The Health Diaries

Roxane Gay and the Case for Night Owls

Why the author writes best when the sun goes down

There are many ways to live a healthy life. The Health Diaries is a weekly series about the habits that keep notable people living well.

If you’ve ever read an article, book, or piece of commentary by Roxane Gay, you know she doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff. Feminism, body image, sex, gender, race, and so much more are all fair game. Gay — who has many jobs, including editor of Gay Magazine — has written several acclaimed books in recent years (Bad Feminist, Difficult Women, and Hunger).

Why is she so prolific? “I think I stay motivated with all of my work because of ambition,” she says. “I’m very driven by success — or not even success, but I think working hard is important for me. And seeing the fruits of that labor is also important to me. That keeps me working.”

Gay started her career as a professor at Eastern Illinois University, where she taught for four years before becoming a professor at Purdue University, then at Yale. These days she lives in Los Angeles, where she’s writing a young-adult novel and consulting for various TV shows. She spoke to Elemental about her daily routine, including her favorite meals to cook, how she handles being so busy, and…