When Liz Smith prematurely (and opportunistically) reported yesterday afternoon that Nora Ephron had died, I didn’t want to believe it could be true. But when the writer and filmmaker’s passing was confirmed a few hours later, all I could think about was an evening I was fortunate enough to spend in her presence a few months ago, when Lena Dunham screened Ephron’s directorial debut, 1992′s terribly underrated This Is My Life, as part of a series of movies about female friendship at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Although the film held up beautifully, it was the Q&A session afterward that stuck with me, in which Ephron spoke boldly and candidly about her time in the industry, recalling the positive and negative aspects with intelligence and insight.

It’s that very intelligence and insight that will surely be her legacy, in movies and books and essays that get at both small and huge truths about life and love. So I can’t think of a better way to remember her than to compile some of her greatest revelations, which span from fashion advice to exhortations to get the most out of life to rapturous celebrations of food. Nora Ephron really loved food. … Read More