Ben Miller is a writer, researcher, and opera queen based in Berlin. His essays, criticism, journalism, and fiction have been published in The New York Times, VAN Magazine, Jacobin, Slate, Tin House, SAND Journal, and more. His favorite opera is Jenufa, and his personal diva is Karita Mattila, who was the Eva in his first live opera: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, at the MET, in 2001. www.benwritesthings.com.