The Friday Dispatch: August 4, 2023
Guess how many books I bought this week? Plus, some announcements
Hellooooooo! Happy Friday! We made it!!! Somehow, this was the longest week of my life, and yet, every day took 2 minutes and I got nothing done. How! How is this possible.
Well, a couple contributing factors. I have been cleaning/packing every night after work because I’m moving! Not very far – still in Manhattan – but I have to pack up all my evening gowns and that’s really haaaaarrrrrrrddddddd. Anyway, that’s a casual announcement about my various life goings-on. And it leads me into THIS announcement, which is formal enough to get a subhed.
Announcement: Semi-Hiatus
The newsletter is going on semi-hiatus til my birthday (September 30) (Libra season, baby!). What does “semi” hiatus mean? Why is this happening? And most importantly, do you have to do anything?
As you may be aware, I am working on revising my novel. When I say “working on,” what I mean is “neglecting.” In the last ~3 months, I’ve turned around maybe a scant 2200 words on this thing, in part due to travel, in part due to events, in part due to putting out another book entirely. But largely, in part, due to other writing projects.
And that includes this newsletter, which I love dearly. This is my 138th Substack post since I launched this newsletter in November. Nothing to sneeze at! But I spend a lot of time generating new poetry prompts/working on blog or essay ideas/recording my thoughts on poems I’ve read or written/taking notes for the dispatch. Now, it’s time for me to prioritize my novel.
Publishing a book of poetry has really kicked my ass into gear. Because, as it turns out, when you write a book, and then publish the book, people can read the book. And then they send you their thoughts on the book – ideas and interpretations and questions – and it opens up new pathways into your writing that you didn’t know existed. I didn’t think I could like anything as much as I enjoy writing. As it turns out, I like when you read what I write, and I like when I get to talk about it.
So, I need to finish my novel, so I can publish it, so you can read it. To do that, I need to step away from the Substack for a bit. As I mentioned above, I’m also mid-move right now. Which is a happy thing! And also, AHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhHHHH. I HAVE TO HANG UP SO MANY EVENING GOWNS! My spare time needs to be dedicated to the book. I know that, if I concentrate, I can get this revision done by my birthday, and then I can start querying and trying to find an agent. But until then, I need to sit my butt down in my (fancy!) (new!!!!) chair and write.
So. Here is what this means for you.
All subscribers can expect the Friday Dispatch in their inboxes every week. I refuse to break that streak.
No poetry talk for a little while (unless you email me some poetry questions) (or call me with Poetry Thoughts).
Paid subscribers, expect the Friday dispatch to show up through the rest of the month while I take a little time off. Then, starting in September, you will get one “novel progress” update every week, either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. This will be entirely dependent on my writing schedule and how progress is going. Sometimes you might get thoughtful, behind-the-scenes notes from a character development exercise. Other times you may get a string of expletives and a bunch of crying emojis. But you’ll get updates.
I am going to pause billing on paid subscriptions. I will turn it back on when, at the end of September/beginning of October, I go back to the 4 posts/week format for paid subscribers. But until then, I am not taking your money. This is not what you signed up for!
You don’t have to do anything.
Okay, I think that about covers the housekeeping. Thank you for reading this! Thank you for supporting my writing. It feels weird to call you “my readers,” like I’m pretending to be the editor-in-chief of a ladies’ sewing magazine in the late 50s. But…my readers, I love you. Thanks for making me love writing in all-new ways. And, hey, if you get bored while I’m being an absentee blogger, go through this enormous archive and read all my old stuff. You can also go to my website, hattiehayes.com, to read some of my other writing.
My Book Is In Barcelona!
Speaking of other writing! My poetry book is officially a world traveler. Look, it’s in Spain! It’s not for sale there – my friend Cassie, who has been reading my poetry since the dawn of time, took Poems [for, about, because] My Friends on her trip to Europe.
Sometimes, you meet a girl in the hallway in middle school, and then you become friends, and then ten years later she is taking your book in her carry-on to multiple countries. Life, what a dream.
Danger AND Dance?! In THIS Economy?!
I managed to receive my “YOU HAVE EXCEEDED YOUR DAILY TIME LIMIT ON SOCIAL MEDIA” popup before 5:30 pm today. The reason? I have had this video playing on repeat all day every day since it came out:
When I first heard this song, I thought, “DJ Crazytimes is going to face a lot of pushback if he does not put out a full version of this really really soon.” And I called it. Yesterday, DJ Crazytimes (aka Kyle Gordon) scooted up the release date for Planet of the Bass (10-minute version) (Ms. Biljana Electronica’s version) by a full week.
It’s still not enough.
Thank God I Am Moving Within Blocks of a Library
Last Friday I did something stupid. I said, out loud, “I will not buy any more books until I am finished moving.”
So here’s a list of all the books1 I bought this week.
What is poetry? (Just kidding, I know you know): Interviews from The Poetry Project Newsletter (1983–2009), edited by Anselm Berrigan
New Life, Ana Božičević
The Book, Mary Ruefle
Information Desk: An Epic, by Robyn Schiff (big thanks to my friend Troy, who invited me to a poetry reading/lecture about bug poems forever ago, and introduced me to Schiff’s remarkable catalogue)
The Carrying, Ada Limón
The Hurting Kind, Ada Limón (thank you, Elizabeth, for inviting me to an Ada Limón study group!!!)
Affinities: On Art and Fascination, by Brian Dillon
Never Have I Ever, Isabel Yap
I'm No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts, by Kristin Chenoweth
Things I Consumed
Okay, so…I have been listening to a “Studio 54 disco bops” playlist recently. And it gave me the theme song to Never Ending Story. Which IS a bop! But I…have never seen this movie. Does it have disco in it?! Is it like Labyrinth, where it’s vaguely glam-rock and sexy? I thought it was just about an immortal puppet. What am I missing!
People on social media (who suck) are mad about a band called My Son The Hurricane. Look it up! They have labeled this band “cringe” and also think three trombones is too many2. I watched a bunch of MSTH videos this week, and I think the band is just proof of a principle I hold very close to my heart:
You cannot kill ska in a way that matters.Topo Chico has a mint-lime seltzer that is so good I considered buying a case.
The Warheads sour soda IS sour. It tastes exactly like the spit of someone who just ate Warheads. I wish I could have a soda machine in my house that spits out every flavor.
What I Didn’t Buy This Week
Considering where I am mentally, w/r/t upcoming move and design/decor choices, it’s a wonder this list isn’t longer!
I am desperate to own this snake disco ball or the artist’s mirrored Virgin Mary. They are both a zillion dollars. There IS a mini Mary on the artist’s website, which…is not as sparkly. And I need it sparkly.
I love this bizarre Ben Franklin shower curtain, which is $70 of pure hygenic drama.
I KNOW I don’t care for Jo Malone’s “nectarine blossom and honey” fragrance, but the name makes me want this knockoff called “The Beekeeper Perfume.”
Despite my totally out-of-character book-buying spree, I managed to hold back from pre-ordering Do It (or Don’t): A Boundary-Creating Journal. I like Kara Cutruzzula’s Substack and would like to try her guided notebooks…but I will wait! Patience is a virtue!
I was going to buy this console with a secret cat litter box compartment because it is nice-looking and practical. Then, I saw it doesn’t ship for 8-9 weeks. Patience is a virtue! A virtue that I DON’T HAVE!!!
I don’t NEED a yellow poolside rocking bench. But I want it. I don’t have a pool. But what if this were just, like, a seating option in my home. What then.
A lady on the train had a cool backpack, so I said, “Hey, what brand of backpack is that?” She kind of murmured back that it was “just like a TJ Maxx brand,” but as she was deflecting, I got close enough to inspect the logo; I couldn’t make out the words exactly, but multiple attempted entries into Google eventually resulted in, “Did you mean Los Robles leather backpack?” Yes I did. And now I’m going to keep my sweet little eyes peeled. Because guess what, train lady? You’re not the only one who goes to TJ Maxx.
Okay, gang. Wish me luck and we’ll touch base again next Friday. I appreciate y’all being patient and understanding while I go on summer break! I’ll miss you, but don’t worry. As Ms. Biljana Electronica would say, there is nothing to be sad. And if you have any questions/comments/ideas/concerns or recommendations, by all means, send me an email. Please have a great weekend and I’ll write soon.
CAVEAT!!!! Four of them were secondhand, two were a BOGO deal, and the rest, I bought with gift cards/store credit, so I didn’t actually spend very much. Still. How?!
As my dad said, “76 is pushing it, but other than that…”