Doing the damn thing

Ways to make time: Morning Writing Club, Ungodly Hour Writing Club, Writing for Mothers on the Verge

This edition of TNN had many false starts — what can be said in response to the horrors of this past week and those ongoing? Two things, for today: (1) Make your art. (2) Here’s where I’m donating — please join if you can.

I have been reading a lot of poetry this week. Yesterday, on her Substack Poem Per Diem, Robin Myers shared the perfect Louise Glück. (Now when I see that someone has died I look to see whether they were older or younger than my grandma. When will that stop?)

And just begun: Marie-Helene Bertino’s new one, Beautyland, which will be out in January, as will my review, which I pitched mostly to give myself an excuse to indulge in her backlist.

We are in the final push with the pond novel and I am calling in extra support to get it over the finish line. In addition to Morning Writing Club every weekday, I signed up for Writing for Mothers on Verge with Amy Shearn, a generative class that meets for one hour a week (Amy’s pitch: “Instead of devouring your young... try this class first?”). And it doesn’t start just yet but I’ve also joined the Ungodly Hour Writing Club with my dear friend Sara Lippmann. Accountability at 5:30am? We’re all about it.

Doing the damn thing, she repeats to herself.