The visceral reaction I had to this lovely essay makes me wonder--as we now attend work, school, and events almost like nothing happened--if we're not all suffering from a collective PTSD that lies buried under a social mandate to feel happy about getting 'back to normal.'

“Thinking the event is the story is the biggest mistake of student writers. The transformation of the self is the story.” ~ Claire Dederer

Finished fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts grad Linda Murphy Marshall's book, Ivy Lodge, on the plane home from a work trip yesterday. Moving exploration of complex family relationships in this lovely memoir.

Saw marc maron in Providence last night. I've never seen him live before, and the show was all I hoped it would be. Great fun! If you don't laugh you're going to cry, right? (My super serious self is usually on the crying side, so this outing was very healthy for me!)

Saw Society of the Snow last night. Deeply moving. JA Bayona's brilliant storytelling, along with the extraordinary work of the cast and crew, doesn't just honor both the lost and the survivors of this tragedy but also asks the viewer to ponder what it means to be human, to live.

Currently reading The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger. I thought I knew some of this history, but wow, 🤯. Absolutely fascinating, and a terrific read for #WomensHistoryMonth .

“If you’re happy, have found love, are surrounded by good people, doing what you like, and giving back to others, that’s success. Selling your soul for a buck is not worth the real price you pay.' —the inimitable Iris Apfel. Rest in peace.

Monthly reminder: Many people have a book in them, but it takes a special kind of freak to leave the Land of Laziness, cross the Plains of Procrastination and Insecurity Mountain, find the Blade of No One Made You Do This, and use it to cut your chest open and yank that book out.

Watched the film last night - what a powerful performance!

Saw Poor Things last night, so today I'm bogged down w/all kinds of questions: What does it mean to be human? Are we all essentially our worst impulses (monsters), or our best intentions? Would an existence w/out inhibitions result in liberating radical honesty or full chaos?

In Italy, eavesdropping on convos in a café & I forgot how people here share their lives & feelings with strangers, as if humanity was all that mattered. I live in a country where even a banal childhood anecdote is supposed to be shared only with your therapist.

Marie Howe • What the Living Do

I think it was Marie Howe’s poetry in this collection that first expanded my own notion of what I could write about — that I could write so powerfully from my own broken heart — and that it was worthy. I’m so grateful to her work.

In this essay for Chalkbeat, I argue for a more flexible approach to special ed that would better serve all students but especially those w/disabilities that fall under the neurodivergent umbrella, such as Level 1 autism. It's time to re-think the system. chalkbeat.org/2024/02/08/mak…

Fascinating: 'Iceland is the size of Kentucky with...a population closer to that of Cleveland. Imagine, then, if more than 35,000 people in Cleveland were published authors, and some 20 books a week were being launched...in a rare, ancient language...that only Clevelanders know.'

Saw Past Lives last night. I've seen many movies lately that get lost, don't seem to know what story they want to tell within the larger frame, but Past Lives knew exactly what it wanted to say from the very first moment. Beautifully human and deeply moving. #storytelling

Greg Orr:

Please watch. Biden is rolling back the Reagan revolution, and many people can’t see the whole picture. This is a good primer:

Contemplating consequences of returning to 'business as usual' post-pandemic, particularly for those in the labor market who struggle due to socioeconomic status, disability status, gender, etc. & re-reading this brilliant essay by Eli Didier in Ploughshares. blog.pshares.org/the-true-cost-…

Barbara Kingsolver: