But First, Books
Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor: “People say that, we talked. But I don’t remember a single thing we said to each other.” (loc 1606 of my galley)
Craft in the Real World by Mark Salesses: “Plot is always a departure of reality, a symbol of reality. But the power of stories is that we can mistake the symbolic for the real." (pg. 35)
Brood by Jackie Polzin: “‘Outbreak’ is a misnomer. It is comfort to think the flu has suddenly appeared, has in fact broken out of containment, when in reality no flu has ever been contained” (pg. 149)
P.S. Book drop this weekend includes Normal People, Kimiko Does Cancer, and Pachinko.
The Real ^2
Conscious Fashion
Before we get into it, this slayed me.
I am struggling with the hypocrisy of my fashion spending habits and what I want to stand for. We all know we vote with our dollars, but I am hard-pressed to find affordable clothing that is BIPOC-owned, sustainable, and small. To me, affordable is like $20 tops and $40 bottoms.
I don’t have answers to this. Yet. I am following along with this educational series - it’s totally free! I’m starting with the backlist (Fall curriculum) and working my way up. Also, I’m DEFINITELY tuning in for the 4/02 session on Fashion and Sexual & Reproductive Health.
Here are some tanks I bought recently. My husband says they look like doll clothes.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Publishing
I read somewhere that statistically speaking, the best way to get published is to be white. Read this. And this. And this. In fact:
* ^ # * & @ ^ ( * & @ ^ % & * # ^ & Q ^ ( * & * ( # & * ( & % % @ & ( * ) ( % * ( * % * & # Q ^ %
Each symbol links to an article I found about the lack of diversity in publishing. You don’t need to read each one to understand that this is an age-old and well-documented problem, yet, there’s no change. At least not fast enough. 2020 was the first year ever a Black person headed a major publishing imprint??
While it does look like last year’s racial reckoning forced some changes on publishing, there needs to be more. I am disappointed by the general nihilism of readers in accepting the books handed to them by publishing. The world is big and beautiful, and we can invest time and/or money into places that value diversity and representation.
My number one tip is to shop small press. Like not just kind of small. Super small. Here are some ideas of where to start (linked to my fave book they sell, of course): Perfect Day Publishing , Button Poetry , Charco Press , Co-conspirator Press - I have a TON of these bookmarked, lmk if you want more. How did I find them at all? Meticulous googling and word of mouth. Am I running a book speakeasy? Welcome.
My other tip is to send signals with PRE-ORDERING books. You can spend the same money and amplify your signal by ordering the book in advance. It tells publishers this book is going to do well, and they’ll put more resources in turn into that author. Also, sometimes if you pre-order, the book will be at your doorstep BEFORE the pub date. Here’s a list of my most anticipated 2021 books you can pre-order now:
Soft Spots
I wrote a short story for fun - here it is. Lmk if you like it. Never talk to me again if you don’t.
In honor of women’s history month, here are some future historical figures in conversation with one another. Amanda Gorman interviewed by Michelle Obama and Roxane Gay interviewed by Monica Lewinsky
Some of my reviews were featured in media this month! Marie Claire magazine featured my review of Detransition, Baby and She Reads featured my review of First Comes Like !!