The Good Stuff

Beginning of summer edition

A recent beauty emergency in our neighborhood

Hi, Friend.

Summer is a particularly hectic season in ways many of you relate to, I’m sure. The end of the school year means my kids are home, and the house is full, but my long to-do list doesn't take a summer vacation. So I’m working on a novel, writing and recording The Slowdown, and balancing a handful of other projects, including a Dear Writer daily calendar, while also trying to be present for a couple of teenagers I love (and also binge watching World Cup matches). It’s wonderful that it doesn't get dark until around 9:30 here, because I need all of the hours in the day I can get!

Maybe you’ve been pressed for time, too, and you’re triaging parts of your life, focusing on what’s most pressing in any given moment? Some days I’m 80% mom and 20% writer. Some days I’m 80% writer and 20% mom. It’s somehow never an even split. All of this work-plus-parenting mayhem means I haven’t been as present in public spaces lately—here and on social media, but also IRL—and I’m feeling a little disconnected, truth be told. So…hello! Thanks for being here. I’ve been missing you and this space!

Today I wanted to share some things that have been bringing me joy, or making my life easier, or helping me feel connected to others in this busy season. I hope in the comments you’ll share some things—books, shows, activities—that are making summer a little brighter for you.

I would be happy spending the whole summer reading in my backyard hammock. My current reads and TBR pile is tall and beckoning to me all the time:

• Dog Days by Emily LaBarge

• In a Riptide by Ronna Bloom

• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

• The Book of Grace by Kate Mapother

• The Edge of Space-Time by Chandra Prescod-Weinstein

• After Shock by Dr. Rana Awdish

• A Memory of the Future by Elizabeth Spires

• Accidental Devotions by Kelli Russell Agodon

There’s something here for everyone. I also read a lot of short form pieces on my phone, as I think we all do: articles, essays, interviews. This conversation between Anne Lamott and Sari Botton, in collaboration with The Small Bow, was a recent favorite.

A couple of my favorite warm-weather reading spots: a local cafe and my front porch

As I said, I’ve been watching a lot of World Cup matches, but my favorite show of the summer is Widow’s Bay, by a long shot. It’s Parks and Recreation meets Stephen King, with characters so quirky they conjure Twin Peaks. It’s both funny and scary, beautifully written and shot, with incredible performances across the board. If you’re watching, tell me what you think—but no spoilers!

What are you reading and watching (or rereading and rewatching) as we head into summer? And what are you listening to? Podcasts, music, audiobooks?

I tend to listen to the same records all year round, but lately I’ve been listening to a lot of S.G. Goodman, Lomelda, Flock of Dimes, and Bill Callahan. All pass the “a little melancholy but also sounds amazing on a sunny day” test. If you’re listening to something you love, I want to hear about it!

On the “stuff” front, I’m really pleased with a few things I’ve picked up recently: Vacation sunscreen (it smells so good), these fisherman sandals that make me a little taller and are really padded and comfortable, and this hairdryer brush that I can’t believe I’ve lived without for so many years.

I hope you are finding some good stuff in these challenging and oh-so-busy times. We all need it. And we all need things to look forward to! For me, that’s long walks, spicy Korean fried chicken with my favorite people tonight, a Columbus Clippers game with my son this weekend, and a few days in a cabin next week (being 80% writer and 20% keeping-in-touch-from-the-woods mom).

Happy discoveries on my walks lately

What are you looking forward to this summer? What’s your good stuff?

I’ll see you back here once I’m home from the woods. Accepting all the positive writing vibes in the meantime!

Thanks, all, and take care,
Maggie