Carolyn Hanley Hax
is an American writer and columnist for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' and author of the daily syndicated
advice column, ''Carolyn Hax'' (formerly titled ''Tell Me About It''), which features broad relational advice. Originally targeting readers under 30, the column evolved to became more encompassing. Each column features a cartoon by her now ex-husband,
Nick Galifianakis.
Early life and education
Carolyn Hanley Hax
was born December 5, 1966, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequo ...
. She grew up in
Trumbull, the youngest of four daughters. Her father, John H. Hax, now retired, was director of research planning at
Sikorsky Aircraft
Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1923 and was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian and military use.
Pre ...
in
Stratford.
Her mother was Elizabeth O'Connell Hax (1940-2002). Carolyn Hax graduated from
Hopkins School in 1984 and earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
(1988).
Career
Hax was associate editor and news editor at the ''Army Times'', and
copy editor
Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...
and news editor at ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
''.
Since 1997, she has written an
advice column for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' entitled ''Carolyn Hax'', which was earlier titled ''Tell Me About It''. The column is published daily and syndicated by The Washington Post Syndicate to more than 200 newspapers. It features single-panel cartoons by Hax's ex-husband,
Nick Galifianakis, and has since their inception. ''Tell Me About It'' originally provided advice targeted at readers under 30, but has since evolved to have a broadened message and audience.
In 2001, Hax published her first book, ''Tell Me About It: Lying, Sulking, and Getting Fat and 56 Other Things Not to Do While Looking for Love.''
Her essay "Peace and Carrots" was included in the 2006 anthology ''Mommy Wars: Stay-at-Home and Career Moms Face Off on Their Choices, Their Lives, Their Families''.
Hax also hosts a weekly Friday
web chat, ''Carolyn Hax Live'', at the paper's website, with selected transcripts published subsequently.
Personal life
Hax married her first husband, cartoonist
Nick Galifianakis, in 1994.
Hax divorced Galifianakis in June 2002. She was pregnant with twins by the man who would become her second husband at the time of her divorce, and had been separated from Galifianakis for 10 months at the time she got pregnant. Despite this, some of her readers were critical. Hax discussed her situation in her weekly online chat, ''Carolyn Hax Live.''
Hax and Galifianakis continue to collaborate on the advice column (he continuing to providing the cartoon), despite the divorce.
Galifianakis has publicly commented on their eight-year relationship as well, saying, "We were a great couple that could maybe be greater apart. The point of the column is not to keep people together; it's for people to be happy. And sometimes being happy means making that kind of adjustment, where maybe you're not together."
Hax married her second husband, a childhood friend, Ken Ackerman, in November 2002, and they are parents of twin boys and another son.
Hax and Ackerman reside in Massachusetts.
References
External links
Hax's section at Washingtonpost.comCarolyn Hax And Nick Galifianakis: Tell Me About ItCarolyn Hax reflects on giving advice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hax, Carolyn
1966 births
Living people
Harvard University alumni
American advice columnists
American women columnists
American women journalists
Writers from Bridgeport, Connecticut
The Washington Post journalists
Hopkins School alumni
People from Trumbull, Connecticut
20th-century American journalists
21st-century American journalists
Journalists from Connecticut
20th-century American women
21st-century American women