Call Me What You Will
Ada Calhoun (rather, "Ada Calhoun") learns there's nothing like a false name to help you be your real self.
MY LEGAL SURNAME Schjeldahl, is complex and Norwegian. People see the jand abandon all hope of ever learning to pronounce or spell it. It's a name I use only for appointments, plane tickets, and my license. It's also the name of a prominent writer: my father.
Growing up, I wanted to be a writer myself, but I felt that job was taken. “You're not related to the art critic, are you?" people asked. If they gleaned that I had an interest in writing, they'd say, “Chip off the old block, eh?”
I hated that metaphor: He was a granite monolith, I a shard. He was leaving heavy footprints in the earth, while I tiptoed behind.
At 22, I was hired by The Austin Chronicle. (As uncomfortable as I felt pursuing a writing career, I couldn't get a job anywhere else.) As I filled out the new-hire paperwork, I discovered a little box that read dba, or "doing business as." That space vibrated with potential. Sitting at this newspaper's office, I was edging onto my father's turf. But when I saw that box, I thought, Who do I want to do business as? I wrote down Ada Calhoun.
Calhoun is my middle name. I was born on Saint Patrick's Day, so my parents named me after an Irish friend. ("How nice!" said Betsy Calhoun Baker. “But my name is Scottish.") With my new designation, I felt reborn. Ada Calhoun had no past, only a future. She was her own person. She was confident. She dressed sexier. She said her name and people didn't ask her to spell it 10 times. It wasn't just a pen name, though it did help me feel freer in writing articles for the Chronicle and, later, elsewhere. I used the name socially, too-most of my friends have no idea who Ada Schjeldahl is.
この記事は The Oprah Magazine の Volume 2. No 2 - 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Oprah Magazine の Volume 2. No 2 - 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The Perfect Gift Book for Everyone on Your List
Sumptuous reads that look as lovely on your coffee table as they do on your bedside table.
Long Live YOU!
A head-to-toe guide to staying strong, sharp, healthy, and happy well into your platinum years.
How to Manage Holiday Stress
Want to avoid family drama this year? Here are three ways to pregame.
How Makeup Artists Do the Holidays
Time to put your party face on! These glam pros are sharing a look they love—and modeling it themselves.
On Everyone's Lips
Carol Rasheed, the head makeup artist on The Color Purple, gives us a peek behind the scenes-and, thanks to her new lipstick collection, a memento.
THE MOTHER-IN-LAW Survival Guide
Ding-dong, she's here! But fear not-so are we, with advice on managing this singular relationship with grace, humor, and lots of heart.
The Enduring Power The Color Purple
It has captivated audiences as a novel, a movie, and a Broadway musical. On the eve of its latest incarnation, a sweeping musical feature film out on Christmas Day, we celebrate Alice Walker's universal saga of resilience and redemption with behind-the-scenes stories from the new book Purple Rising.
Who (or What) Do You Need to Thank?
Gratitude isn't just a topic for your annual turkey dinner. It's been scientifically shown to improve your health eating depression, boosting immunity, and lowering stress. These thank-you notes (plus an ode to a heartbreakingly loyal pup) will inspire you to make it a daily practice.
Beam Me Up
Bethany Heitman's self-esteem was tied to her clear skin, so dark spots sent her spiraling. Then she saw the light.
Turn Around, Bright Eyes
After years of despising the puffy bags under her eyes, Rae Ann Herman found a surgeon she trusted and woke up refreshed in every way.