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January 19, 2025 Check out STAT+

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By Torie Bosch First Opinion editor

Happy Inauguration Day Eve! As the second Trump administration gets underway, I want to hear from you. What is it that you want to read in First Opinion these days? Who are the people you most want to hear from? I've been buried under an avalanche of submissions recently related to the White House turnover, and I think the number one reason I've given for turning down pieces has been: I want to publish solos, not essays that will become part of the chorus. That means op-eds that get people talking, not just confirming ideas that are already out there. But I want to know what would get you talking, whether it's on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, or in real life. Do you want a deeper understanding of positions you disagree with? Do you want more on a particular subject area? Are there styles of essays you are particularly drawn to (or not)? What are you most sick of reading (either in First Opinion or other outlets)? What different kinds opinion-writing I should experiment with? I want to hear it all. Email me: torie.bosch@statnews.com. Recommendation of the week: I've been re-reading "In a Perfect World" by Laura Kasischke, a lovely and measured novel about a young woman who finds herself home alone with her three new stepchildren as a pandemic takes hold. Published in 2009, it captures the way an infection can go from background noise, to something that happens to other people, to something that changes everything.

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