Hey! Happy Friday! It’s finally summer, I have a new Kiki’s Delivery Service T-shirt, and I am engaging in some dedicated cleaning/writing this weekend before my madcap mayhem months-long stretch of busy beaverness kicks off.
Let’s do it.
Monday Is My Day Off
Wow, did you guys know that some jobs give you…paid holidays? I’ve been a full-time freelancer for the last couple years so I kinda forgot! But now I get summer Fridays (which end early) AND paid time off, plus holidays. So! I’m gonna treat Monday like a day off.
Instead of a regular newsletter with poetry prompts, you’ll get a shorter email from me. But don’t worry! It’ll still be helpful1 and writing-centric. I’m going to link to some online class resources, including long-term classes and one-day workshops, because I get a lot of questions about those. Keep an eye out for that.
If You Miss Yellowjackets Already, Read These Books
The season finale of Yellowjackets just aired. It is a long weekend for many people. That means, if you haven’t watched it yet, you can sign up for a seven-day free trial of Showtime2 (OR get a trial of Showtime through Amazon!), binge the whole series for free, and cancel your trial next Thursday night.
Or, if you’ve finished Yellowjackets and are tempted to pick fights with other Reddit/Twitter users about the finale, you could read one of these books to distract yourself! They’re all about creepy girls doing freaky stuff in unsettling situations.
Oligarchy, by Scarlett Thomas – I think about this book pretty often, because the world of the story was so haunting, and the characters are exactly who I imagine celebrities’ kids to be. Scooby-Doo plus Princess Diaries plus Black Swan. 240 pages.
Sweet Days of Discipline, by Fleur Jaeggy – Buy or borrow this as an ebook and finish it tomorrow afternoon. Only 112 pages! It’s a story of obsessive friendship and an unforgiving adolescence which will make you feel weirdly lonely. Read it, and then text somebody you haven’t hung out with since sixth grade.
Such Small Hands, by Andrés Barba – Buy or borrow this as an ebook and finish it at 2am. Listen to me: 108 pages!!! Sad creepy orphan shit! That’s all I’m gonna say!
Bunny, by Mona Awad – Goth take on Legally Blonde. Sorority take on Witches of Eastwick. If Heathers and THE VVITCH had a baby, and that baby went to grad school, it would be this book. A woman in her MFA program gets roped into a sort of, er, spiritual multilevel marketing scheme, and earns her place by proving to be very good at crafts. 336 pages.
The Book of X, by Sarah Rose Etter – I can’t wait for Etter’s new book, which is coming out in July. This one, published by Two Dollar Radio3, is what I wish the A24 film Pearl was. Just a simple girl, living and loving near a meat quarry (!!!)…a weirdly beautiful and moving story that is also BLEAK AS HELL. One of the most depressing endings that I would happily read again. 284 pages.
Other Things to Consume
I put on Hayley Kiyoko’s album “PANORAMA” this week and then just listened to the “suggested songs” radio every day, and…I gotta say…some incredible discoveries there! The album itself is great, and I really like Kiyoko’s collaboration with FLETCHER, called “Cherry.”
My background noise lately has been the “classic movies” channel on Pluto.TV, or one of the show-specific channels. It was a lot of Bewitched, for a while there.
I have a couple more poetry books to crack into this weekend…so stay tuned.
What I Did Not Buy This Week
This black eyeshadow primer is supposed to be magic…but…I am also convinced I could recreate it at home by putting black cream eyeliner in a 1:1 mix with primer? Will try and report back.
Soon, I will be out of the Nip & Fab Dragon’s Blood Hydrating Serum, which I love. I came soooo close to ordering their Hyaluronic Fix Extreme serum, but I’m scared to switch from what I know. Should I try something new? Or should I just stick with what works? Hmm!
I scored a bunch of free soap samples from Lush. I didn’t do anything special; I just visited the Columbus Circle location and complimented the manager, Wendy. New Yorkers: go visit this location (it’s in the Turnstyle underground market) and be super nice to Wendy. They’ll set you up with a bunch of freebies. Oh, if it helps, Wendy is a cute dog who just…hangs out there. But seriously, this is the best Lush location. Everyone is nice and they’re eager to give you free stuff. The one I’ve been using this week is 13 Soap Unlucky For Dirt and it does a remarkable job of deodorizing my stinky summer armpits.
I did not spend $20 on a rainbow bubble Trapper Keeper but I sort of want to:
A terrifying YouTube ad has convinced me I need to buy a SafeHammer gun-working glass breaker for every driver I know and love. Apparently, it can break through the safety-treated windows on modern vehicles; apparently, normal safety hammers cannot. This fearmongering has me plotting…but I will wait a few paychecks (and read a lot more reviews) before bulk-buying.
Thank you for reading! That’s it for me this week. I’m off to Book Culture for their massive NYRB sale. No one can stop me from buying 10 copies of Stoner to give out at random. Love you. Stay safe this weekend, and also, forever.
I hope!!!
I use Privacy.com to create temporary credit cards and then I never get charged for the full subscription if I forget to cancel.
Maybe my number-one “just go to the website and pick SOMETHING” publisher. White Dialogues is also VERY GOOD.