Waiting on my Tortured Poets Dept. membership card
The era I should have seen coming, a recap of the five books I read, cooking with summer produce, and a theme for August
I feel like it should be no surprise that after completing The Artist’s Way (a 12-week course in discovering and recovering your creative self) I went right into my Mary Oliver era. Sure, I’ve dabbled before, and everyone loves the one wild and precious life sentiment of The Summer Day but I found Invitation years ago and it’s stuck with me more, especially:
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
Much of Oliver’s work is around appreciating nature, a sentiment I wanted to tap into more this month. In seeing what was available at my local library, I picked up Upstream.
Key to The Artist’s Way is accepting that it’s natural to create, that the universe is here to support you. Accepting this and synchronicity, or “useful bits of help everywhere in your life” start to appear. Yes, I know how woo-woo this is, but friends I have a list of synchronous moments I’ve experienced and it’s all part of the artist life, embracing the whimsy of it all.
Starting Upstream, I flipped to a page, and the synchronicity of that essay timed with finishing the course was enough to make me a believer (if I wasn’t already).
The essay, Of Power and Time reflects on the creative process, balancing different worlds, and living the life of an artist. Oliver shares:
“And no artists could go about this work, or would want to, with less than extraordinary energy and concentration. The extraordinary is what art is about.”
“Of this there can be no question—creative work requires a loyalty of water to the force of gravity.”
“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”
Okay universe, okay Mary Oliver, I understand the assignment. I continued reading Upstream and then moved to Why I Wake Early. As I dove deeper into Oliver’s poetry, I found myself drawn to other poets as well. The poem below circulated in my Instagram feed. I understand why, many women can relate to pasta dinners like this one—the comfort of friends who haven’t seen other in awhile coming together like no time has passed at all.
The poem, Mary Oliver, the universe, and the comfort friends in my life have given me lately inspired me to write my own poem, the first non-assigned in my life. Here you go:
Do I know what I’m doing? No! Is it bad? Probably? Do I care? No! It was fun. So fun, I find myself continuing to read more poetry, trying my own takes, like this prompt from
. It’s nice to use my brain in a different way.As we head into August, I’m looking forward to slowing down. July was wild, truly the busiest I’ve been since 2019. Most of it lovely, and I’m so grateful I was able to connect and celebrate many things with many of my favorite people, but life has been at a pace I’m not used to and this introvert is ready to slow down. I have more poems to write and pasta to eat with friends. Wishing you the same.
On to the recaps…
Answers in the pages
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro
“A scene so ordinary and amazing, come about as if by magic. Everybody happy.”
I read this short story collection on recommendation from
as a great place to start having never read Munro. The stories are deeply human filled with quiet, observant details of the harsh realities of everyday life: falling in and out of love, complicated family dynamics, both the cruelties of strangers and also the unexpected connection with strangers. Chances the women in the stories will remind you of someone in your life. As I was reading, The NYT list dropped and this was one of two Munro books on the list. While I enjoyed the short stories and writing, this wouldn’t make my personal list.Eat a Peach, David Chang
“We humans are more alike in our tastes than we think. Even with completely different tools and ingredients, we’re bound to arrive at the same conclusions.”
This was a lunchtime audio book and a perfect companion while watching The Bear. Between the two, I felt fully immersed in the culinary world with both referencing Michelin stars, The French Laundry, Cafe Boulud and more. I appreciated Chang’s self-awareness and learning more about his journey, but had it not been for the side-by-side accompaniment of The Bear I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much.
Upstream, Mary Oliver
“You must not ever stop being whimsical.
And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”
In addition to essays around the life of an artist and the nature around her, Oliver also reflects on the work of Emerson, Poe, Whitman, and Woodsworth. It was the return to English class I didn’t know I needed.
I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself, Glynnis MacNicol
"Not having to ask for anyone's permission, leaving on a whim, walking a high tight-rope, is exhausting and scary, but once you're hooked on having control over your life, it's a hard drug to kick."
I adore Glynnis MacNicol’s writing, after reading No One Tells You This I’m always eager to read any essays she publishes as an admired voice for the single woman experience. This books transports you to that bizarre time just after vaccines when we were just tipping our toes back into society. MacNicol embarks on a journey in Paris of saying yes to a wide range of enjoyment. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to hop on a plane and abandon responsibilities for awhile. Bonus! A perfect read to keep the Paris vibes going after the Olympics.
Red String Theory, Lauren Kung Jessen
“Chinese restaurants are like the North Star. They’re always there when we need them. Constant and dependable. They guide us when we’re lost, hungry, or just need to get our bearings.”
I picked this was one up after hearing the author on a panel at Columbus Bookfest. I adored the settings — New York City (with strong You Got Mail vibes) and Los Angeles, both coasts complete with dreamy food descriptions that will leave you hungry (especially for ice cream). The story unfolds between a NASA engineer an artist chosen for the NASA artist-in-residence program, a real-life initiative that was so interesting to learn about while immersed in this opposites attract romance. The story questions the idea of fate and soulmates, and you even get the always favorite one bed troupe.
Answers in the kitchen
My oven is still broken! Adulting is hard! And yes, I just told you about keeping the whimsy abound but I don’t think faulty major appliances falls within that category. You know I like a theme so I’m assigning myself “Adulting August.” The oven will be repaired, amongst a list of other boring, but essential tasks. What’s something you’ve been putting off? Join me and we’ll celebrate crossing things off! (Then write poems about it.)
In the meantime, thank goodness for summer produce that needs minimal effort to shine, here are a few things I made:
Homemade tzatziki sauce for gyros
Tomato toast with this mayo
Another lunch salad: Elote quinoa salad
For my Olympic party I made slow-cooker ratatouille and tapenade. (There’s still time to get festive for the closing ceremony!)
Combined this grilled chicken with this zucchini.
Not in my kitchen, but I went to Asheville and I’m still thinking about my birthday dinner here, wishing for more arepas in my life, and forever in love with a breakfast served on multiple plates.
Answers elsewhere
New band discovery: Queen of Jeans, their new album has been on repeat — Sterogum named it an album of the week when released.
Mentioned above,
’s newsletter is so lovely. It found me when I needed it this month, especially enjoyed her sends on foreshadowing and intuition and reckless abandon.Oh, and the Olympics obviously.
A+ on your first poem. I love it. And please don’t adult too hard in August.
Gosh, I have been thinking a lot on The Artist Way lately, I did it back in 2020 and it really sparked something in me that is still very much going. I love that poem, and I am so writing it down to carry with me 💛