E.B.'s Notes & News: June 2023 🌈🐢📚
Notes & News: June 2023
Well, the fact that this newsletter is getting to you so late shows the kind of month I've been having. If you are a teacher or work in any kind of school/university setting, you know that this time of year is complete madness. Last weekend I was working Wellesley College reunion, the weekend before I was working Wellesley College commencement –– a lot of fun, celebratory, exciting events, but, man oh man, am I tired. Looking forward to having a quiet weekend at home to catch up on sleeping, cleaning, etc. Is this 35?
Anyway, even if this is getting to you right under the wire (it's still the first Friday of the month until midnight, okay???), as always, you can find what I've been writing, reading, some causes I care about, the events I have coming up, and the fantastic and amazing things my friends and pets have been up to.
xoxo,
E.B.
Header image is part of an illustration by John Jay Cabuay.
People & Places to Support:
The Writers Guild of America has been on strike for a month now, which you are probably aware of if you follow any comedians, writers, or actors on the internet. Many writers I admire are on strike right now, including my friend Langan Kingsley (pictured above on the picket line with her daughter). Follow #WGAstrong on Twitter to keep up with the latest.
From the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter by Nicole Cardoza:
This is the first Hollywood strike in 15 years, and insiders believe that this stalemate could last “at least two months” (Vulture). And this shakeup might not be limited to writers alone. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June, and negotiations are likely going to include similar demands (PBS).
The demands are justifiable given a new, streaming-first digital landscape. They include requests for higher compensation for writers across the board, better residuals, minimum staffing requirements, and shorter exclusivity contracts, which would allow writers to work on other projects. They’re also looking for assurances and boundaries on the use of AI, which is threatening the jobs of creators across the board (AP).
Fair wages and equitable compensation are critical to ensuring that writers have a chance to do good work – especially those most marginalized. Non-white, disabled, and other marginalized writers are statistically less likely to have the wealth and opportunities to thrive within low-pay, unstable working conditions, making it less likely for them to pursue this career and stay in the work.
And when Hollywood studios continue to work with the same writer pool, the content reflects that. Those with the most access and opportunity tend to produce homogenous content that will only resonate with the same audience. Diversity in writing directly correlates to the type of diverse stories that are told, which give new opportunities to showrunners to bring characters to life. Famed writers of color like Quinta Brunson and Issa Rae built their credibility out of Hollywood, which gave them the privilege to create within it (NPR). That shouldn’t have to be the path for marginalized writers.
But the data also indicates that representation matters in the writers' room for most viewers. For all viewers between the ages of 18-49, Black households, and Latine households, ratings were highest for cable scripted shows that had a relatively diverse share of credited writers. And on digital, Black household ratings peaked for shows with a majority of credited writers of color (Hollywood Diversity Report, 2022).
When writers were on strike in 2007, dozens of shows were affected, including a couple that featured narratives unique for the time period. The CW canceled Girlfriends, a hit show centering Black women, because the network decided to only continue producing shows it planned to renew for another season. The series was deemed too expensive to continue, and it never got the finale it deserved (BuzzFeed). And the vision for the show Heroes, which featured people of color as superheroes well before the Marvel franchise, was lost among the strike (Comic Book Review). Now, dozens of hit shows are already shifting focus (you can read a roundup here). What’s most damaging are the shows that we don’t know that can’t be envisioned until negotiations are complete.
Writers help build the worlds that enthrall us, terrify us, and bring us hope. It’s so important that we have equitable opportunities for writers to share stories that reflect all of us and carry forward a vision of what tomorrow can become.
Writing Notes & News:
Thank you to everyone who continues to give Good Grief such generous coverage, even after 10 months. (10 months exactly, as of today!)
Last month, the wonderful hosts of the Corgi Town USA podcast -- Candie (pictured above), Cat, and Chuckles -- had me on to discuss pet loss (and specifically Corgi loss) on their show. You can watch/listen to the episode on YouTube.
And coming up in June, on World Pet Memorial Day (the second Tuesday of June each year) I will be *live* on the show Doctor Radio, a partnership between NYU Langone and SiriusXM. Tun into channel 110 on SiriusXM to listen to me at 6:30am EDT on 6/13/23!
There is another new Non-Fiction about Non-Humans interview up on Fiction Advocate -- my conversation with Karen Fine, author of The Other Family Doctor. Also you can find all the past Non-Fiction about Non-Human interviews now at this link here.
For Wellesley, I had two pieces published in the spring issue of the magazine: this profile of Nina McKee (class of 2016) and this review of Alzheimer’s Fantasy in the Key of G by Kirsten Levy (class of 1974). I also wrote this profile of Jennifer Wilcox (class of 1998) for the website, plus I co-wrote a senior snapshot of Aysar Abdelgelil (class of 2023).
Events Notes & News:
The events continue!!!! Be sure to check the events page on my website for the most up-to-date information, plus links to recordings of some of my previous events.
UPCOMING 2023 EVENTS:
NOTE: all events are in person unless labeled ***VIRTUAL***
Sunday 6/11/23, 2:00pm EDT: Honored to be a guest in Ken Barringer‘s summer course at Lesley University, Division of Counseling and Psychology. While this talk is only open to Lesley students, you can hear my conversation with Ken on his podcast “Grief in Brief.”
Tuesday 6/20/23, 7:00pm EDT: I will be celebrating the launch of Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World by Jean Duffy, my former GrubStreet student. I will be in conversation with Jean and Soccer Grannies founder Beka Ntsanwisi as part of the Grubbie Debut Author Series at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition in the Seaport!
Wednesday 7/19/23, 7:00pm EDT: I will be teaching a special seminar as part of GrubStreet‘s Craft Talk Series: ‘Writing Through Darkness (and How to Take Care of Yourself During It)’. More info and registration link here. This talk will be held at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition in the Seaport.
Sunday 8/6/23, 4:00pm EDT: My first book event in the state of Maine! I will be in conversation with Karen Fine at Back Cove Books in Portland, ME. The event will be a fundraiser for a local animal organization -- stay tuned for more info!
Thursday 10/19/23, time TBD: I am over the moon to get to be part of the Cary Library Literary Cafe Series, an author series that happens at the library in my hometown of Lexington, Massachusetts! The very library I grew up going to! And even more exciting, I will be in conversation for this with Neema Avashia. Stay tuned for more info!
Reading Notes & News:
I haven't been reading print books much right now -- I'm so tired when I get to bed at night that it is hard to motivate to read, even though I'm still working my way through and loving Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I have been listening to some long audiobooks though while driving all around Massachusetts: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and I am almost done with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
In between chapters of Braiding Sweetgrass, I read A Bestiary by Lily Hoang, plus two delightful children's books: The Fastest Tortoise in Town by Howard Calvert (see above) and Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano (I know, I know, how had I not read it before, but it was SO good, and he has another one, Noodle Conquers Comfy Mountain, coming out in November).
Plus a baker's dozen books I think you should consider reading/buying in 2023:
Wolfish by Erica Berry (out now!)
Paperback version of Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (out now!)
Paperback version of Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum (out now!)
The Other Family Doctor by Karen Fine (out now!)
Under the Henfluence by Tove Danovich (out now!)
A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung (out now!)
Now These Three Remain by Sarah Dickenson Snyder (out now!)
The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green (out now!)
The Wager by David Grann (out now!)
Emptying the Nest by Morgan Baker (out now!)
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby (out now!)
The Hunt by Kelly J. Ford (out 7/25)
Rogue by Mona Awad (out 9/1)
Friend Notes & News:
Look at all these awesome things my friends were doing!!!!!
Thu-Hằng Tran made the above arrangement "Spring is in the Air" for the Petite (6x8 in.) Flower Show on 5/5/23.
Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum is one of the Must-Read MassBooks for 2023!
Congratulations to Nina MacLaughlin and Jane Roper who made back-to-back New York Public Library books of the day on 5/21/23 and 5/22/23 respectively.
Kelly J. Ford had a kick-ass review of her forthcoming third novel The Hunt in Publishers Weekly, plus her second novel Real Bad Things was an Anthony Award finalist!
Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia made the May nonfiction bestseller list over at Libro.fm!
Cory Leadbeater's memoir Kissing the 6, about his nine years working as Joan Didion's assistant, is forthcoming from Ecco!
Aube Rey Lescure’s debut novel, River East, River West, is forthcoming from William Morrow/HarperCollins in January 2024.
You can preorder Inci Atrek's debut novel Holiday Country, forthcoming on January 9, 2024.
Colwill Brown's debut novel We Pretty Pieces of Flesh is forthcoming from Holt!
Nancy Agabian’s novel The Fear of Large and Small Nations was recently published by Nauset Press, and it was a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and has received a Kirkus Star.
Kat Read wrote about her love for Taylor Swift on Cognoscenti.
Unlikely Animals by Annie Harnett made the Los Angeles Times's map of 1001 novels that show us where to find the "real America."
Lacy Warner wrote "A Personal History of Breastfeeding" for The Conversationalist.
Lorella Battelli was featured in this NOVA documentary about the brain.
Fairyland, the film adaptation of Alysia Abbott's memoir, kicked off the NewFest Pride Festival in New York City yesterday on June 1, and it will be at the Frameline Festival in San Francisco on June 14, the Provincetown International Film Festival in Provincetown on June 17, and the Nantucket Film Festival on June 21!
Elena Bachrach will be teaching the workshop "Arriving at Your Artist Statement at the following sites/times: Truro Art Center at Castle Hill, Truro MA - August 7-11, 2023, Newburyport Community & Adult Education (online) - Tuesday evenings in October 2023, Ipswich Art Association, Ipswich MA - November 11 & 12, 2023, Artists of Yardley, Yardley PA - January 12 - February 16, 2023, and Salem Art Works, Salem NY - May 6-10, 2024. For up to date workshop registration information, visit www.writingart.net.
Plus!!! A photo of Hannah Sokol and her daughter Nell was featured on Emily Oster's Instagram! Celebrity!
Menagerie Notes & News:
The animal situation over at the Bartels-Corrado Menagerie these days is wild! And by that I mean the wild animal situation –– there are tiny rabbits and little birds everywhere and it is high stress keeping Seymour away from everyone.
On Tuesday morning of this week, Seymour unearthed a nest of baby bunnies in the backyard, so now I am following the instructions from my local wildlife rehabilitator and covering the nest with an overturned wheelbarrow every time I let Seymour into the yard. It takes three weeks for baby rabbits to mature enough to leave the nest, so hopefully I am not doing this for the rest of my life??? I've checked on the little guys a couple times and now they are already much bigger and have their eyes open compared to a few days ago. Photo above is of the little guy Seymour extracted and was trying to "play" with that I had to return to the nest. (Shockingly, no one died or was hurt?!)
And then on Wednesday afternoon, I heard a scream-chirp noise while working at my desk, and I actually thought it was Terrence or Twyla whistling (they do that sometimes) but it kept repeating and I went outside and there was a baby blue jay just hanging out in our driveway. I squatted down to get a better look at him and he JUMPED UP ON MY SHOULDER. I kid you not, it was some Snow White shit. I did not get a photo of this moment because my phone was inside charging, but I walked over to the pigeon loft with him on my shoulder and popped him inside briefly to grab my phone (to take the above photo) and read about what to do with fledglings (as opposed to nestlings) online. Turns out you just... leave them. So, I let him go, and he hopped around our yard for a while as Richie and I did some gardening, and then we took Seymour for a walk, and when we came back he was gone. All the best, little blue jay buddy.