Open in app

Sign In

Write

Sign In

Robert Isenberg
Robert Isenberg

1.1K Followers

Home

About

Published in

Sybarite

·Sep 9

The Many Lives of Caroline Kennedy

A world traveler and longtime friend publishes her autobiography, revealing just how much I never knew — Of course I met Caroline Kennedy at a community theatre in Costa Rica. You don’t meet people like Caroline waiting in line at the DMV. You don’t make small-talk at a PTA meeting. …

Travel

7 min read

The Many Lives of Caroline Kennedy
The Many Lives of Caroline Kennedy
Travel

7 min read


Published in

Sybarite

·Apr 24

The Right Speed

Bicycle gears, parenting, and preparing for the road of life — “Okay, let’s start in the middle.” Snap, snap, snap. “Like this?” “Perfect. Now, when you start pedaling, it’s gonna make a funny sound. Kind of a clunk-clunk. But you’re okay. That’s just the gears changing. Ready?” “Okay.” “Here we go!” Clunk-CLUNK! Two bikes roll into motion. This road is flat…

Cycling

7 min read

The Right Speed
The Right Speed
Cycling

7 min read


Published in

Sybarite

·Apr 4

Oakland Fireworks

The hardscrabble joys of a first apartment — There were bars on the windows. The TV was old and finicky. The corners were dusty, and the refrigerator was stocked with only Ultra Slimfast and a bottle of Jägermeister. But for four months, this place was mine. I’d spent two years in college, and I was determined not to…

Coming Of Age

5 min read

Oakland Fireworks
Oakland Fireworks
Coming Of Age

5 min read


Feb 25

Close Shave

Embracing the straight razor — My face is bleeding, and I can’t stop it. Drops rise out of my neck. They bubble from my temple, my cheek, the edge of my mouth. I wipe the blood away with a wet hand, but it still seeps. I leave streaks and smudges. I press tissue paper to…

Grooming

7 min read

Close Shave
Close Shave
Grooming

7 min read


Published in

Human Parts

·Feb 22

Figure Eight Girl

The mysteries we never solve about our neighbors — 1. We don’t know her name, but we call her Figure Eight Girl. When we first move into our house, she’s there, in the middle of the street, riding in figure eights on her bicycle. She’s young, but we can’t tell how young. She wears faded denim shorts and a tank…

Neighborhoods

4 min read

Figure Eight Girl
Figure Eight Girl
Neighborhoods

4 min read


Published in

Sybarite

·Feb 22

Remembering Snowmaggedon

A winter storm. A timeless tale. A city brought together. — I picture this: I am old and have many grandchildren. Unprompted, I tell them about the Snowstorm of 2010. “It had just turned February,” I’ll explain. “A mild winter, ’til then. Nobody saw it coming.” I’m wizened and gray, stationed in a wicker chair, and I mumble about the snowstorm…

Weather

11 min read

Remembering Snowmaggedon
Remembering Snowmaggedon
Weather

11 min read


Published in

Human Parts

·Feb 5

Lost Wallet

How missing one little accessory can shape your whole worldview — Lose your wallet, and life stops. Your money ceases to exist. Your credit is null and void. Your personhood can’t be verified. You can’t legally operate the car you’re sitting in, as you frantically search your pockets for the missing item. …

Mistakes To Avoid

3 min read

Lost Wallet
Lost Wallet
Mistakes To Avoid

3 min read


Published in

Sybarite

·Feb 5

The Adoptee Who Made the World His Home

Searching for James Michener in Doylestown, Pennsylvania — The typewriter looks exactly as it should: simple, smooth, and gray. There’s nothing special about this Olympia De Luxe; any secretary pool in the 1960s was full of such machines. It stands on an unremarkable writing desk, protected by a wall of glass. Which is all fitting, because James A…

Literature

9 min read

The Adoptee Who Made the World His Home
The Adoptee Who Made the World His Home
Literature

9 min read


Jan 17

Sole-Crusher

What happens when your body rejects your obsessions? — The MRI is noisier than I expected. I lie here, perfectly still, and the machine hums, grumbles, creaks, and groans. I stare at the ceiling, hands clasped over my chest, trying not to move. One twitch or spasm, and I’ll ruin the picture I desperately need. I’m not inside the…

Cycling

12 min read

Sole-Crusher
Sole-Crusher
Cycling

12 min read


Published in

Sybarite

·Jan 14

Riding Home

The best way to learn a new city: from a moving bicycle — Picture yourself on Main Street, a quiet road with old brick factories and weird intersections. It’s right next to your new office. This is where you start. You’re seated on your bike, balancing with your foot against a curb. This is your first ride in Rhode Island, where you now…

Travel

10 min read

Riding Home
Riding Home
Travel

10 min read

Robert Isenberg

Robert Isenberg

1.1K Followers

Robert Isenberg is a freelance writer and multimedia producer based in Rhode Island. Feel free to visit him at robertisenberg.net

Following
  • Geo Snelling

    Geo Snelling

  • Daria Malinova

    Daria Malinova

  • Lily Chen

    Lily Chen

  • Ema Horňáčková

    Ema Horňáčková

  • Helen Hensell

    Helen Hensell

See all (201)

Help

Status

Writers

Blog

Careers

Privacy

Terms

About

Text to speech

Teams