E.B.'s Notes & News: New Year Edition š„¶šāš¢āļø
Happy 2026 sort of not really.
Can you still say happy new year when itās already February?
Can you still say happy new year when people are being kidnapped (including children and American citizens) and murdered by federal agents?
Can you still say happy new year when ICE has become Trumpās personal police force, or, as M. Gessen put it, state terror has arrived?
I donāt know. But here I am, and here you are, and I hope in some little way you are finding moments to have a happy new year.
Anyway, sorry that my āJanuaryā newsletter is coming to you in February, but weāve all had some things on our mind. As the wise Sabrina Imbler put it in their newsletter, āI am once again feeling baffled by how to write about creatures at a time when everything really fucking sucks.ā Amen.
It feels weird to be sending out enthusiastic emails about my upcoming book events when we are living in this American fascist hell, but donāt let the bastards get you down, right?
xoxo,
E.B.
Hope Notes & News:
Stand with Minnesota and support the people of Minneapolis as they protest ICEās violent occupation of their city, the abduction of their neighbors, and the murders of RenĆ©e Good and Alex Pretti. In sub-zero temperatures! The heroes we fucking need.
Here is a very thorough list of places to support in the Twin Cities.
Here is a list of ways to take action against ICE.
Call your representatives. Every. Damn. Day.
And, while youāre at it, buy a MELT THE ICE sweatshirt designed by Carson Ellis.
Also, remember that activism looks different for everyone. Do what you can.
Writing Notes & News:
I got to start off 2026 writing three stories I am pretty excited about for Wellesley: one about the 80th anniversary of my beloved Russian department, one about Hillary Rodham Clinton ā69 visiting campus, and one about career diplomat Michele Sison ā81 being chosen as the Albright Instituteās distinguished visiting professor.
Plus Good Grief has been getting some podcast love! I appeared on the November 20th episode of Sit, Lay, Rest: A Pet Grief Podcast, plus Sangamithra Iyer, author of Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed, gave me a shoutout on her episode of the Milkweed Editions podcast Between the Covers. <3 <3 <3
Events Notes & News:
ā¢ TOMORROW NIGHT!!! Wednesday 2/4/26, 7:00pm EST: ***VIRTUAL*** The Tewksbury Public Library, part of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium and in collaboration with the Minuteman Library Network, will be hosting a conversation between yours truly and Melanie D.G. Kaplan, author of Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research, which was published in October by Seal Press! Thanks to Tewksburyās Community Outreach Librarian Robert L. Hayes for setting this up. Visit the library event page for more information, and you can register for the event directly via Zoom.
ā¢ Tuesday 2/10/26, 7:00pm EST: Canāt make my virtual event with Melanie D.G. Kaplan? Have no fear, you can see me and Melanie together in person at Newtonville Books the following week! Plus, there will be a brigade of former lab beagles in attendance which is reason enough itself to come!
ā¢ Friday 2/13/26, 7:00pm EST: I will be making my triumphant return to performing in Mortified, now at WBUR CitySpace (RIP Oberon)! Itās the perfect way to celebrate Galentineās Day! Buy your tickets and find more information about the show on the Mortified Live: Valentineās Day Edition event page.
ā¢ Wednesday 3/25/26, 7:00pm EDT: The Medway Public Library is hosting a dog authors event featuring Ellen Finnie (author of The Ten Perfections), Karen Fine (author of The Other Family Doctor), and yours truly. Stay tuned for more info!
Plus forthcoming events include appearances at the Pioneer Valley Kennel Club Summer All-Breed Show, the Pet Rock Festival, and Dog Mountain!
Reading Notes & News:
Iām currently reading Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy, which is every bit as good as everyone says.
Luca, meanwhile, is obsessed with Buffalo Fluffalo and Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo by Bess Kalb, My Bike by Bryon Barton, and Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman (both the board book version and the original Beginner Books version). Iāve read each of those books out loud at least once a day.
Friend Notes & News:
Sharing good news!!! We need some good news!!!!
Neema Avashia is coming at you with a new book!!! (See Publishers Weekly announcement above.) We fucking NEED this right now. I canāt wait!!!
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2025 Dog Writers Association of America awards! Especially to Zazie Todd, whose book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, won the Maxwell Medallion for best book in the behavior, training, or sport category and also the McFarland Best Book Award, and to Ellen Finnie, whose book The Ten Perfections: Spiritual Lessons from a Life with Dogs, won the Maxwell Medallion for best book in the memoir category.
For WBUR, Tove Danovich wrote about the greatest bird of all time: the pigeon.
Also the great Ian Frazier wrote about Tove Danovichās book Under the Henfluence in the February 12th issue of The New York Review of Books.
After reading this piece about goody bags by Mandy Len Catron in The Atlantic, for Lucaās 2nd birthday party I opted to order a bunch of vintage Sesame Street books off of eBay to give out party favors instead. They were a hit!
Have you preordered The Dog Loverās Bucket List: The Ultimate Field Guide to a Full Life with Your Pup by Haley Young yet?? It comes out May 19th! Perfect gift for quite literally anyone with a dog.
Also you should check out Being Aro: A Collection of Aromantic Fiction about Love, Connection, and Empowerment, edited by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor, which comes out May 26th! Ann Zhao contributed a short story to the collection!
Menagerie Notes & News:
As of last month, Luca is now two years old!!! He knows SO MANY WORDS, mainly different types of animals and vehicles, and he is getting pretty good at stringing together 5- to 6-word sentences. He loves books (just like his mom) and bikes (just like his dad), and being his mom is the absolute fucking best.
thanks for the shoutout!!!
Thank you for plugging the bucket list again!! And what an awesome lineup of events you've got going on this month into next. (Also: Luca is the most adorable as always. Turtle-y awesome indeed.)