The Believer Magazine
No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy
2011 COLUMN CONTEST
GRAND-PRIZE WINNER
Michelle Mirsky is strong but not tough. She hates being told no. She loves to say yes. She’s always in love. She likes whiskey, listens to fortune cookies, and collects knee-high boots and classic modernist chairs. She’s probably a good mother. She lives in Austin, TX where she works an earnest 9-5 job and sometimes tells jokes on stage—kind of like a superhero with a secret identity. Only not super. Or secret. This column chronicles the year following the not-unexpected death of the author’s son. It’s mostly deadpan. It’s sometimes funny. It’s rarely hyperbolic.
-
October 28, 2020Addendum: Here After
-
November 8, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: Epilogue: Deadkidistan
-
August 22, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: The Vessel
-
August 3, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: The Scarlet D
-
July 16, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: The Things I’ve Kept
-
June 20, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: Hail Mary
-
May 30, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: Museum of Sorrows
-
May 10, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: No Mas
-
April 20, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: Statistically Significant
-
March 30, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: Poor Relations
-
March 14, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: All Exits Look the Same
-
February 23, 2012No Fear of Flying: Kamikaze Missions in Death, Sex, and Comedy: Remains and Restraints
Trending 🔥
-
February 10, 2025Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t Mean I Approve of the Mayor Blowing Up the City
-
February 21, 2025Don’t Tread on Me—Unless You’re a Billionaire with a Ketamine Addiction, in Which Case I Enthusiastically Support It
-
February 27, 2025“Democracy Dies in Darkness” Wasn’t a Warning; It Was Our End Goal
-
February 13, 2025Finally, My Tax Dollars Are Being Used to Uncover Publicly Available Government Information
Recently
-
March 3, 2025Other Things John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt Wished People Shouted at Him
-
February 28, 2025An Open Letter to Lumon Industries Requesting to Please Kindly Insert the Severance Device in My Brain and Keep It on “Innie” Mode for the Next Four Years
-
February 28, 2025Excerpts from The Believer: Resurrector: Black Square
-
February 28, 2025The New Cair Paravel Times Editorial Board Reflects on the First Weeks of the White Witch’s Second Reign