Anne Helen Petersen

Anne Helen Petersen is an American journalist, culture critic, and author best known for her newsletter Culture Study and her book 'Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.' Holding a PhD in Media Studies from UT Austin, she went from academic celebrity-gossip historian to BuzzFeed News Senior Culture Writer before launching one of Substack's most-read newsletters. She writes about the structural forces — work culture, consumerism, loneliness, burnout — that shape everyday life, blending academic rigor with deeply personal, accessible prose. She now lives on Lummi Island, Washington, with her partner Charlie Warzel and their dogs.