Stories that floored me

plus, movie tickets!

I’ve been totally absorbed by fiction lately.

I feel so lucky to have an advanced reader copy of Whidbey, which has just completely captivated me. I’ve been trying to read it slowly, because I don’t want the book to end, because every page is full of knockout passages. I’m so excited to interview T Kira about the book. Pre-order your copy here!

Mare of Easttown: oof! There’s so much to say about this show, the flawed and gripping lead character, the acting, the accents, the women, the mothers, the storylines, the absolutely tough content and the way these storytellers kept me wanting to watch on. There’s more nuanced conversation to have about this story, of course, but man, I cried at the end. I just sat there awhile and thought about making art.

What else? I was super stoked to notice that HBO’s new show, The Task, was directed by Jeremiah Zagar, who has done many powerful projects, including We the Animals, the film adaptation of Justin Torres’s novel. I was pretty proud of myself for first noticing that the show’s cinematic style seemed a lot like We the Animals (I worried they were ripping Zagar off!), and then later seeing Zagar’s name on the credits.

One more exciting bit of movie news: In a couple weeks, I’m taking a day trip to DC to see the film adaptation of the amazing writer and friend Alysia Abbott’s memoir, Fairyland! Even more exciting is that many of you can go see it in theaters starting this week and next. Check out the cities and dates and get your tickets here!

I’ve also been thinking a lot about my own stories, some short fiction and possibly a novel I started over the summer. There is something very freeing right now about the possibility of invention, of pulling from life and creating new characters and discovering what might come from my unconscious, and our collective unconscious.

---

I hope you’re taking care, taking walks and breaks and holding your communities close, reading stories, maybe making some new ones.