June/July Recap
What’s New?
I have struggled so much to write this. To write at all. It feels so frivolous and out of touch to be writing stories right now. What is the point of my silly little newsletter when everything is so terrible? Even writing that feels indescribably insufficient.
In June, the Marines were deployed in Los Angeles to help ICE kidnap our neighbors, and were only withdrawn last week. Then, Congress voted to rescind funding for the CPB, which cuts funding for NPR and PBS. All the while, people are being starved to death in Gaza.
Even scraping out those few sentences took over two days. Every time I sit down to write, it just feels wrong. So I took a break from staring at my computer/phone and went to my favorite weekly event, Silver Lake Reading Club. SLRC has been such a grounding and delightful community. I am forever grateful that I stumbled on their poster last year.
The guest authors last night were Alix Dick and Antero Garcia, and it couldn’t have been more timely. They are the authors of The Cost of Being Undocumented, Alix’s memoir that came out within days of the ICE raids in Los Angeles.
Alix and Antero are co-authors of the Substack La Cuenta, which centers the voices and perspectives of individuals labeled undocumented in the US. They
wrote this book to tell Alix’s story despite the danger it put her in as a currently undocumented person.
It was such a special night, listening to them speak about their book and the work that went into writing it. Listening to my friends and neighbors ask questions about what we can do, how we can help, what support we can offer, and realizing that no one is alone. Alix also spoke about the power of stories, of how important it is to share and create in this time, even if it is scary. And the best thing you can do, no matter your means or skill, is to show your neighbors love.
I’m not trying to equate my fantasy stories with Alix’s real-life experiences that she writes about so beautifully in the book; I know that my stories are not the genre she meant when she said that stories need to be told right now.
But the whole night gave me hope. It lifted some of the weight that has been keeping me from writing. I cannot fix the world, but I can make it kinder, a little kinder. I can show my neighbor’s love and speak up for what is right.
The horrors will persist, but so will I.
What I Got Done:
Not much, honestly. Like I said, writing has been hard these last two months. But for every word I didn’t write, I read dozens in research.
I love research. Going down a rabbit hole is truly my favorite pastime, and I have been in a warren these last few weeks. It started with reading Dante’s Inferno, which I had never read before, because I was interested in depictions of Hell. From there, I bounced over to the Aeneid by Vergil, because obviously. That, of course, led to revisiting The Iliad and The Odyssey, but specifically the new translations by Emily Wilson, because if given the choice, I’m always going to choose the woman. Men have dominated Academia and literature for centuries; they can take a backseat for now.
Somewhere along this journey, I got a bee in my bonnet about Appalachian folklore, and have read a dozen or so self/indie-published collections of ghost stories from West Virginia and Tennessee. Which then morphed into hours on Wikipedia reading about various Cryptids and medieval bestiaries. If you want to study an ADHD brain, just look at the tabs that I still have open on my browser as I write this.
How much of this will make it into the book when I do finally start to write it? I have not a single clue. It will be a surprise for all of us.
What I’m Reading:
Current:
I’m currently in a bit of a reading hangover because I DEVOURED and LOVED The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
I read this book in like three days. I couldn’t put it down, I felt like I did when I was a teenager and would stay up until all hours to finish a book. I was very cool and had a lot of friends in High School, don’t worry.
This book was everything I wanted it to be. It moves quickly. Our heroine is capable and driven and charming in her own way. Our Knight is broody but kind and is a consent King. The stakes are high. The magic is interesting. And the sidekick is a top-three sidekick of all time.
I loved it, I need the sequel yesterday.
Other than my eclectic pile of research, I also finished Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab, which I also loved. I kept describing it as Sapphic Interview With The Vampire. It felt like a long, slow burn following the lives of three women as they move through their lives and power. It was dark and rich, and I savored every page.
What I’m Watching:
TV
Love Island USA wrapped up—AMAYA PAPAYA!—and there hasn’t been much to fill that gaping void. Don’t tell me to watch last season, I know I need to watch it, and maybe I will, maybe I won’t. I started The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it’s cute so far.
Was A-List Worth It? Yes
I swore to myself that I would make my A-List status worth it, and I finally did! I saw four movies in two months!
I was surprised how much I liked Thunderbolts*. I haven’t been on the Marvel train for a while now, but this has me excited about it again. 28 Years Later was good; I didn’t love the shot on iPhone of it all, but I had a good time. Jurassic World Rebirth was worth it only because I have A-List and for Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Dolores.
I have always been a Marvel over DC girly. Spiderman was my favorite when I was a kid. I liked the Nolan Batmen and the original Batman cartoon, but I have never been a Superman fan. When I tell you I loved Superman, I mean that I loved the new Superman. I bought everything it was selling me. I cried most of the movie because caring is punk rock.
Miscellany:
If you also think caring is punk rock and want to support our neighbors, check out this list of orgs helping immigrants, and donate what you can. It was put together by fellow SLRC member, Kim
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
I need book recs, I am in such a slump after The Knight and the Moth, everything I pick up just isn’t hitting. Please tell me what to read in the comments.