Theodore Porter "Tad" Friend (born September 25, 1962) is a staff writer for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' who writes the magazine's "Letter from California".

Life

Born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, Friend was raised there and in

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Swarthmore ( , ) is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Swarthmore was originally named "Westdale" in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to "Swarthmore" after the ...

, where his father,

Theodore Friend Theodore Wood Friend III (August 27, 1931 – November 4, 2020 ) was an American historian, novelist, and teacher, and a former president of Swarthmore College. Early life and education He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Theodo ...

, was president of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...

. He was educated at

The Shipley School , motto_translation = Courage for the deed; Grace for the doing , address = 814 Yarrow Street , location = , region = , city = Bryn Mawr , county = , st ...

and

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 ...

. Friend was a contributing editor at various publications, including ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', prior to becoming a staff writer at ''

'' in 1998. His work there includes the magazine's "Letter from California". In 2001, he published "Lost in Mongolia: Travels in Hollywood and Other Foreign Lands", a collection of his articles. His memoir, ''Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor,'' was published in 2009. Friend is married to food writer

Amanda Hesser Amanda Hesser (born 1971) is an American food writer, editor, cookbook author and entrepreneur. Most notably, she was the food editor of '' The New York Times Magazine'', the editor of ''T Living'', a quarterly publication of '' The New York Times' ...

, with whom he has twin children. He lives in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, ...

Bibliography

Books

* * *

Interviews

Notes

External links

Column archive
, ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Friend, Tad 1962 births Living people 20th-century American writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male journalists Harvard University alumni Writers from Buffalo, New York The New Yorker staff writers Journalists from New York (state) 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers People from Brooklyn Heights People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Shipley School alumni 21st-century American male writers