LISTENING IN THE DARK

The actor and poet delves into women’s intuition with a collection of essays featuring a diverse set of voices.

How does one go about “reclaiming the power of intuition”? For Tamblyn and many other contributors, it’s about exercising a muscle women have long been told to suppress. Women are often taught to ignore the gut feelings that might “lead us toward a personal or professional revelation or freedom.” In fact, writes the author, “the destruction of our intuitive lives in our youth is the first major act of misogyny a young girl will experience in a life defined by the normalization of such oppressions.” Many of the essays are less prescriptive and more thought-provoking. The contributors provide scientific examinations, dream studies, ruminations on the freedoms of being alone, and ideas about how to process the guilt that comes with making choices that, while correct, may lead to frustration or criticism. Depending on the reader’s disposition, Tamblyn’s own pieces will come off as self-indulgent or delightful—particularly her extended conversation with her good friend America Ferrera, whom she met while working on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. By contract, Amy Poehler clearly understood the assignment, concluding, “Intuition depends on instinct plus time, and feelings plus experience.” Ayanna Pressley and Huma Abedin write beautifully about how their mothers taught them how to listen and follow their intuition. “I trust that I know and what I know,” writes Abedin. “It was something first modeled for me by my mother, who learned it from her own mother, just as it was handed down through the generations of the women who came before them.” Other contributors include Jessica Valenti, Lidia Yuknavitch, Ada Limón, Jia Tolentino, Meredith Talusan, and Samantha Irby.

Lessons worth learning: Listening and trusting yourself is always going to lead you on the right path eventually.