Hello friends! This special THURSDAY edition (delayed by a migraine I assume was delivered directly by Satan himself) of the newsletter is here, with apologies for the delay but wow, headaches and teaching middle school absolutely do not mix! This week’s recommendations are short and sweet, as my head has not fully recovered.
Reading
I typically don’t like it when people share books that aren’t out yet because I have a need for immediate reading gratification, but I can’t help it because this week, I read some truly incredible forthcoming work.
First up is Kimberly King Parsons’ We Were The Universe (out in May). I have taken several writing classes from Kim, and my favorite lectures of hers are about sentence-level, granular writing and craft, and in this book, that work comes to life on the page. The book details a woman navigating a complicated family situation, including the grief around the loss of her sister, and tackles motherhood, caring for family, using LSD, and haunting characters to tell a story that is heart-wrenching and gritty. Goodreads is doing a giveaway right now, and you should absolutely enter.
I also just finished Chelsea Bieker’s forthcoming Madwoman. I am a big fan of Chelsea’s work: Godshot is incredible and Heartbroke is one of my favorite collections of all time. Madwoman might be my favorite yet. Chelsea manages to create a character that is both flawed and lovable and write a story that has such perfect details about place and consumerism and grocery stores (just trust me) and secrets. It’s propulsive and fascinating and I loved it.
Next up for me is reading my friend Olivia’s book, Such A Bad Influence! Did I cheer aloud when I saw that my galley had arrived? I DID. I cannot wait to dive into this book.
Writing
I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m in a book proposal generator class, taught by Greg Mania, and this week, I finished an outline of the chapters and essays in my book and uh, holy shit, I think I have a book?!?!?!?! It’s so thrilling to see years of work culminate in something I am super proud of. I will share more of the process as it evolves, but for now, it feels incredible to see these essays and ideas and throughlines I’ve been playing with since 2020 take shape.
I cannot say enough good things about Greg and his class. My cohort is amazing (very smart, very queer, very kind) and having people to hash things out with about how to best sell my work and getting feedback from someone who knows what he is doing has been so immensely helpful. There is a spring session of the class coming up, and if you’ve been waiting for something like this, I highly recommend it.
Ranting
I don’t know if this qualifies as a rant, but dang, teaching in March kicks my ass every year. The kids are tired and checked out, and also comfortable enough with their teachers and one another to act ridiculously. We are in the home stretch of the year, but also very much not in the home stretch of the year. State testing is upon us very soon and it’s somehow more stressful than teaching.
At the same time, I love my students so much, and I’ve had this batch of 8th graders for two years, and I cannot quite wrap my head around not getting to see them anymore. I always feel sad watching classes graduate (well, almost always) and this year will be a weepy one. But also, I am so tired. If you know a teacher, be extra kind to them right now: buy them a coffee or offer them a free lobotomy. We all need them at this point in the year.
Recommending
In my first first newsletter, I asked for recommendations for sheets for hot sleepers, and I HAVE FOUND THEM. I should have started with my friend Jenn, who writes a Substack where she literally recommends things, but also, I have an inside track to her excellent research and shrewd shopping abilities. She never misses, and Amy and I jokingly (except not jokingly?) refer to her as our Spiritual, Financial, and Shopping Advisor. When I posted about my need to not sweat to death every night, and Jenn asked if I’d tried Buffy. THESE SHEETS. They are soft and feel silky and fancy, but they also DO NOT MAKE ME SWEAT. I went a little wild and got the Cooling Bundle, which includes their eucalyptus sheets, and it has changed my life. I have not woken up in a puddle of my own sweat in weeks. I also love their Wiggle Pillow because it is both supportive and pliable. Cannot recommend them highly enough and once again, shout out to Jenn, who I’m going to allow to make all my purchasing choices forever more because her recommendations are always perfect.
thank you for the shoutout!! and yay for your book!
I am SO glad you loved the Buffy sheets! Please don’t tell Brad because he’ll regret returning them & I was tooooooo coldddddd! 😂