Dear James: Make the Whistling Stop
My husband’s ceaseless noises are driving me mad.
James Parker
James Parker is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive. Since 2011, Parker has been running the Black Seed Writers Group—a weekly writing workshop for homeless, transitional, and recently housed writers—and editing The Pilgrim, a literary magazine from the homeless community of downtown Boston.
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Dear James
In his weekly advice column, staff writer James Parker addresses readers’ existential worries—and in-the-moment worries, too.
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Latest
Illustration by Miguel Porlan Dear James: Is This Sexless Marriage Over?
My best friend’s husband refuses to touch her.
Illustration by Miguel Porlan Dear James: I Miss Being on Dating Apps
I’ve hit the relationship jackpot. But now I have romance FOMO.
Illustration by Miguel Porlan Dear James: I Hate Playing With My Children
And I’m riddled with mom guilt.
Illustration by Miguel Porlan Dear James: My Husband Is a Mess
It’s gotten so bad, I’m considering leaving him.
Illustration by Miguel Porlan Dear James: What If Life’s Problems Are Alcohol’s Fault?
I, for one, have felt the benefits of cutting back.
Illustration by Miguel Porlan When Robert Frost Was Bad
Before he became America’s most famous poet, he wrote some real howlers.
Illustration by Anna Morrison. Source: Archivio GBB / Alamy. America in 2025
A poem
Harry Gruyaert / Magnum Should I Leave My American Partner?
I love him, but I don’t know if I can live in the U.S. forever.
Illustration by Miguel Porlan The Unfunny Man Who Believes in Humor
How Lorne Michaels became the arbiter of funny
Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty.
