Between the anxiety I have about mask mandates ending where I live (I’m still very much immunocompromised and really appreciate those of you who continue to mask up! Thank you!), the death of my great-aunt, events at the Academy Award show (and the never-ending commentary making the few days since it aired feel like muddy-months I’m trying to trudge through), my parents living only a few houses away from a fire that unfortunately took the lives of an entire family (my parents are shaken, but weren’t in any danger and are physically fine), my decision to be in more than one writing course at the same time… with even more on the horizon (I’m not really complaining because they’re rocking my world—I just forgot the part where I’d actually need some time between them to write!), needing a break from my house and some of the people who live in it, a much healthier Miss Violet who wants all the love, all the time, and will use her claws to cling to me when I insist we need some space apart, receiving more rejections for new writing I’ve submitted, thinking about what else I can make for dinner, making the dinners, following-up with unhelpful people and emails to schedule, reschedule and confirm medical appointments, staying in front of a flare (forever), ensuring my kid knows/remembers he’s awesome and capable, making my visual art, facilitating creative workshops for groups (a huge hello to all the people who signed up to stay in touch after we worked together during Social Work Week! Y’all were a delight to work with. I hope you’re enjoying the creative bonuses I made for you!), finding funny videos to send my friends (make sure your sound is on so you can appreciate this one and this one), trying to get all the feeling back in the tip of my right index finger because all the mending I’m doing has made it numb (I totally bought that book I told you about in my last newsletter, and it’s SO good!), and doing my taxes (they’re done!)… this isn’t the newsletter I thought I’d be sending you today.
BUT
I didn’t want to wait any longer to share some exciting news.
Late last year, the third piece of writing I ever submitted was chosen as a runner-up in a Flash Fiction Festival contest. And now it’s published in a book that you can actually hold in your hands!!!
Unfortunately, my copy hasn’t arrived yet, so I can’t yet show you a curated picture of it in MY hands.
You can, however, get your own copy of the Flash Fiction Festival Four anthology here. My story is called More Sludge Than Pink Popsicle Sticks. Let me know what you think when you read it.
Alright, I’m gonna try to catch a nap to help me get through the rest of this months-long-week.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
PS. If the extremely long sentence at the beginning of this note didn’t give it away, I’ve been in some need of comfort lately. Thankfully, I found some in the following books, movies, and shows.
Reading Gather: Richard Van Camp on the Joy of Storytelling felt like sitting down with a friend who just gets it (whatever you’re dealing with) and gets you. It helped me remember what I really love about what I do.
About half-an-hour into the movie, Drive My Car, I wasn’t sure if I could make it through the other two and a half hours of it. I put it on pause several times and did something else. And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about it during my breaks. By the end of it, I still wasn’t quite sure what I’d watched, but I was in love with it. I even cheered at the end (and not because it was over). It’s been weeks since I’ve seen it, but I’ve thought of it everyday since. Which has only led to me finding even more meanings in it. I appreciate art that sticks with me.
Turning Red is amazing. It was a hit in my house. We got a kick out of seeing an animated Toronto, and the story is lovely. It’s packed with goodness that you need to see for yourself. Then watch it again, and again.
Oh. My. Goodness! Pachinko (Apple TV+) grabbed me quick and now I’m mad that I have to wait for more episodes to drop weekly. I haven’t read the novel it’s based on by Min Jin Lee, and I’m only three episodes in but I can’t wait to spend more time with this family.
I think I enjoyed the second season of Bridgerton (Netflix) even more than the first. It’s a decent distraction binge and I’ll gladly take more screen time and witty banter from Lady Danbury, Queen Charolette, and Kate Sharma, please.
When all else fails, a good baking show can save the day. Is it Cake? (Netflix) definitely did. But my fav The Great Australian Bake Off (yep, this one has knocked the British version into second place in my books) is back for a sixth season (check it out here). All seasons, except season one, have been great. (Season one had different judges who were mean and different hosts. So glad it got revamped in season two.)
PPS. I have more exciting news to share: You can now read A Fun Mess in the new Substack app for iPhone.
With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.