Favorites Winter 2025: Gourmet Marshmallows, Pet Portraits, and a Guidebook to Feminism

Fashion

A chic hat is a surefire way to look cool in cold weather. At her MadisonTheMaker shop on Etsy, Madison Lalemand ’06 sells a selection of luxury handmade beanies (all $60) knitted with alpaca yarn and merino wool. The hats evoke joy with their bright colors, cozy materials, and poufy pom-poms. The tweed spinnaker beanie is notably sophisticated with its monochromatic mustard-yellow color scheme, while the shop’s other hats pull from different shades of the rainbow. Lalemand also sells a couple of knitted headbands ($30) that can do double duty as ear warmers, and she invites folks to submit custom order requests through Etsy’s direct messaging system.

Browse the MadisonTheMaker Etsy shop

Beauty

After a decade of working in the philanthropic and public sectors, Mercedes Pepper ’09 left her corporate career behind, moved into an Airstream trailer, and launched a skin care company called Nation Botanics. The company’s flagship product, Surf + Slope Revitalizing Serum and Nourishing Moisturizer ($149), is an all-in-one designed for people exposed to the sun and harsh weather conditions. Surf + Slope is also ideal for anyone looking to simplify their skin care routine, since it’s designed to moisturize, hydrate, repair, protect, soothe, brighten, lift, and clarify skin. “Surf + Slope prioritizes the use of plants native to North America, and each purchase supports a social cause selected at checkout,” Pepper says.

Discover Nation Botanics skin care

Music

Jamie Feinberg ’05 and her husband, Ross, offer virtual singing and instrument lessons through their company, Tiny Village Music. Feinberg’s first teaching gig came at age 17, giving voice lessons to local middle and high school students, and she’s been at it ever since. She’s also performed with Canada’s Luminos Ensemble and the Missoula Children’s Theatre, among other groups. Feinberg says the best part of teaching music is “seeing the light in someone’s eyes when they ‘get it’ or hearing they got the role they wanted.” She says Smith provided abundant opportunities to pursue different aspects of music, from conducting to teaching, and she remains especially grateful for the mentorship of Jonathan Hirsh, director of orchestral and choral activities. Private lessons with Tiny Village Music start at $35.

Book a Tiny Village Music lesson

Nonfiction

The creator and star of Hulu’s The Bisexual, Desiree Akhavan ’07 is also the author of the heartbreaking and hilarious memoir You’re Embarrassing Yourself: Stories of Love, Lust, and Movies. Comprising 17 essays, the book chronicles Akhavan’s path from an outcast teenager trying to find her place in the world to a sought-after figure in indie media who strives not to do it all but to be at peace in her own skin and live in the moment. “It was important to me to have a document of that journey, because it felt so different from everyone else’s—being Middle Eastern in America. Being queer or, in particular, bisexual,” Akhavan told the online literary magazine The Rumpus. “This was the book I could have really used in my 20s.”

Read You’re Embarrassing Yourself: Stories of Love, Lust, and Movies

Fiction

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass (Seraphina Richardson, M.F.A. ’05) was one of 2024’s hottest thrillers—and for good reason. The book follows protagonist Anna Hartley as she tries to understand why her seemingly ordinary husband was murdered. Her efforts bring her to a rundown motel, where she uncovers unsettling details about her spouse’s apparent double life. The novel feels much shorter than its 304 pages, thanks to constant action and a smart plot. Publishers Weekly calls the book an “entertaining thriller that maintains tension and intrigue through to the satisfying end.” Glass is also the author of The Vanishing Hour (2023), On a Quiet Street (2022), and several other page-turners.

Read The Vacancy in Room 10

Poetry

Winner of the 2024 Perugia Press Prize, Daughter of Three Gone Kingdoms by Joan Kwon Glass (Joan Prusky Glass ’98, M.A.T. ’99) uses such themes as disordered eating, family trauma, religion, and addiction to explore colonialism and postcolonialism. The poems reference historical events including the U.S. military presence in South Korea, while also drawing on the author’s upbringing and losses she’s experienced over the years, including the deaths of her sister and nephew. The Poetry Foundation calls Daughter of Three Gone Kingdoms “a striking collection where the mythical and the historical intersect with personal memories and day-to-day life.”

Read Daughter of Three Gone Kingdoms

Nonfiction

It may be categorized as a textbook, but Alison Dahl Crossley ’02’s Feminism in the United States: A Concise Introduction isn’t just for scholars. It’s a handy guide for anyone looking to better understand the ideals and intricacies of feminism, kicking off with a chapter that defines feminism and spotlights influential figures in the movement, such as Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay and activist Angela Davis. Within each chapter, Crossley takes a moment to explain terms commonly used in feminist texts, such as “ableism,” “cisgender,” and “mansplainer.” “This is a foundational resource for people seeking to create a more equitable and inclusive world,” says Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, co-founder of the Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab.

Read Feminism in the United States: A Concise Introduction

Television

Streaming on Dropout, Dirty Laundry mixes deception and drinks with hilarious results. The show is hosted by Lily Du ’11, who challenges four guests to do one thing: lie, and lie well. Du reads anonymous secrets, and guests try to determine whose secret is being shared—all while enjoying a few drinks. Points are given to correct guesses, with triple points given to anyone who convinces others that a secret is not their own. Du keeps things interesting by adding secrets about herself and the show’s mixologist, Grant O’Brien, to the pile. Now in its fourth season, Dirty Laundry has struck comedic gold with its unique format, attracting such guests as drag performer Monét X Change, actor Paul F. Tompkins, and AT&T spokesperson Milana Vayntrub.

Watch episodes of Dirty Laundry

Art

In need of a creative outlet after graduating into a post-pandemic world, Zahra Hannan ’20 started a pet portrait business in early 2021. “My first pet portrait was for my friend Mira Schueler ’20’s birthday,” Hannan says. “I was unemployed, so I had to get creative with her gift and decided to paint her dogs with art supplies I already owned.” Schueler was in awe of the portrait, which inspired Hannan to turn her passion into a business. She began by reaching out to other Smithies, painting their pets to bulk up her portfolio. “Now customers will contact me and say they cried tears of joy upon seeing their pet’s portrait,” Hannan says. “It’s the best feeling that I can make people so happy with my art.” Custom portraits start at $30.

Commission a pet portrait

Food

Hot cocoa is a delicious winter staple that is easily elevated with syrups, sprinkles, and other sweet accoutrements. If you’re a purist, you know the tastiest way to bring this cozy treat to life is with some gourmet marshmallows. Alexx Shuman ’12 has you covered with her Vermont Marshmallow Company’s line of fluffy, gluten-free marshmallows. Standard flavors are $11 and include options such as toasty vanilla and dulce de leche, while gingerbread, peppermint, and buttered rum are among the brand’s seasonal delights ($13). Shuman’s online shop also offers vegan vanilla marshmallows ($13) and a slew of cute merchandise, including stylish baseball hats, food-themed stickers, and a handcrafted ceramic tumbler ($50) designed to fit oversized marshmallows.

Explore marshmallow-themed products

Accessories

Shopping for glasses can be overwhelming, given the abundance of frames available. The experience can be even more challenging if you have a small or narrow face, since medium is the default size across many eyewear websites. Inspired by her own frustrating shopping experience, Aislinn Emirzian ’06 decided to become an eyewear designer specializing in petite frames and founded petiteglasses.com. “I want you to feel beautiful when you wear my glasses,” Emirzian says. “I want you to feel like yourself in them and to like the way you look in them.” Her website offers frames with and without nose pads across several price points. At-home try-ons—in which customers have five frames shipped to them at no cost—are a convenient option.

Get a pair of petite frames

Fashion

Based in Connecticut, QuirkyCreationsCT is the fashion venture of Ramah Wilder ’03. In 2024, the small business moved into the big leagues with an online store, where you’ll find an array of attractive purses, pouches, wristlets, and tote bags. “After the birth of my second son, I decided to stop ignoring the voice inside me that wanted me to create,” Wilder says. “I took to my sewing machine and started making pouches, soon graduating to bags and purses.” Starting at $35, the bags are as beautiful as they are practical, boasting fun prints, removable handles, and zipper compartments for everyday essentials. Many of the bags are even constructed from water-repellent materials.

Check out versatile handbags