Catherine Gigante-Brown

I was 21 –– a Catholic, heterosexual college student, living at home in Brooklyn and still trying to discover who I was. At the crossroads of her life, Lorde knew exactly who she was. She was waging a war against cancer and sharing an old house in Staten Island with her kids and partner. But maybe we weren’t so different after all.

Why, when I'm cool with being a salt-and-pepper chick, does it so clearly unnerve others?

Who says feminists don't love alpha males and cooking?

Being a little bit chubby is better than being a lot dead.

From New York to LA, this lady knows a good story.

Food can be more than nourishing; it can be healing.

I left Cuba in 1949, when I was 11 years old. Back then, I didn't understand why my mother sent me away. I still don't.

8. Educate, don’t fixate.

When David was about 12, he told me that he wanted to take the train to school alone. My gut reaction was, “No way in hell!” I mean, we live in a safe neighborhood and all, but David has ADHD and was easily distracted. What if he missed his stop? What if someone messed with him?

Makeup and I have always had a love/hate relationship: I love it; it hates me.