on the bus everyone says hello!

+ the SUCKITUDE of rejection ++ a terrific story collection +++ a chance to share your work in our community!

hey-ho,

I’m in Paris! We’re riding bus #69 around because it goes over many bridges and passes all the things we want to see. Plus it’s just 2 eu, we ride with the Parisians, and tout le monde dit “bonjour!” to the bus driver.

Other things I’m loving:

• the Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore

• how tidy the Parisians are with overflow of wine bottles they recycle

• hidden gardens

• Musee d’Orsay

• twins looking at art… trust me, they’re identical!

• a childless cat lady! by Pierre Bonnard

• stairwells

• rhinestone kicks!

• falaffels

I’m here for just a few days, on my way to Collioure, France, to teach with the ever fabulous Karen Karbo, and (a fav writer of mine) Meg Wolitzer, at the Come to Your Senses Writing Retreat. I wish you were joining! In case you’d like to join next year, I’ll be back from August 31 - September 5, along with Karen, and the terrific Chelsea Cain! Snag your spot as these go quickly!

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Thanks to all 2.2k 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!

• you: upgrade to a paid subscription

• me: donate the funds to the Harris/Walz campaign

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read:

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying THE ANGEL OF ROME, by Jess Walter. Of course you probably know his work from the terrific novel, BEAUTIFUL RUINS, which, if you haven’t read you should exit this note right now and begin! It is so good. But back to THE ANGEL OF ROME, Walter writes with such a steady hand and with generous humor for all our foibles.

In the first story, “Mr. Voice” he proves himself to be a master of summary, telling the story of an entire childhood, the surprising grace a stepfather brings, a flighty mother, and a discovered secret.

With “Fran’s Friend has Cancer” he gets to peacock his dialogue skills! The nuance, the undercurrents, it’s a tour-de-force conversation in a cafe between a husband and wife in a looong marriage, full of umbrage. When a nearby fiction writer is caught eavesdropping… well, please do read.

“Town and Country” is a hilarious/sad story about moving a parent into assisted living…

Even if you resist short stories, the collection will amaze you with its range, impress you with the strength of the worlds he swiftly builds, and finally will charm you with wit. Read this book. Enjoy the surprises.

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For our next zoom r.w.e. book group we will be discussing HELP WANTED, by Adelle Waldman. The flap copy touts the novel this way: “Waldman brings her unparalleled wit and astute social observation to the world of modern, low-wage work. A humane and darkly comic workplace caper that shines a light on the odds low-wage workers are up against in today's economy, Help Wanted is a funny, moving tale of ordinary people trying to make a living.”

We will be meeting on 20 October at 9:30a pacific time.

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!

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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. 

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write:

I’ve written an essay, EMBRACE THE SUCKITUDE, On Feeling and Dealing when Submitting Work. In the essay I face the harsh world of submitting. First we do the writing, we reveal ourselves and:

We have bestowed our cruelties and joys upon our characters, or we revealed them in a memoir. And then, in addition to looking so closely at ourselves and feeling a bit of a vulnerability hangover, now we’re not even certain our writing is any good! Writers rely upon gatekeepers, agents and lit mag journals to let us know we stuck the landing.  A question is, how will you deal with the suckitude of rejection?

I figured out, with the help of my therapist, a one-two plan. First I feel, then I deal. The essay seems to be resonating with folks so if you read, don’t skip the comments! And, to push back on the suckitude, with today’s prompt I invite you to share a paragraph of your writing!

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prompts live in P.S. section of the newsletter as a bonus for PS‘s (paid subscribers… see how I did that?) This time around, an opportunity to share your writing!

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eat:

We’ve been having wonderful food here in Paris. I mean, take a peek at this halloumi snack from KUBRI… the delicious cheese is straightjacketed into a shredded wheat contraption and bathed in hot honey and za’atar. This I do not know how to make, but I can imagine frying some halloumi cubes and serving them in a bulgar salad with a hot honey and lemon vinaigrette, za’atar sprinkled liberally over the top. Because it is the cusp of autumn, I bet some roasted butternut squash cubes tossed in would be fantastic as well. Add lots of fresh parsley, or maybe a drizzle of the parsley oil I suggest below. How about the addition of pomegranate seeds? I feel a salad being born!

Or, this delight from ELMER, (our first night in Paris! A splurge…) a delicious salad of cherry tomatoes with fresh dill, scattered pumpkin seeds, parsley oil, and thinned yogurt. Can I tell you, they peeled the tomatoes! I won’t do that, but I will set tomatoes in a warm oven to soften them a bit, slice them in half, scatter with fresh dill, make parsley oil, thin yogurt with a bit of lemon, and toss in the pumpkin seeds.

I think the parsley oil would be delicious on many things…

• drizzle over feta and serve with crackers

• spoon a bit on soft scrambled eggs

• mix with ricotta for a crostini appetizer

• bring bright flavor to roasted salmon

• use in a vinaigrette

Here’s how to make it:

Give one bunch of flat leaf parsley (stems and all) a quick, 10-second blanch in boiling, salted water, then dunk in an ice bath. Drain and wrap in a tea towel to squeeze out excess water. Next, blitz together in a blender with 1 generous cup of olive oil until you've got a smooth, vibrant purée. Set a coffee filter in sieve set over a measuring cup or bowl (or pop a coffee filter into a Chemex coffee maker, if you've got one) and pour the whole purée into the filter, letting it strain overnight.

In the morning, you'll find a vibrant, bright oil full of punchy, fresh-herb flavor. Store in a clean jar in the fridge.

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After about eighteen hours of door-door travel, we arrived at our hotel room to find they’d gifted us a face mask! It was wonderful. I think I’ll do this for my houseguests from now on! (Why is Joel’s so smooth and mine so sloppy?)

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Don’t forget the PROMPT BELOW! and the chance to share some writing!