Jaya Saxena – författare

A collection of the year’s top food and travel writing, selected by the trailblazing New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated host of Taste the Nation and Top Chef Padma Lakshmi.“Food and travel are natural companions,” writes guest editor Padma Lakshmi. From this pairing comes “the possibility of seeing anew, of examining how we make and assign meaning.” The powerful personal narratives in this year’s Best American Food and Travel Writing circle the world—from Dakar in Senegal, to Michoacán in south-central Mexico, to the Camino de Santiago in Spain—and deepen our understanding of our place in it. An ode to the American grilled cheese spurs the desire to find beauty in the smallest daily activities. An obsessive odyssey for the perfect Chinese food blossoms into a heart-wrenching search for a lost childhood. Bold and insightful, joyful and moving, this collection of literary essays celebrates the experiences that connect us all.The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024 includes C PAM ZHANG • LIGAYA MISHAN • KIESE LAYMON • MARIAN BULL • MAYUKH SEN • BEN TAUB • AND OTHERSThis unforgettable anthology explores the intersection of food, culture, and memory:Global Storytelling: Journey from Dakar to south-central Mexico and the Camino de Santiago in Spain, exploring the powerful connection between place and plate.Acclaimed Voices: Experience the year's best writing, curated by guest editor Padma Lakshmi, host of Taste the Nation and Top Chef.Unexpected Connections: Discover how an ode to the American grilled cheese can reveal the beauty in daily life, and how a quest for the perfect Chinese food can become a search for a lost childhood.More Than a Meal: Go beyond recipes and reviews with insightful essays that delve into identity, family, grief, and the experiences that connect us all.

“These stories remind us that food is not just fuel, nor is travel just movement,” writes Bryant Terry in his introduction. “They are acts of remembrance, resistance, and connection.” The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2025 embodies this wisdom, offering an incredible range of stories that refine and revitalize our relationship to taste, place, and the narratives that we build around them. From tracing the history and endurance of heirloom Laotian rice to investigating how foraging is transforming a city’s restaurant culture, to meditating on the significance of Indigenous communities reclaiming their ancestral lands, these works reveal how food and travel are never simply about what’s on the plate or where we go—they are about history, identity, and the power of storytelling itself.THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD AND TRAVEL WRITING 2025 INCLUDES: MELISSA BRODER • LIGAYA MISHAN • JEFF GORDINIER • REEM KASSIS • KAYLA STEWART • LEE ANDERSON • AND OTHERS

A collection of the year’s best food and travel writing, selected by renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés.“Good food and travel writing takes us somewhere far, far away without leaving our living rooms,” writes José Andrés. “Open a magazine or a newspaper, and boom: you are going beyond the horizon, discovering a new world.” The essays in The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2026 bring us to worlds far and wide. In Gaza, Palestinians break their Ramadan fast with wartime iterations of malfouf and sumagiyya. In France, an Algerian hazelnut spread causes a culture war. In Blue Ridge, Georgia, a mother of eight works as a lunch lady, sneaking food to the students who can’t afford it. Despite their range, the throughline is how food and travel connects us all and inspires us to do better. As Andres observes, “In these pages you have a how-to manual of opportunities to make the world a better place.” The Best American Food and Travel 2026 includes • Priya Krishna • Ligaya Mishan • Dan Kois • Jordan Kisner • Lauren Collins • Lauren Oyler

Unlock your emotional power and live true to yourself with this deck of fifty mystical practices—an accessible introduction to the empowering side of magic from the authors of Basic WitchesSpells to Raise Hell distills Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman’s Basic Witches, an exploration of feminine power and rejecting societal constraints, into a deck of fifty spells and rituals for the modern mystic. Each card features bold and playful artwork on the front along with any materials needed for the ritual—simple items like a pen and paper, a lipstick or photograph, or simple pantry ingredients for an empowering (and delicious) potion. The back of the card gives the instructions on how to complete the ritual and harness its energy. No black magic here—these spells are all about giving you a boost. Tap into your inner power and upend the status quo by casting spells to unlock your potential, including:• A spell to make peace with your body• A ritual to move through loss• A recipe to nurture a friendship• A tarot ritual for accepting singleness• A spell to focus on what you wantDisplay the cards on the included stand, slip the deck in your bag, or tuck one in a pocket to complete with a friend. Featuring simple rituals for both the beginner witch and the occult-savvy, Spells to Raise Hell is a perfect self-empowering, mystical tool for adding magic into your daily life.

A magical lifestyle guide for everything from powering up a stylish crystal to banishing terrible Tinder datesWant to feel terrifyingly beautiful? Wear the right color of eye shadow to project otherworldly glamour. Need to exorcise a toxic friendship? Repeat the proper incantation and make it disappear. Want to increase your energy? Whip up a tasty herbal “potion” to rev up your stamina. DIY projects, rituals, and spells—along with fun historical sidebars—summon the best trends of the modern witchy lifestyle and the time-trusted traditions of the hell-raising women of the past. With humor, heart, and a hip sensibility, Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman dispense witchy wisdom for the curious, the cynical, and anyone who could use a magical boost.Selected Table of Contents:CHAPTER 1 - Self-Initiation: An Induction into Basic WitcheryWhat We Mean by “Witchcraft”Our Favorite Pop Culture WitchesCHAPTER 2 - Glamours: The Power to Change How You LookHow to Clothe Yourself in Literal DarknessThe Dark Magic of Unfeminine HaircutsA Spell for Self-CareCHAPTER 3 - Healing: The Power to Care for YourselfA Spell to Make Peace with Your BodyMagical ExerciseA Ritual for a Relaxing Netflix BingeCHAPTER 4 - Summoning: The Power to Care for Others (and Have Them Care for You)The Transformative Power of VulnerabilityA Collaborative Ritual to Deepen FriendshipCHAPTER 5 - Enchantment: The Power to Make Choices about Love and SexConjuring Your Perfect MateThe Magic Circle of ConsentA Spell for Talking about SexCHAPTER 6 - Banishment: The Power to Avoid What Brings You DownExpelling Social ToxicityThe Different Types of Personal DemonsA Spell to Counter Impostor SyndromeCHAPTER 7 - Divination: The Power to Decide Your DestinyA Spell to Name Your Heart’s DesireHow to Read Tea Leaves