Death by paper cuts

take inspiration from Lithuania

Hi there, freedom fighters,

This is not an international border crossing. It is a supportive highway sign in Lithuania somewhere between Vilnius and Kaunas. (the Ukrainian flag you should recognize by now, the Lithuanian flag is yellow, green & red)

The best part about being manageably-sized is that ideas can lead to actions that are swiftly taken. For example, the government of the small Baltic country of Lithuania has officially changed the name of the street that the Russian Embassy is on:

Yes, if you would like to extend your Russian visa, you now have to address your envelope like this. I can’t imagine the sputtering and indignant huffing that went on when everyone in the Russian Embassy in Vilnius realized they’d have to change their business cards and letterhead.

In the local language, the address looks like this (see the address):

It is a pretty nifty way to protest.

But wait, it gets better. Here’s the actual street—from the air:

The Russian embassy is the white building with the red roof.

But now I want you to take a minute to think. The message is written in English—visible from the sky. It’s not in Lithuanian. It’s not even in Russian. It’s in English. From Lithuania to the Russian President.

Think about that.

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What I have written this week:

Super excited that my long essay in Mutha Magazine goes up this week—look for it on March 15th! It is about parenting with a second language.

My Medium piece about paying taxes as a writer is getting some eyeballs and so is my little article “I just won New York City” - if you read either of these, please click the heart at the bottom of the page or else share it with your friends on Social Media (or both!) Thanks.

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What distracted me from writing this week:

Besides #StandingWithUkraine, I was also distracted by seeing Cursed Child on Broadway — JK Rowling’s elaborate three and a half hour sequel to the seven Harry Potter books. It is definitely worth seeing if you like sets, lighting, very-very long sequels, and/or incredible stage magic that (remarkably) doesn’t involve video!

(I know there is controversy about the author. I know. The play is nonetheless captivating.)

I hosted the March Pen Parentis Literary Salon with curator Christina Chiu. We might be the only reading series that has ever livestreamed an author from Maine and an author from Hawaii simultaneously. Here’s the playback if you want to watch it or share it with your friends.

I also went to some terrific restaurants and bars in NYC because friends were in town (Yay! Friends! Yay! Travel!) — we enjoyed time at Cafè de L’Enfer, The Bao at St. Mark’s Place, The Lobby Bar at the Ludlow, and Khe-Yo. Lots of photos but I’ll winnow it down to a door and some dumplings.

mostly for the colors but also for the delicious alliteration. Door and Dumplings would be an excellent name for a cool little hole in the wall in the East Village.

Be well my friends. March on.

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