeup and fashion and a ridiculously involved obsession with television against my life as an academic, a professional reader and critic? What has changed is that through my writing for The Idler I’ve gained more confidence in my idling. The positive feedback I’ve received, the minds I’ve changed (even if just a few and slightly) have helped me feel better about what I love. I’m definitely checking, if not chucking, the shame.

2. What is your favorite Idler column that you didn’t write?

I have to say the one that comes to mind is Jill’s piece on cooking chard. That sounds a little silly, maybe, but it’s true. I just really enjoy how she approaches the chard like this alien lettuce full of many secrets. So many people are concerned with fancy cookery lately and honestly I think it’s just too much. Yeah, I’ll tear up at the beauty of a Prada pump, but I find the intricacies of an endive salad pompous and bourgie. (I’m an enigma, so sue me.) What’s great about Jill is that she attacks cooking from the novice perspective. At the end of the day, she just wants to eat and eat something good. She gets there in her writing with a delightful mix of tactful description and self-deprecating humor. “What is a chard?” she wonders. I didn’t know what it was either, Jill. Thank you for telling me.

3. What sort of things do you want to write about in the next year?

It’s hard to tell what will bubble up in the next year. I tend to be inspired by whatever’s happening
around me and run with it. I suppose I’d like to discuss art and crafting some more. I know I’ll talk about TV. Breaking Bad, United States of Tara, and In Treatment are all shows that I need to gush over. More (women in) stand-up comedy theorizing. Perhaps something about tattoos? The world is my idling oyster. Happy Idlerversary, everyone!

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Ana Holguin writes “PopHeart” for The Idler.