The Good Stuff
End of August edition
Hi, Friend.
August has been a month of firsts. First memoir event with my children in the audience (at Chautauqua in New York). First driving lesson with my daughter. First time cheering on my son at a cross country meet. First time riding on the back of a motorcycle. I love that midlife is still full of firsts.
Another one: my first anthology, co-curated with my dear friend Saeed Jones, is here! Early finished hardcovers of The People’s Project arrived at my house, and they are beautiful. The book is officially out on Tuesday, September 9, so you still have time to preorder copies for yourself and the people in your life who could use some community in book form right now. (That’s all of us. Get copies for all of us.)
Book tour for The People’s Project starts a week from Monday, and Saeed and I would so love to see you out on the road. All of the info and registration links are here. We aren’t in this alone, and let’s not forget it.
"More than just politically minded, The People’s Project is the revolution itself—the activism needed to unite communities and incite change. Each story personifies a much-needed friend bringing comfort, telling truth, and recognizing pain. The anthology’s power lies in its direct confrontation of our time while digging into the roots of America’s relationship with fascism. Riveting and thought-provoking, the entries explore topics—including ableism, citizenship, labour, healthcare, and transness—all exploring what it means to survive together."
—Booklist
Also in wonderful book mail news, my friend Kelly Sundberg’s memoir in essays, The Answer Is in the Wound, is out now from Roxane Gay Books. And Stanley Plumly’s posthumously published Collected Poems is out now, too. I highly recommend both. I also received copies of the Dutch edition of You Could Make This Place Beautiful. It’s sitting on my shelf now alongside the English, Spanish, and Croatian editions. Aren’t they gorgeous?
What else is bringing me joy these days? I’m working on a new poem, which always surprises me and lifts my spirits. I’ve been enjoying the new Superchunk record; new songs from Neko Case, Saintseneca, and Great Grandpa; and some old favorites, too, of course. I listen to a lot of Neil Young this time of year. (It’s fall music. I don’t make the rules.) If you’re listening to something you love, please post some recs in the comments!
It’s been a busy time, but good busy! I’ve really been enjoying working on The Slowdown: choosing poems to feature, writing the scripts, and recording the episodes. I hope you’re listening along, finding new poems and poets via the podcast. And please do subscribe to the newsletter so that the poems show up in your inbox every day.
Another podcast I really enjoy is Otherppl with Brad Listi, and I was happy to be a guest back in the spring, talking about writing and creativity. Brad recently launched DeepDive, and he’s offering For Dear Life subscribers 10% off its debut course, How to Write a Novel, with the code DEARWRITER10 through October 2. The DeepDive launch sale—25% off—runs through September 12th, so if you use DEARWRITER10 before then, you’ll get a total of 35% off the course. (Thanks, Brad!)
I’m curious: What podcasts are part of your week? Which ones keep you informed, or give you new perspectives, or provide some much-needed serenity or humor? Please share your favorites; I’d love to have them on my radar.
On the “stuff” front, I’m a new fan of these progressive readers and progressive reader sunglasses (game changers, both), this Matrix hair serum and hair mask, and this little Yepoda double cleansing set for travel. I like having mini sizes of things to take on the road.
Until I have to pack my carryon again in another week, I’m doing a lot of nesting. My kids and I have again started our annual back-to-school rewatch of Gilmore Girls. (Nothing says fall like Stars Hollow. Copious amounts of coffee at Luke’s! Grant Lee Phillips as Town Troubadour!) Truth be told, I can be lured into any television show with the promise of couch snuggles. Hence, I’m also watching The Summer I Turned Pretty with my kids. Both shows have given us a chance to talk about friendship, dating, marriage, and relationship red flags, so there’s that. That plus snuggles!
I’ll leave you with my favorite novel recently: Lion by Sonya Walger. I won’t shut up about this book—ask my friends!—but I can’t talk too much about it without giving away spoilers. ARGH. Anyway, I loved it.
What are you reading and watching (or rereading and rewatching) as we head into fall?
Hope you are finding some good stuff in these challenging times. We all need it. Take care.
Love,
Maggie
I just finished reading Margaret Renkl's The Comfort of Crows and it was absolutely gorgeous. My only regret is that I read it on my kindle. Definitely recommend the print edition to give justice to Billy Renkl's gorgeous artwork!
Podcast recommendations: Wildcard with Rachel Martin. (Weekly). She interviews interesting people using cards chosen at random. Such insightful discussions!
"Letters from an American" written and read by Heather Cox Richardson. Her historical perspective on the news of the day offers a buffer and perspective that is sorely needed. Listening to her makes me feel validated and saner.