Quote of the week:
“Literature can do one thing that no other art form can do: It can let you experience what it is like to be inside the consciousness of another human being.” –Madeleine Watts, Lit Hub
What I’m reading:
Almost done with these two:
- The Highly Sensitive Person in Love by Elaine N. Aron
- I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
What I’m listening to:
- Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
- Inky Phoenix Book Club convo between Kathryn Budig and Glennon Doyle
- Sixth & I online event with Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow talking about their new book, Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close
- Center for Disaster Philanthropy webinar: “COVID-19: Support for Mental Health, Bereavement, and Grief” (featuring my very good friend, Dr. Huong Diep):
What I’m watching:
- “A Class Divided,” about third-grade teacher Jane Elliott’s unique lesson in discrimination (YouTube)
- “The Pharmacist,” about one father’s mission to take on the drug epidemic after his son dies (Netflix)
- “Expecting Amy,” a docuseries following Amy Schumer as she works on a new comedy special in the midst of a difficult pregnancy (HBO Max)
- “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” about Michelle McNamara’s hunt for the Golden State Killer (if you haven’t read her book, you should) (HBO)
Writing news:
I am so, so, so excited to announce that my first nonfiction book (written with Meredith Resnick, a licensed social worker, and Huong Diep, a board-certified psychologist) will be coming into the world on March 23, 2021. This book is such a passion project for me. I went through 4 pregnancy losses before having my daughter and it was such a lonely grief. I’m hoping this book helps people feel a little less alone.
Other awesome news: My publisher is re-releasing my first book, People Who Knew Me, this fall! I can’t wait to share the new cover (coming soon!).
What I’m talking about:
- This article on The Lily: “Moms are working dramatically fewer hours than dads during coronavirus. It’s a ‘red flag’ for what’s ahead”
- The not-surprising conclusion of a global Ipsos survey: “COVID-19 is intensifying women’s workload at home”
- Feeling the pressure to participate in social events when I don’t think it’s safe at all (this New York Times article nails it: “There’s still a pandemic happening. It’s OK not to please everyone”)
- The difficulty of uncertainty: “In 2016, European researchers published a study in the journal Nature Communications that demonstrated that for human beings, uncertainty can be more stressful than knowing something bad is going to happen.” (Source)
What I’m grateful for:
My publisher! And my manager! I feel like I finally have the supportive team I always dreamed of, and I consider that extremely lucky. Some years back, I was in Maui for a friend’s wedding and visited with a shaman who said, “You’re not partnered with the right company for your writing.” At the time, I sensed that was true but wasn’t sure what would come next. She said, “You will partner with different people and those will be your people.” She was right. She was also right that I would give birth to a daughter (and she even predicted when!), but that’s a story for another day.