40!
Birthday Recap, Upcoming classes, New Articles, and more
I don’t usually have very big birthday celebrations. It’s over the holidays; I’m usually with family; I’m not a child, after all, I don’t need a big party. I get a cake and whoever is around sings me happy birthday and my husband doesn’t break up with me (thanks High School boyfriends for installing that trauma!) and we call it good.
But this year, since I was turning forty, I decided instead of downplaying it I would play it up. I planned a party at a karaoke bar. I sent out the fancy digital invitations. I dressed up. I did my make-up. I behaved like a bratty child. Are you coming to my party? Are you coming to my party? My party’s this weekend are you coming?
Like a lot of 40-year-olds, I spend a lot of time thinking about my health. Last year at this time I had to skip a karaoke party I’d been really looking forward too because I was too sick and fatigued to go. I don’t take the ability to have a party like this for granted. I got to see the really wonderful group of friends I’ve cultivated over the last decade-plus in Seattle. I sang all my favorite songs and nobody could stop me. We ended the night at Hot Cakes and then took the light rail home. I feel more excited and at peace about starting this new decade than I would have thought possible. I might be a birthday brat every year from now on.
Workshop for Weird Stories starts next week!
It's not too late to sign up (and tell your friends to sign up) for my Workshop for Weird Stories, now in an extended eight-week format.
This is a class for all those writers who don’t know how to categorize themselves and just want to read some awesome writing and get some great, supportive feedback. Hope to see you there.
If you’re more of a nonfiction writer or aspiring memoirist, might I recommend my friend Ronit’s memoir-writing class that is being offered through UW?
Ronit is one of my writing compatriots. She’s sharp and funny and incredibly well qualified to teach this class as the host of the podcast “Let’s Talk Memoir.” Here’s what she has to say about her class:
Memoir writing is about excavating the story not just the situation, and gaining clarity about our patterns, what is still unsolved in us, and our own part in what has occurred. I love guiding memoirists in discovering and strengthening these elements in their work. You can read more about me here and some testimonials here.
New Article on Business Insider
My year started off nicely with a pitch getting accepted to the parenting section of Business Insider. I got to write about how we left our kids alone and everything worked out okay (so far).
But they say travel lets you become a different person, just for a few days. So maybe that's why instead I said, "If we give them their tablets, they literally will not move."
"There's leftover pizza from lunch," my husband pointed out. "We could just heat that up for them here."
We fed them the leftovers, handed them their tablets, made them practice unlocking the door (but not for strangers!), and warned them not to eat any food lest they choke. My husband and I went downstairs and had a peaceful dinner looking out over the sparkling waters of Lake Como.
January Book Rec: James by Percival Everett
Look, I’m not going to be the first person recommending this book right now. It just won the National Book Award, it’s on all the lists. But at the same time, when I look back at the books I read over the holidays, this one sticks out. It was a great read.
The premise of James is simple: It’s the story of Huckleberry Finn, but told from the perspective of Jim. The book was thoughtful and thought-provoking and beautifully written. It’s tempting to say that one should really read Huck Finn first, in order to really appreciate how this book dovetails with it, but honestly, I didn’t and I don’t even feel bad about it. There was something really wonderful about the way that everything in this book tugged at some frayed memory of a different book, but let me enjoy this on its own merits. If you haven’t added it to your list yet, you should!