Features columnist | Features columnist

Laura Yuen, a Star Tribune features columnist, writes opinion as well as reported pieces exploring parenting, gender, family and relationships, with special attention on women and underrepresented communities. With an eye for the human tales, she looks for the deeper resonance of a story, to humanize it, and make it universal.

Before joining the Star Tribune, Yuen spent 13 years at MPR News, most recently as editor of a team of reporters who covered race, class, communities and education. She also reported for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. Laura lives with her husband and two young sons. But if you met her over an icebreaker, she'd probably tell you about the time her car was struck by lightning.


Your fridge is a place where fresh food goes to die. That doesn't have to happen.

Can't see the contents of your own fridge? It's not your fault (well, not entirely). Here are some quick hacks to reduce wasted food in your kitchen.


Yuen: Parents, let's make a pact to get our kids off their screens and back to real-life play

I wanted to give my kids a taste of my '80s free-range childhood. Here's how it went.


Yuen: He donated his sperm to friends. Now he wants to be dad to the 5-year-old.

A sperm donor's paternity case could have statewide ramifications for same-sex couples and other families who rely on assisted reproduction.


Yuen: This Minnesota man has written thousands of poems over more than a decade — all to his wife

The daily missives can be silly and flirty or painful and ponderous, reflecting on everything from the couple's dog to the intensity of their love.


Yuen: Spring came to Minnesota a while ago, but its official arrival won't be any less sweet

Got seasonal confusion? Talk to a gardener, a canary in the coalmine of climate change.


Yuen: Why two Asian American musicians had to announce they're not the same person

Mistaken for each other for years, Meghan Kreidler of Minneapolis' Kiss the Tiger and the Current radio host Diane Miller are tired of shaking it off.


Not going anywhere for spring break? Try these fun Twin Cities area family activities

Get slimed, grab a joystick, brave a cold plunge.


Yuen: Tour the 'quietest place on Earth,' and see if it quiets your mind

In a new twist, Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis is promoting group tours of its silent chamber, which is listed as a Guinness World Record.


Yuen: Seller, beware — if you're hoping to unload this Ikea dresser, it may be worth more than you think

Enterprising "flippers" are scouring online sites for used goods, snatching up items they know will resell for much higher.


Yuen: Leap Day twins reunite in Minneapolis for 'one moment in time'

Every four years, Nora Whalen throws herself a birthday bash. This time it was extra special.