Anything Can Be A Landmark

Walks, events, intersections, prompts.

Hi friends,

I ran into a writer friend yesterday while I was on my morning walk. We cross paths on occasion because we always go out around the same time, although she walks more purposefully than I do, as I have a meandering little pup leading the way. She is streamlined and in motion and focused on her exercise, and I…have a dog sniffing the plants for the morning news.

Once we had a funny conversation about our favorite people we see every morning—the neighborhood eccentrics, I suppose—and I learned about a few quirky folks I hadn’t seen yet. It was a nice reminder of how these streets are for everyone, and also how I am probably (definitely) a neighborhood eccentric, too.

Anyway, she’s writing a (non-fiction) book right now, too, and when we met yesterday, we talked about how half of our brains are always working on our book all day long, even if we’re not working-working. I think we’re both at the stage where we’re just holding the whole thing in our head and moving parts around.

My book is definitely not good right now, so while it is occupying half of my brain, it is also probably occupying my entire soul. When will it be good? Will it be weeks, months? I hope not that long.

It is going slower than I’d like, but it takes as long as it takes.

It takes as long as it takes. The mantra of the writer, until the damn thing is done.

It’s been nice to have this year off to write and not have to do much promotion. Still, I like being pleasantly, moderately busy on the years when I don’t have a new book coming out. It keeps me on my toes and connected to what’s going on in the world. If left to my own devices I would just go for my little walks and read books and basically never leave my home. It’s good and healthy for me to go out in the world and see all of you. I love our intersections.

So if you’re in Chicago, I will be appearing on behalf of the annual Ragdale Fundraiser in one week. (The list of other authors also appearing at the event is very cool.) And if you live in Portland, OR and want to take a 1000 Words workshop with me this summer, here’s the link for tickets for my event on July 12. That same night, there will also be a free event discussing my fiction with the charismatic and whip-smart Genevieve Hudson.

I am also working on other events for the fall (definitely put October 20 on your calendar, Brooklyn friends) and maybe some East Coast cities, all in support of the paperback of A Reason to See You Again! And I’ve got a few coming up in New Orleans this fall, too. If you’re interested in bringing me to your city or organization, please reach out to my speaking agency.

And now, a gift link to my favorite essay I read this week, which felt like a world of writing prompts all in one place.

I loved this piece by my friend Dodai Stewart on reading her great-uncle Ollie’s guidebook to Paris, published in 1953. Ollie was the first Black reporter accredited as a war correspondent during World War II, and he later wrote a lot about Paris, where he moved after the war. Dodai covered the Olympics in Paris last year, and revisits his guidebook during that journey, intersecting with his past life along the way.

It is a charming, moving essay (I cried in one part), and triggered a lot of ideas for me, and I bet it will for you, too. It is clear that Dodai has been thinking about this subject for a long time. I love it when a piece of writing feels fully baked. She’s a great writer, and I would read a whole book on this subject from her.

I especially appreciated the part where she visits her great-uncle’s old address and takes pictures of it.

“Although the city was full of tourists, I was the only person standing in front of 7 Rue du Laos, staring and taking pictures. It’s a pretty building, but not one of the stunning, notable monuments tourists flock to Paris to see.

To me, it is a landmark. I could imagine Uncle Ollie coming home late, flush with wine and gossip, entering the doorway under a shower of chiseled blossoms floating in the stonework above his head.”

Anything can be a landmark, if you want it to be.

OK, have a good weekend. Next week I’ll post the FAQ and open the slack for #1000wordsofsummer. Get excited, everyone!

Jami

You are reading Craft Talk, the home of #1000wordsofsummer and also a weekly newsletter about writing from Jami Attenberg. I’m also on bluesky and instagram.