how to end an unhealthy friendship, and how to talk to people when you’re not good at talking to people. At the end of last year, I caught up with Gevinson, who, as it turns out, is actually quite good at talking to people.NICK HARAMIS: Hi, Tavi. I’m sorry I’m so late. I couldn’t figure out how to connect.GEVINSON: Staying put in New York. It feels like not the time to visit my 70-year-old parents. I’m really missing seeing New York at this time of year in its normal lively iteration.
GEVINSON: Audible approached me about doing something, I want to say at the beginning of the year. My producer there, Jessica, was the editor of theyearbooks at the Razorbill imprint at Penguin Random House. We were talking about the pieces from those books that we really liked, and how comforting it was to hear them read aloud at the Rookie events. I thought it would be nice to do a show of long-form pieces by our writers.
HARAMIS: In a roundabout way, specificity is what made Rookie feel so universal. The details of each person’s story might be different, but everyone can relate to feeling out of place or heartbroken or confused. I wonder if that’s contributed to the sustained interest in Rookie over the years. HARAMIS: It’s funny you should say that. Under the banner of self-help—stuff like meditation and exercise—I’ve started to see value in things primarily through the lens of productivity and regularity, which is probably not that healthy.