High-five if you wish you were elsewhere:
I attended a three-day convening of the movers and shakers of the nonprofit literary world in Rhinebeck this weekend and what I have discovered is that they all know each other.
You think Hollywood is small? You have seen nothing. People knew about each other’s pasts. They knew about each other’s secrets. They knew about each other’s dogs.
There is such truth in small rooms. You instantly know who is there to help their constituencies and who is there to help themselves to a better place at the table.
(Any writers reading this will be pleased to know that the room skewed very heavily towards benevolence! There was genuine love of the written word and of the artists who create that particular form of visual art.)
What surprised me most was that people wanted to help me with Pen Parentis as well. I got amazing, authentic advice from luminaries. People were interested and helpful and kind. I was grateful.
I was sorry to have to check out of my suite - did I mention there was a fireplace? I’ve never been treated with such TLC at a work event.
As you read this I’m in Atlanta at a family wedding.
I love weddings. It’s the one time that everyone in the room at least professes to believe in the magic of true love and happily ever after. There’s so much beauty and intentionality and joy as you listen to the weighted silence after the word “asunder.” There’s so much elation when the bride first makes an appearance. There’s such a wonderful willingness to face the unknown as a team. I love love.
WRITING NEWS:
This was definitely the weirdest rejection letter I have ever gotten. It began as though I was being published: “you are on the short list of 11 writers…” but went on to inform me that I didn’t get chosen for the issue. That said, it was very interesting to be informed that I was on a short list, as if it were a prize I was winning.
If you missed this very short & ironic essay on hamburgers and air travel, now’s the time to catch up!
and ACTUAL BIG NEWS: New Myths Magazine published my retelling of a LIthuanian Folk Tale (one of the oldest & best known) as “Spruce, Queen of Snakes.” Give it a read - free - by clicking here! And please share it on social media if you like it - I’d love to let more people see this one. Lithuanian folk tales are SO weird, and I managed to make this one even weirder!!
Random Final Thought:
Did you know that in the Oculus (WTC mall) you can press a green button and get information? I also did not know this until I stopped to take a photo of the red button that I thought was labeled “Emergency Information” which seemed to me hilarious - that they might have some kind of recording with random emergency information you might need at the spot, like “hi there, if this is an emergency please dial 9-1-1.”