Essays

The author with an Edvard Munch portrait of Selma Fontheim. Courtesy of Alina Tugend

Who Was Selma Fontheim?

Who Was Selma Fontheim?

The Forward, Nov. 13, 2023
A journey to see famed artist Edvard Munch’s portraits of my great-grandmother.

12sp-resilence-NEW-tugend-superJumbo

What I’ve Learned – and Haven’t – About Mindsets

What I’ve Learned – and Haven’t – About Mindsets
The New York Times, August 12, 2020
I’ve worked on having a growth mindset for a long time. But it sure isn’t easy.
Tom Tugend touches four brass-plated cubes held by artist Gunter Demnig at a ceremony in Berlin on July 13.

The Importance of Names

The Importance of Names
The Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2019
My father and I visited Germany 80 years after he left – and what the trip told us about our own country
basketball

Of Love, Loss and Basketball

Of Love, Loss and Basketball

CoveyClub, July 2018
The nest isn’t really empty until they go to work. My essay about changes.

The Washington Post

Do you really have to go on college tours?

Do you really have to go on college tours?

The Washington Post, August 25, 2016
They’re expensive and repetitive – are they necessary?

sandor

The Story You Can’t Publish – And Can’t Forget

The Story You Can’t Publish – And Can’t Forget

ASJA Monthly May 2014
I didn’t want to give up on my piece about Sandor Acs and his moment in history. But there were no takers.

ball

A Boy’s Dream as Slugger Moves to Town

A Boy’s Dream as Slugger Moves to Town

The New York Times, May 2, 2010
No one was more excited than my son when a Mets superstar moved into our town.