Where the wild things are.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m thirty-nine years old and I was born and raised mostly in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. For over a decade, my life was all about music. I’m a singer-songwriter with three albums under my belt. I collaborated mostly with Tim Foljahn (who played with Cat Power) as well as Fred Smith from the band Television. I was lucky to tour with bands such Au Revoir Simone and my friend Ben Lee. The last few years I have been focusing more on writing, and while I am working on new music, I’m also working on my first book.

Describe your family.

My husband is Ian. He’s a visual artist turned exhibition designer slash museum director. We’ve been together for fifteen years and Ian is my opposite: quiet, steady but with a killer sense of humour. Our boys are West and Lou, identical twins who are seven. It is still a mystery how I ended up with identical twins, but the magic of two souls at once fills me with wonder to this day.

Tell us about Lou.

Lou is an old soul. He is an otherworldly eccentric, a true artist and an avatar. Everyone who meets him—and he has met many people throughout all his treatments and hospital stays—always comments on his wisdom, and his ability to connect and to make people feel good. He’s an outgoing kid who loves to perform. He wears suit jackets and ties most days, and he collects antiques, currently clocks. He has an unlimited well of courage inside him that is contagious.

Lou is a twin to West. Tell us what type of kid West is?

It’s amazing to me how identical twins can be so different! While Lou is a star child, West is very much of the earth: he is the grass, the rivers, the trees. Nothing makes West happier than swinging outside on his swing and dreaming. West is more reserved, but when he opens up, you bask in his warmth and the deep love he radiates. He is a really loving kid, and he has had to be brave in his own way.

Tell us about when Lou first got diagnosed.

After months of steady decline, when no one