It’s been ten years since the publication of The Red Tent, and the publisher has produced a new edition in its honor. Inside, there is an essay I wrote musing about why I wrote it and what it means to me. Outside, there’s a sort of shiny “medal” and the title is in gold foil…

When I was a little girl, growing up in Newark, NJ, the public library had an annual summer reading contest. Who could read the most books! I don’t think there was a prize apart from bragging rights. I tried, but I never won. This summer, I read a good deal and learned a lot —…