Ancient Grains Archive

The Names They Gave Me

“Your name is Tasbeeh. Don’t let them call you by anything else.” My mother speaks to me in Arabic; the command sounds more forceful in her mother tongue, a Libyan dialect that is all sharp edges and hard, guttural sounds. I am seven years old and it has never occurred to me to ...Read More

Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

"You thought I loved Rebecca? You thought I killed her, loving her? I hated her, I tell you. Our marriage was a farce from the very first. She was vicious, damnable, rotten through and through. We never loved each other, never had one moment of happiness together. Rebecca was incapable of love, ...Read More

Link Roundup!

Before we get started, I just want to share how much fun I have been having not-approving late-breaking guest account comments on the Yellow Ranger piece! Just the ones that are, like: "Psssh, this isn't racist. As a white man, people I run into when visiting Gstaad frequently ask me what ...Read More

In Space, No One Will Hear Your Prayers

A famous author once said, “Any sufficiently opaque science fiction narrative is indistinguishable from a Christ allegory.” (Or something along those lines.) We should expect any movie set in low earth orbit to at least consider why we don’t see any dudes with harps perched on clouds. Science fiction draws theological metaphor ...Read More

Wuthers: The Book That Saved a Life

Wuthering Heights changed everything. Without it, my life would be very different. I first read Wuthering Heights when I was fifteen. The book was assigned in English Literature and I had a deep curiosity to read it. There was something about the word ‘Wuthering’ that intrigued me. I ...Read More

The True Mystery of Faith

A little illustrated liturgical humor for you Catholics and Episcopalians out there, and maybe some of you fancier Lutherans. ...Read More

Makeup Tips From a High Priestess of the Dark Arts

The Toast's previous coverage of sacrifice and dark ritual can be found here, and our coverage of makeup tips can be found here. Hello girlies! That time of year is upon us again. The decorations are up, the bells are ringing—but  if you're anything like me, all you can think about ...Read More

How To Tell If You Are In A Brontë Novel

Previously in this seriesHow To Tell If You Are In A Noel Streatfield Novel. 1. You have one dream, and it is very small, and everyone around you wants to crush it. 2. Your grandest ambition is to open a small school with four chairs and three well-behaved students, and to someday ...Read More