Angela Nissel faces down grief with a laugh

ReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentBooksCloseBooksPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All BooksAngela Nissel faces down grief with a laughThe author’s latest book, Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead, finds humor in difficult times.by Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienAug 1, 2026, 8:15 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.Angela Nissel smiles through the pain. | Image: Angela NisselReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentBooksCloseBooksPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All BooksAngela Nissel faces down grief with a laughThe author’s latest book, Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead, finds humor in difficult times.by Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienAug 1, 2026, 8:15 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.Part OfThe Verge Weekend Questionnairesee all updates Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.Angela Nissel’s latest book, Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead, is my kind of memoir. Sure, it’s a deeply emotional tale about caring for a terminally ill parent. But it’s delivered with the sort of gallows humor that I often turn to to get me through tough times.Of course, that sort of dark humor should come as no surprise from Nissel. She first made a splash with The Broke Diaries, which grew out of a blog she kept in college detailing her daily struggles and, at times, embarrassment at being a broke student. Eventually she went on to produce and write for hit shows including Scrubs and The Boondocks.One of her most lasting contributions is undeniably Okayplayer, which she co-founded with Questlove. Though, as we’ll find out shortly, being involved with one of the most important online outlets in hip hop is something of a bittersweet memory for Nissel.Oh, and she has my favorite GIF submission yet.What is your most indispensable tool?A knockoff Swiss Army Knife. It was a gift from the Scrubs grips over 20 years ago. I always have a screwdriver, a knife, and a corkscrew in my pocket. I feel like a badass.Which is the most underappreciated?My dog. He’s analog and breaks down my cardboard boxes in seconds. Now they all fit in the recycle bin.What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer? (Do not count preinstalled software like Gmail.)Craigslist. Youngins sleep on Craigslist. I’ve found a free patio set and in the early aughts when I was lonely and new in L.A. I made a friend to go clubbing with. I forgot my wallet, and she thought I was scamming her and we never hung out again, but I still love Craigslist.What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?That I somehow still butt dial people. The phone biometrically knows my face, but can’t tell when it’s my wallet accidentally dialing someone?What sites do you hav