Estelle Erasmus

When I became a magazine editor-in-chief in my thirties, I thought that my perk rich, cash poor, high-flying single gal lifestyle in the 1990s—press trips to Amsterdam and Paris, drinks with Ivana Trump at the Plaza, dinner with Christie Brinkley’s manager—sufficed for my lack of a maternal urge.
As “The Dating Diva” my alter ego, I penned a column for the magazine I edited and made television appearances excoriating women to value themselves, be a “sweet” bitch, and always leave a man wantin...

At the transitional stage of life between childhood and the teenage years, friendships can turn “toxic” in the blink of an eye, as friends — some flush in hormones — become "frenemies."

A mom of a 12-year-old girl from California told me that she has reservations about her child’s new BFF. “My daughter says her friend ignores her at school,” she says, “but when they're together at their community basketball team practice, she acts like she’s her best buddy.”

Another mom of an 11-year-old boy ...

I have a tenet that I follow when it comes to social media conflagrations: Don’t add your air to someone else’s fire.
This rule has saved my butt multiple times. For example, during one social media snafu, a writer responded to a post I made of an article I’d written, saying she wanted to discuss our opposing views—in a Facebook forum of thousands of people. The wording and tone of her comment showed she wasn’t interested in a real dialog, so I didn’t respond. Had I agreed to the request or m...

My parents lived together their whole lives, first in their suburban home, later in an apartment and even later in an independent-living apartment in a senior community. But last year, when my dad, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, had to be placed in memory care, my octogenarian mom had to live by herself for the first time in her life.
She is not alone in facing a change in living situation in her older years. For the millions of seniors in the United States (predicted to grow from around...

Allegations of a mysterious jet sale to a corporation, forced IUD, cronyism between judges and lawyers, hacked phones, disappearing social media posts and captions, changing names of registered agents on the same day, and even possible attempted murder. If you think this is a John Grisham novel, think again. It’s Britney, bitch. Since 2008, Britney Spears has been under a conservatorship that is usually reserved for people who are incapacitated and in a coma, with her father Jamie Spears in c...

At the transitional stage of life between childhood and the teenage years, friendships can turn “toxic” in the blink of an eye, as friends — some flush in hormones — become "frenemies."
A mom of a 12-year-old girl from California told me that she has reservations about her child’s new BFF. “My daughter says her friend ignores her at school,” she says, “but when they're together at their community basketball team practice, she acts like she’s her best buddy.”
Another mom of an 11-year-old boy ...

Estelle Erasmus, journalist and CALA instructor, recently published an article in The New York Times, “Singing My Dad Back to Me.”
A beautiful narrative of Erasmus and her father — who lost much of his memory to Alzheimer’s disease — she recalls the childhood opera lessons that fed both, her love for music and an immeasurable bond with Dad. Now, as the Covid-19 pandemic keeps her from visiting her father, Erasmus’ fear of him forgetting her is overcome every time she sings Dad’s favorite song...

In her article, Safe Sex Education and the LGBTQ Teen: What Parents Need to Know, writer and CALA instructor, Estelle Erasmus states, “Parents of LGBTQ teens have difficulty discussing dating, sex and sex education with their kids (and may avoid the subject) according to a new study by Northwestern University. Why? Parents often don’t have any context for it, besides cis heterosexual sex.
But that shouldn’t stop them from talking to their teens.’Parents play an important role in helping their...

CALA writing instructor Estelle Erasmus recently wrote about her teaching process in WIRED — and it’s far from what you’d expect.
In her article for the magazine, Erasmus talks about her journalism class for high school students — conducted virtually through the NYU SPS High School Academy — and what steps she takes to make sure Gen Z is paying her attention. Some of her strategies include, but are not limited: Kahoot, virtual field trips and scavenger hunts.
“I had to step up my game to keep...

I wrote a five-minute-memoir for Writer's Digest

Estelle Erasmus
Culture
02.09.2021 08:00 AM
How to Keep Kids Engaged in School—With Games
Teaching my high school class remotely hasn't been easy. But it has taught me a lot about how to use interactive tools to keep their attention.
Save this story for later.
I teach a journalism class at NYU to high school students via Zoom.
When I first set up my course, I planned on offering short lectures and discussions on various editorial elements (the structure of an article, using credible resources...

If there’s one thing that brings people together now, it’s old shows, old songs, and drinking Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice to a 1977 hit.
I have a habit that I don’t want to break. Every night, long after my husband is not-so-gently snoring next to me, I turn on the TV and laugh at the antics of Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, and Rachel on Friends—must-see TV from two decades ago. Even though I’ve probably seen each episode a hundred times, it seems to be the only move that gets me to slee...