It wasn't just Barney's advice that made her column tick: the column eventually became a sexy, strange, inspiring public square. Readers would write to say that they identified with someone else's problem, or to disagree with her advice, or to reach out to get in touch with someone who was having a hard time. Barney published these letters too, turning her column from a Q and A into a conversation. The smoke billowing out of Jeannie's Lamp was that of a whole scene taking shape in real time. [LARB; text is NSFW-ish]