my family politic
a hard yet big hearted novel + 10 tips for writing dialogue ++ a meal for debate viewing
I love outward expressions of love:
hey-ho,
Are you ready for this? When my mom was a girl she trick-or-treated as a voting booth! I can picture her, a little privacy curtain drawn open around her face and a pretend ballot checked for Harry Truman.
As a kid I walked a picket line beside my mother who was striking with LA Unified School District. During the Watergate hearings I sat on our apartment floor doing math homework, my mom sat on our couch, smoking and scowling, both of us entranced by the events.
When we lived in California we took our kids to the polls every time we voted.
During the Kavanaugh hearings I travelled to DC to protest.
All of this is to say, I’m an engaged citizen, and right now, I'm enthused! Ready to work for Harris/Walz.
Of the many things I love about my extended family (they’re funny and smart and will linger around a table with cold coffee for a gabfest) a favorite thing is the group chat that springs to life in the midst of a political event. Last week we cried, cheered, and laughed together… Look at these women! Gretchen! Hillary! Ashley! Maya! The Chicks! Michelle! Oprah! Gwen! And Kamala!
Also, my kid and I have been kvelling over Tim Walz and Gus! And then we had this hilarious chat…
Kamala does not need to dress hotter (nor does my son’s partner)… in fact here’s a great article from the NYTs regarding the semiotics of Kamala’s apparel choices.
I know gaining our first Madam President is not a forgone conclusion by any stretch and I’m not going to lie, I do feel a creep of worry about the election outcome. Here are ways we can pitch in:
Also, until October, I will match new paid subscribers with a donation to the Harris/Walz campaign. What a great win/win/win! You get everything in the newsletter, I get to feel the zing of your appreciation, and Kamala gets an uptick in support! So, thank you!
read:
Have you read, BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA, by Dorothy Allison? It is an older book, from 1992, was a finalist for the National Book Award. My friend suggested it, saying it’s about the people from JD Vance territory. However, unlike Dorothy Allison, Vance did not grow up in poverty, and his book has being classified as “poor-nography.” That is, focused upon violence, drugs, and alcohol, rather than humanity.
Allison’s novel is set in a largely white, uneducated, and poverty stricken community. The narrator, a young girl called Bone, lives with a physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive stepfather. The novel tells of her emancipation from her terrible home life, rescued by her queer Aunt Raylene. A review from David Cantwell in the NYer describes it this way:
Near the end of “Bastard Out of Carolina,” Raylene comes upon Bone sneering at a busload of better-off children whom she doesn’t know, as they head to Sunday school. “You’re making up stories about those people,” Raylene says. “Make up a story where you have to live in their house, be one of their family. Look at it from the other side for a while. Maybe you won’t be glaring at people so much.” We know, from the book itself, that Bone will take her aunt’s advice, eventually. The story she tells is one filled with rage, but also generosity and love. Her story inquires, unsuccessfully but unceasingly, into why her mother and stepfather, not to mention the town of Greenville, have acted so cruelly toward her. She has looked squarely at every monstrous thing her parents did to her and yet has resisted the too-pat path of depicting them as monsters. Bone has grown up to become a writer, in other words, and she has presented herself not as trash but as the flawed, honest, complex hero of her story.
Honestly, I can’t think of anything more political than that—looking at cruelty acted upon you and coming at the events with curiosity, and with the strength to make different decisions for your life. Allison’s work explores things that bind people together: family, love, politics, and complex emotions. I highly recommend.
For our next zoom r.w.e. book group we will be discussing THE MOST by Jessica Anthony. It’s about a mother who begs off going to church with her family one Sunday morning. She chooses to go for a swim instead and then refuses to get out of the pool. I cannot wait to read!
The book group is a perk for paid subscribers and let me tell you we are a lively bunch!
Go ahead, upgrade to paid and claim your spot. I hope to get to know you better!
Check my read.write.eat. Bookshop Store, where you will find many of the books I've recommended in the newsletter. Buying books from my shop is a way you can be a friend to the newsletter.
write:
I made a BOOK BITE conversation with my friend
, and it was a joy!Elyse is a bookstore owner, a delightful human, and she’s written a memoir about the derailing and rediscovery of selfhood that comes with new-motherhood and with illness, both of which happened concurrently to Elyse. Her memoir is a beautiful exploration of life in the face of fear, love, challenges and changes.
In our mini Book Bite convo we answer three questions about a book we’ve read:
What is your fav moment?
What didn’t work?
What recipe would you pair with this novel?
We both agreed that dialogue was frustrating, even annoying in the book we discussed. (You’ll have to click here 😉 to find out which novel.)
As a corrective to dialogue trouble, I offer my list of tips for writing solid dialogue.
What dialogue must do:
Add to the reader’s present story knowledge w/character, desire, conflict, obstacle
Reveal character
how they speak (word choice, grammar, tone, volume)
what they don’t say, what they withhold
are they lying?
do the characters listen and respond to each other? do they interrupt?
are they overreacting?
what do they want? do they want to seduce? to cause harm? to get a ride to the mall?
Does the dialogue convey more than mere words? Tone/inflection are wonderful tools, as in the line a daughter says to her mother on the way to parent/teacher conferences, “You’re wearing that?” (subtext = good!)
Feel spontaneous, that is, read as real people speak, yet stripped of the repetitions, the ums and stutters, the massive amount of half-finished thoughts
Dialogue is best when oblique, rife with misdirections, interruptions, finishing the other person’s sentence, and evasions. Don’t forget the joy of the non-sequitur.
We don’t always respond to what has been said. In fact, the writer, Ford Maddox Ford says the dialog should NEVER answer what has been said. This gets a bit extreme and weird, but consider:
“Your petunias look amazing, Paula.” I waved my umbrella at the riotous window boxes.
Paula lowered her chin, took a pause before she answered. “I notice your grandson hasn’t stopped by this month,” she said, “nor last either.”
Carries tension. Remember tension and drama increase when characters are saying NO, or being rude. And, no one loves tension and drama except readers!
A shift in power is always interesting in a conversation. And there may be a clash of agendas.
Is accompanied by gestures, glimpses of the setting, props, all of which reveal tone and meaning (It is particularly lovely when words and body language contradict one another, revealing a different truth than the words convey.)
“I do love you, very much.” She reached for the carving knife. “As least I think I do.”
Sometimes your characters won’t listen to each other! How wonderful for your work!!
The best advice I can give you: Read your work aloud! I promise you will hear when a line of dialogue rings false.
prompt:
At the bottom of this newsletter you’ll find a prompt to hone your dialogue writing skills. It’s a doozy! Please don’t miss.
ONLY TWO SEATS LEFT/Autumn Essay Writing Intensive:
Last Tuesday night Doug Emhoff spoke intimately about his wife, Kamala Harris, calling her a ‘joyful warrior.’ That is what we’re going to become in this Essay Writing Intensive. Joyful Warriors committed to getting words down, exploring our thoughts and stories, and connecting with readers. We will write four essays in five weeks. Participants will have the opportunity to respond to prompts based upon sample essays we’ve read, or to follow their own curiosity. Everyone will read a couple essays aloud and receive on-the-spot feedback. Each participant will also have the chance for a longer workshop of one essay draft, plus an opportunity to send me a revised essay when our class is complete for further editorial suggestions. We’ll also spend some time talking about where to submit your work.
Let’s be joyful warriors and write essays!
write 4 short essays (1k - 1.5k words)
read your work aloud to peers 2x for on-the-spot discussions,
submit an essay for complete workshop
submit to me, post workshop, a revised essay for my deeper editorial suggestions
read and discuss great sample essays
October 23 - November 20
Wednesday afternoons 5:00 - 7:30p pacific time on Zoom
$375.00
8 students max (only two spots left)
If you’re interested, save your seat:
Thanks to all 2.1k free subscribers for being here with me. If you love the newsletter as much as I do, consider upping your subscription to paid. It’s a mere 1.25 a week, far less than a cup of coffee, and for that you get all the goods, plus my affection! THROUGH OCTOBER I WILL MATCH ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS WITH A DONATION TO TEAM HARRIS/WALZ! So, hit the red button!
eat:
It certainly sweetens the pot that Kamala LOVES to cook!
“If I’m cooking, I’m in control of my life.” Kamala Harris
I’ve been scouring the internet looking for recipes and evidence that Madam VP (soon to be Madam President 🤞🏻) knows her way around a kitchen. Here’s what I found:
The debate between Harris and Trump will air on 10 September. Unfortunately I’ll be on a flight, but I have a feeling some of you will be tuned in, rooting for our girl. If I were home, I’d want something hearty, homey, and unfussy to eat. So, in honor of Kamala’s heritage, and because it’s delicious, I’m offering you this South Asian dish.
Chole - Tangy Chickpeas w/Tomatoes and Black Tea
1½T dried fenugreek leaves
2t ground coriander
2t Kashmiri chile powder or other mild red chile powder
1t ground cumin
juice from ½ lime
½t fennel seeds
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