Congrats to my newsletter readers—Andrea, Beth, and Sarah—for winning $25 gift cards to Vroman’s Books and Chevalier’s Books! I love supporting my local independent bookstores, and I’m happy to be part of book buying.
Your Pep Talk 🥰
This morning, I finished The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, recommended to me by my poet friends, Jen and Alise. Inspired by Ross Gay’s book of short essays on what he finds delightful, here’s my list of tiny delights:
My pug sleeping in a patch of sunlight.
The first delicious sip of coffee.
Kissing the tops of my daughters’ heads.
Reading in bed.
The shade of big trees when I’m running.
What are your tiny delights? (Feel free to share with me!)
Sure, the world is a daily onslaught of election news, cancer (both real and metaphorical), and hard things.
Can you carry your delights with you—in your pocket, on your phone, in your heart?
My Latest News 🥳
I wrote a story for the November 2020 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine, AND I’m listed on a contributors page as a WRITER (dream come true x 1,000). I got the opportunity to write about Heart of Dinner and the amazing work Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Chang are doing in NYC’s Chinatown.
Check Out This...
ARTICLE: My friend Debby Waldman wrote this powerfully moving essay for the NYT about mental health, woodworking, and love: How Covid-19 and Power Tools Helped Heal My Relationship With My Son.
BOOK: The Book of Delights by Ross Gay. This collection of short essays is like walking on a sunny day with a good friend who tells you a funny or insightful story.
TV SHOW: Great British Baking Show. New episodes every Friday on Netflix! There is nothing better than British accents + desserts I've never heard of + genuine sweetness.
NONPROFIT: Liberation Library, a Chicago-based nonprofit, mails free books to teenagers in Illinois detention centers. The all-volunteer organization ships a handmade bookmark with each book, and you can craft some to send!
I'm Grateful For...
My friends. My writing friends. Mom friends. Friends I've known forever and new friends. Friends who organize to remind voters to vote. For their love, support, check-ins, perspectives, and postcards like this one.
Such an enjoyable read Jen!! Thank you 😊