Sugary smell of springtime

Allergic reactions to pollen and morning pages

Last month’s update went out a week early and I feel like so much has happened since then! I mean, Beyonce and Taylor Swift both have new albums (and I’ve listened/read a questionable amount of commentary on both).

I think I’m highly susceptible to the change of seasons and leaning into how Mother Nature is guiding us. April has truly felt like a month in bloom. Sure, there’s the life affirming green hue as my hydrangeas emerge. There’s the satisfaction of crossing off spring cleaning tasks - but another driving force has been embarking on The Artist’s Way.

If you’re not familiar, The Artist’s Way is a 12-week course aimed at unlocking your capacity for creativity. For years, this has felt a hot iron I’ve nervously passed by. I would hear a quote from author Julie Cameron, or someone would reference morning pages (one of the central exercises), but it always seemed like too much - time, energy, and what did I need to unlock creativity for anyway? Spending more time writing this year and feeling the buzz of creativity motivated me to finally pick up the book. Each week has a theme, with reading and tasks nudging your inner artist along.

Four weeks in, it does at times, feel like too much. Too much time, too intimidating, too woo-woo, BUT I’m sticking with it because I’m slowly seeing little breakthroughs. Some exercises have been fun, like remembering my childhood bedroom, imagining other lives I could lead, and describing my ideal environment. Overall, I still really dislike doing the daily morning pages (three pages of free-writing) and one of this week’s tasks was reading deprivation, an actual nightmare for me. I’m interested to see how my feelings change when it’s time to share my next message. Until then, I’ll be wearing down pencils each morning (because I’ve already went through three pens).

Answers in the pages

This month’s reading has been a bit of a slump, there just hasn’t been anything that I’ve loved, but here’s a quick recap of what I read:

The Magician’s Assistant, Ann Patchett

This year I wanted to dedicate some time to work through Patchett’s catalog and this one earns the top spot for the month. She is such an incredible voice for authors and readers. If you don’t follow her bookshop Parnassus, please do and tune in to the weekly “If you haven’t read this book, it’s new to you” videos. (Sorry in advance for how much your TBR will grow.) This book was fun to get swept up in, the characters were complex and lovable and the world building was charming and jarring at once.

Yerba Buena, Nina Lacour

This month’s book club pick was just okay for me. The trauma at the start had me feeling like I was headed into A Little Life again, but then there’s a moment where the author was like — no maybe too much, here’s a house flipping storyline with descriptions of gorgeous interiors.

Expiration Dates, Rebecca Serle

The magical realism in Serle’s books is always fun to explore - but I had this ending called too early and I felt like there needed to be more character development.

Answers online

Trust me, this talk with Hanif Abdurraqib and Ross Gay discussing There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension will be a highlight of your week.

Answers in the music

I went to four concerts in April: The Last Dinner Party, Alvvays, The Postal Service/Death Cab for Cutie and… BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. Seeing the boss was a dream come true and so much fun. Listen, yes, it’s impressive Taylor performs and dances for three-plus hours… but so did Bruce at age 74.