Katy Kelleher is a writer, editor, and teacher who lives in the woods of Maine. For the past three years, she has been researching and writing about highly specific colors. She’s tracked the cultural history of various hues, from jonquil to Prussian blue, for The Awl (a now defunct website) and the Paris Review (online). She’s also written about color trends for the New York Times magazine. She currently writes a column for Longreads about the ugly history of beautiful things. So far, this series has focused on pearls, perfume, angora wool, and mirrors. She’s also currently working on a book about aesthetics and why we’re drawn to “unappealing” experiences, including horror movies and ugly design. When she’s not writing or reading, she can be found hiking in the mountains of New England, camping in Canada, or paddleboarding off the Atlantic coast. katykelleher.com