20 Questions: AMA with Joanna
How to make friends as an adult, the three best books this year, where to eat in NYC, my #1 advice on divorce, the last time I had sex (you asked!), and what’s going on with Penpal Guy.
Hello! How’s your week going?
We’re excited to share our Ask Me Anything issue. We received more than 700 questions! (The first one was clearly from my sister: “Who is your favorite sibling, and why is it Lucy?”) I answered the questions that were most frequently asked, plus a couple other fun ones. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section, too. Here goes…!
Name a celebrity encounter where you had no chill. — Hanna
While living in NYC for the past 22 years, I’ve spotted lots of cool celebs taking their kids to school, running to the grocery store, and living their lives. After a while you become sort of immune to it. And yet! Sometimes I still get psyched and weird. One of my more awkward celeb sightings actually happened during a work trip to Dallas. I went to a fancy mall, and while riding down the escalator, I spotted a mom holding a baby (the baby was facing me, the mom was facing away) looking at a rack of sweaters. I called out, ‘That’s a very cute baby you’ve got there’ (what a cheeseball!!!!), and the mom turned around and it was Anne Hathaway. I did the Nick-Miller-panic-moonwalk out of there:
P.S. And remember this Ethan Hawke story? Still makes me laugh.
Who are your personal style icons? — Emily
Greta Lee, Alexa Chung, and my two-year-old neighbor Georgie.
What kind of car do you drive? I know your kids are obsessed with cars and hope they like your choice. — Kimberly
We have a 2016 Volkswagen Golf, and I asked the boys what they thought:
“It’s a reliable car but looks bad and sounds bad and the interior is not great and it’s messy. I think we should upgrade to a Tesla Model X Plaid or a Corvette. I know you say Volkswagens are a good bang for the buck, but bang for the buck is not what I’m talking about!!!” — Anton
“No.” – Toby
Do you have a #1 cheese for a cheese board? — Lizzie
For a showstopper cheese that people will crowd around and absolutely demolish, go for La Tur, which Murray’s Cheese describes as “savory ice cream.” And you know what always gets finished first at parties, even alongside fancier cheeses? Boursin! You can get it at grocery stores or Trader Joe’s; serve with fig crackers.
What’s your best advice for a mom who is going through a divorce? — Sydney
The kids will be FINE. Something I know to be true: Two happy homes are better than one unhappy home. When my own parents got divorced, my predominant emotion was actually relief. Of course I missed having my dad in the same house and sitting next to me while I practiced piano; and it was annoying that he lived in a pretty depressing apartment two towns away where we had to drive back and forth. Nothing is 100% black or white. But omg on balance it was SO MUCH BETTER. I imagine our childhood house would have been extremely tense if our parents had stayed together. Instead, we got two warm, loving homes with two happy, loving parents! We felt cherished by and close to both of them. The kids will be fine. See also: nine women talk about their divorces, and five things that surprised me about my divorce.
Describe your ideal next partner in three words. — Lindsay
Kind, enthusiastic, funny. Alternates: sexy, cook, mustachioed.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE PENPAL GUY??? — Emily