Recently I got a notification from Yahoo telling me my mailbox had run out of space and I needed to upgrade my account. Taken aback, I checked how many emails I had managed to collect, and the number ran into five figures. This account was opened back in 2008 by my then assistant, Ardath, who recommended we have an address where our "petals" could reach me. In all the years since, I had never once cleaned it out. So I decided to start with the earliest emails and work my way forward, deleting...

Our son and I share a love of Spider-Man. He is an atheist. I am a believer in all faiths. And yet both of us are drawn to the same idea: a person with superpowers who can right wrongs, punish the wicked, and restore peace and justice to a broken world. Perhaps we even share a secret fantasy about such a person. I know I do. I’m not so sure about my son. So when we went together to see the latest film, we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I had been initiated into the earlier films this one builds...

One of my favorite evenings of the year is Oscar night. Watching the celebrities arrive, all glammed up and glittering, never gets old. I have not always seen the nominated films, nor do I always recognize the stars, and yet there is something in the bright ceremony itself that draws me in: the announcement of each award, the joyful reactions, the speeches overflowing with gratitude for family, colleagues, and friends, and finally the moment of receiving. To me, and to millions around the...