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Hello friends! These past few weeks have been chock full of milestones for me and I am doing my best to celebrate them instead of quietly filing them away and moving on to whatever is NEXT. 1. I finished the first draft of my memoir. (Working title: "A Kickass Book I Wrote" cause I wrote a book and yay, that's hard), I am making a deliberate point of sharing this news, being proud of it and celebrating the thing I set out to do. Write a first draft by June 1st.  My biggest fan awaiting my debut, also bacon. I know there is so much, MUCH more work to do and I am being intentional about celebrating and acknowledging the process. I think my creative happiness lay firmly grounded in finding joy in the process because product, well, let’s be honest, whoever knows how that is going to go? 2. 20 years of marriage to Cody! Another moment I am breathing in. When I was young, I did not think married life, and definitely not happily married life was for me. Big (and joyful surprise) it is!  On our honeymoon in Australia, hanging out with rescue kangaroos. 3. 3 years since I published my first ever essay in Ms. Magazine. I’m proud to be the tiniest part of Ms. And I feel it’s important to highlight what George Tyndall did and how USC turned a blind eye for years. It cost them over $1 billion but I know, without a doubt, he would still be abusing patients it if was not for the brave group of women who came forward. And here's a quick update on a few other things: 1. Some of you may know I'm involved with the Project for Advancing Health Stewardship at University of Minnesota. I've attended almost every (FREE) virtual forum over the past couple of years and I LOVE it. The community, the writing prompts, the time taken to consider the idea and potential steps forward in Healthcare Stewardship are powerful. You can sign up for the free forums, that start in June, RIGHT HERE. And the October forum will be guest facilitated by Me with a presentation by my good friend and brilliant thinker, Kim Rowe. Come check us out! 2. #90 of Where I’m From this Tuesday! I continue to be both impressed and grateful for each and every guest. Since my last newsletter I've heard poems and been in conversation with: #81 Jess Davies #82 Lisa Rayne #83 Elise McCall #84 Heidi Barr #85 Sara Blair #86 Maud Newton #87 Jo-Ann S. Finkelstein #88 Dan Brazier  3. Femme On, lots of great episodes! I love being in conversation with so many awesome people, including: Dr. Ingrid Clayton, Amy Bobeda, Ivana Shein and Kim Rowe.  4. What I’m Reading Wow, so many excellent books, that continue to expand my understanding of the world and myself. Thanks to my friend A.R. Farina for recommending, Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo There’s a reason I cry all of the time. And they wrote a book about it. (Special shout to A.R., who's YA Jane Austen retell Welcome to Mansfield comes out Monday, congrats!) And here’s one that I want to talk about with everyone I know, because so MANY reasons. If you’ve read it, let’s CHAT. Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer 5, What I’m Thinking About: SUCCESS  What goal are you trying to reach? Creatively? Personally? What is it? And what does it mean to you? I just recorded an episode of Femme On Creatives with the wonderfully talented and delightful, Claire Keane. We spoke about finding our creative voices and interwoven with that is defining what success means to us. Claire said, “It comes down to how do I want to live this one life that I have?”
And I want to collaborate, tell stories, hear stories, and be a part of something that reminds me (and others if possible) we’re not alone. In my one life, I know, we are in this together. Keep writing. Keep thinking. Keep believing in yourself. I do. Alyson *If you know someone who you think might be interested in my newsletter, please forward it, I'd love that!
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Happy April! I hope that the weather where you are is settling down. Here in Southern California we appear to be on the other side of the torrential rain (now called atmospheric rivers, apparently we had 12 this year) and now I am delighting in abundant wildflowers. I never tire of pointing out wildflowers and stopping and looking at them and I appreciate everyone in my life that humors my relentless enthusiasm.  April is National Poetry Month, JOY! And over the last 18 months, the power of poetry has roared back into my life first through George Ella Lyon's poem, "Where I'm From" and then through the associated prompts by Fred First and the ongoing IG live weekly series. Here are a few collages with childhood pictures from a sampling of the participants (I really never tire of seeing childhood photos).  Last week my 80th guest joined me! It's astonishing. And wonderful. Making time each week, sometimes twice a week, to listen to another's words has changed my writing and I think, my life. And this series and my rekindled love for poetry goes beyond "Where I'm From." I am revisiting poetry I loved in my teens and early twenties (mostly Sylvia Plath) and finding new poetry to love now  Some of my current faves are National Poet Laureate Ada Limón and Ross Gay, champion of joy and delight. You can find a list of every single one of the 80 participants and links to the IG lives HERE. All of the videos are also on YouTube, find them HERE.  My podcast, Fine Cut and the whole Femme On family is rolling along with new content being released twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A like, a listen, a follow and/or a review are powerful things for a little podcast like ours. You can find links to each of my Fine Cut episodes HERE.  There are awesome chats with Elise McCall, Jen Prince, Anjali Bhimani, Ria Carrogan and Ellen Birkett Morris. Along with a very special conversation with Academy Award nominated creator and writer of "My Year of Dicks" Pamela Ribon. For the first time this year I took part in March Fadness, an online music writing contest with brackets and competition inspired by NCAA March Madness. This year's theme was 1980's One Hit Wonders and I picked "Easy Lover' by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins. A song I never tire of hearing, a true BOP and a balm to my soul during a very difficult time. You can read my essay HERE. And here's a bonus super 80's pic of me and a friend, YAY!  What have you been reading and watching? We've watched The Last of Us and we talked about the Women of the Last of Us for Femme on TV, listen HERE. And we're rewatching The Office cause, as always, I love to laugh. I read so many wonderful books, recently these two really hit me: A Woman's Story by Annie Ernaux Like so many people I became interested in Ernaux after she won the Nobel Prize and this book is such a powerful meditation on grief and the death of Ernaux's mother. She examines and explores the question, "What makes a life?" Sam by Allegra Goodman Sam is a book about life and many things that all of us go through; going to school, falling in love, finding hobbies, fighting with our families and searching for ourselves. It is also a book about growing up with an addict in your family, something many of us can relate to. And I thought it was handled so deftly and with such care. I couldn't put it down.  I'll leave you with a picture of a future Monarch butterfly and some Instagram wisdom from writer and actor Will Reynolds that lifted me up:
"My definition of an artist? An artist processes their lived experience in public so that others may process their lived experience in private. Art is ALWAYS an act of service." So if you're feeling like your art or self-expression doesn't matter - IT DOES. Thanks for reading and being in my life, I appreciate you! Alyson Happy 2023! Actually, happy almost February! Feeling grateful for all the natural beauty I've witnessed these past months. Here are Cody and I enjoying a stunning American Thanksgiving in Vancouver. Lucky us!   I've had the great fortune of becoming friends with and guesting on many podcasts with the Comics in Motion Network, in particular with Femme on Film and Ria Carrogan. When she approached me and three other incredible women, Tonya Todd, Jess Davies and Ada McCartney about expanding Femme On into a larger podcasting collective I said "yes" before I really knew what we were creating, because I was that excited about creating something with these women. Femme On launched at the beginning of the year and it offers a little bit of everything. My show, Fine Cut, keeps it brief and meaningful with episodes around 20 minutes long. A guest and I closely read a scene of the guest's choosing from movies, TV, comic books, novels, any media really as a way to have a deeper conversion about a topic that's meaningful to them.  If you have a moment to listen, fantastic, it's available wherever you find your podcast and if you're so inclined subscribe, rate and review the podcast too. It really helps! 2. Essays There is No Escape at Voices of Addiction at The Rumpus When I first became aware of the Voices on Addiction column at The Rumpus I dreamed of being a part of it and now I am with a piece of writing of which I am extremely proud. How to Hold Love at Pithead Chapel I haven't written much about Cody and I did with this essay. I love the guy a lot. The Bible at The Keepthings Love being a part of this incredible Instagram account, the Keepthings with a story about my relationship with Cody's Grammie and one of the many keepthings she left behind.  3. Where I'm From
I'm recording #70 this week, exciting! I have so many incredible writers scheduled to join me in 2023. And the series continues to be such a source of joy and inspiration for me. Please join us sometime or watch the replays on Instagram or YouTube. 4. What I'm Watching and Reading Slow Horses on Apple+ I'm mildly obsessed, it's espionage annnd what happens to them when they go home. They're fallible and complicated and hilarious. One of the actors, Saskia Reeves, described it as "James Bond with farts." Which is not wrong but it's even more than that, highly recommend. Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay If you're feeling like joy is a waste of time (it's not!) read this book. Here is a quote I love, "What does joy incite? - I should say, I have a hunch, and it's why I think discussion of joy is so important. My hunch is that joy is an ember for or precursor to wild and unpredictable and transgressive and unboundaried solidarity. And that solidarity might incite further joy. And so on and on." Read the book for more. 5. Words of inspiration Last month, I was feeling down about my writing, one of those, "who cares, what's the point, etc." It happens and after sitting with it for some time I made a brave and new choice, I reached out to someone I like and deeply respect and she wrote back, "In times of Great Doubt these words of Nikky Finney really helped me. They still do. 'You must be taken with yourself to do anything well in this life. Anything...I'm talking about looking yourself in the mirror and understanding that you have come here to do something...To be taken with yourself is to say: I have come to do this. I am here to do this well.' That she took the time to write me back and show her support and solidarity means the world to me. And now these words live in me. I hope these words offer you some solace when you are struggling. Let's tell our stories, we can do this. Alyson Happy November to all! We have hit that time of year, where I just hold onto the pommel of my metaphorical saddle and hang on. Life is busy! It is a wonderful thing to be out seeing people, traveling and having fun, yes, and I need a nap. More than one nap. Here's what's happening here: 1. Where I'm From At the end of August I had the joy of interviewing and listening to the poetry of George Ella Lyon, the writer of the original "Where I'm From" poem and poet laureate of Kentucky. In all of my interactions with George Ella, she has impressed me with her generosity and brilliance, this conversation is no different. Give it a listen HERE, if you haven't already, if only to be reminded that poetry belongs to all of us.  The "Where I'm From" series is up to #58 and there are many, many more to come. Please reach out if you are interested in joining me, the invitation is always open.  Accomplished writer, editor and journalist, Andrea A. Firth reached out to interview me about the "Where I'm From'' series for the Brevity Blog. Big thanks to Andrea for reaching out and asking such wonderful questions. I enjoyed our conversation and the opportunity to reflect on what drew me to this exercise at the beginning and why I find it so compelling today. Read the interview HERE. 2. Essays Speaking of Brevity Blog, they also published a craft piece I wrote entitled, "The Sanctity of the First Read" inspired by my passionate feelings about holding our work close, guarding our words and our voices, until we are truly ready to share them. Read the full piece HERE And, after chatting a bit about sex scenes in movies on the podcast, Femme on Film: Hearts & Vaginas (can you really beat that title? The answer is no. Listen HERE) I wrote about them for the premiere issue of Alice Says Go F**k Yourself (another kickass title!), you can read about some of my favorite sex scenes HERE. 3. REBURN store is open! Issues #1 - #4 print and digital copies are available on our website. We think Reburn would an incredibly awesome holiday gift for the feminist you love or like or admire or just want to give a gift. In case you missed it, it's an all-female creative team. We're deeply proud of the book and grateful for all of your support - we couldn't have done it without you!  Speaking of, Reburn artist Elise McCall and I had the immense privilege of sitting down to chat with Mike Burton of Genuine Chit Chat to discuss our collaboration and all the many things we loved about creating and telling the story of the first arc of Reburn. Listen HERE. 4. What I'm Reading What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo Foo writes about her childhood trauma, which was horrific, but the vast majority of the book is about her healing process and finding hope. She writes about what she lived through so we can understand where she came from and how intimidating and overwhelming it can feel, at times, to face down trauma and work through it. And to understand the temptation to engage in palliative care versus curative care, it feels easier but in the end curative care is necessary if we really want to heal. I can't recommend this book highly enough for survivors of complex trauma. An always needed reminder that we're not alone. Acceptance: A Memoir by Emi Nietfeld This memoir follows Nietfeld and her journey from foster youth to a full ride at Harvard and how incredibly complex a journey like that is. It's also about the role of victimhood. And how Nietfield learns, and how each of us do too, that certain types of victimhood are more "acceptable" than others. Powerful. Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline BoulleyThe book is an engrossing, thought provoking and fun page turner that happens to be YA. In the afterword, the author, Angeline Boulley, writes about wanting to create an indigenous Nancy Drew. I did not make that connection while reading the book and yes, the main character Daunis is an incredible detective full of knowledge, tenacity and love. She is also way more complicated and fascinating to me than Nancy Drew, but it did make me smile to imagine girls picking up this book and devouring it the way I did Nancy Drew and "The Sign of the Twisted Candles." 5. One Last Thing As many of you know, Banned Books are some of my favorite books to read and Banned Books Week happened in September. Super supportive and coincidentally the hardest working person I know, Tonya Todd, hosted a Banned Books Podcast and asked me to join her! So grateful to take part in a wonderful conversation about one of my favorite books, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. If you read one book, read this one. See us chatting below and listen to our conversation HERE.  've had the extreme good fortune of collaborating with and being in conversation with so many joyously talented and amazing people. I cannot mention all of you here, but please know, I am filled with gratitude and wonder that this is my life and thank you for being a part of it.
I hope this coming season brings you abundant delights, connection to the ones you love and the natural world. Big Hugs, Alyson *For more info, follow me on Instagram @byalysonshelton Also, please forward this to your favorite poetry loving pal. We are legion. Happy Summer! I hope everyone is staying safe and cool (ish). I know that the world is full of challenges right now, and always, and I truly thank everyone who reads this newsletter, backed Reburn, watched a Where I'm From, said something kind to me or anyone else in their lives and/or continues to life with joy. That's revolutionary. Keep going. 1. REBURN Issues #3 + #4 - Digital and Print Copies are in the world!  They look amazing and you can still order.* Just reply to this email with what you'd like, you can see options HERE. *For example it's $20 total for print copies of issues #3+#4 or $10 for digital #1-#4. I can create a Square invoice for you and ship them out, let me know. The more, the merrier!  2. Where I'm From Poems WOW! We're still going strong with Where I'm From poems. Yesterday was #40 and I try to do one a week and I'm scheduled until the first week of January. It's thrilling! Also, we switched to childhood pics and I have to say, they make me smile every SINGLE week!  I wrote a piece of the Project for Advanced Health Stewardship blog about the how and the why of Where I'm From, you can read it HERE. If you're not on Instagram you can view all of the playbacks on my YouTube Channel. Link HERE. I also link and and list the poems on my website, HERE. If you're interested in participating, let me know. I'd LOVE it! 3. What I'm Reading Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley I loved this collection of essays. One of the most spot on, nuanced and validating essays I've ever read about trauma and how it effects our lives and memories. The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Megan O'Rourke An incredibly engaging and educational book about O'Rourke's life lived with chronic illness, right at the edge of medical knowledge and practice. I know so many people, mostly women, who exist in this daily struggle and it gave me renewed compassion and appreciation for their fortitude and perseverance. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan I've never been to Ireland, though I do hope to go someday. My paternal great grandparents emigrated to the United States, like many others did, more than a century ago. I believe we carry our ancestors with us. In the past couple of years, I've taken more time to connect with this idea and with where I come from, literally, and this book transported me to a time and place with those who came before me. 4. Getting out of Town We did it! We had to reschedule our trip twice, but the third time was indeed the charm. We went to San Francisco and it was non-stop fun. Truly. Our family of four walked 8-10 miles everyday, amongst redwoods, in the fog, at Land's End, on our way to the Cable Cars and laps around Westfield San Francisco Centre and Golden Gate Park. We were humbled by the city's beauty and the kindness of every person we interacted with. LOVED IT!  Well, wow, my last newsletter talked about my hopes for 2022, a break from the constant barrage of challenges, and that hasn't panned out. The challenges continue and my need and desire to collaborate, learn, get out in nature and create community are the things that keep me not only going, but functioning and looking forward to tomorrow (most days). What works for you? Email me and let me know. Here's what I've been up to the last couple of months: 1. REBURN Issues #3 and #4, which complete the first narrative arc, are finished! And they are awesome! We will be sharing both in our next Kickstarter that launches in a week, Thursday, March 24th. Follow the campaign with this PREVIEW link.  Following the campaign through the preview link, helps out the campaign and algorithms and the mysteries of Kickstarter. Plus it will let you know the moment our campaign launches (9AM PST Thursday, March 24th). Issue #3 dives deep into Skye's backstory and his life in The Citadel. There are reveals and twists, of course! And we get to meet Hope and learn more about how things work in The Unity. In Issues #3 and #4 the art by Elise McCall, colors by Hilary Jenkins and letters, by Joamette Gil are the best yet, for reals.  ALSO, we have a variant cover by Eisner award winner, Abigail Larson. EPIC. Issue #4 wraps up the arc and features that most incredible double page spread. I LOVE IT (and not just cause I wrote it). It might be my favorite thing yet, which is really saying something.  If you can't tell, we're very excited and hope you will take a moment to follow the campaign HERE and if you're able, back the campaign, at any level. Every backer counts! 2. Where I'm From  We're still doing weekly IG Lives of Where I'm From, next week is #22! It's been a real source of joy for me listening to each unique and powerful poem and getting to know people I've met through social media better and reconnecting with old friends. Please join me. REALLY. I believe each of us has a story to tell and I'd love to hear yours! DM or email me for the prompts. 3. Daily Delights I'm still doing those too! I've received 46 delights and when I receive the 50th one that lucky person will receive their own copy of Ross Gay's The Book of Delights (my inspiration for sharing a delight every day for 2022). BE #50 - DM me or email me your delight, please. Here's one of mine:  4. What I'm Watching  When I am feeling lost or full of despair I find brilliant minds who have been asking the big questions extremely helpful. Angela Davis is one of those people. At the end of The History you Weren't Taught in School: Black History, Black Freedom and Black Love (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) the director, asks Angela Davis "What next? What can we do?" And she says there isn't one answer, we each do what we can, what comes most naturally to us and then this quote, "Our goal is to recreate hope in generation after generation after generation." Hope is a revolutionary act. Believing that things can and will get better is a revolutionary act. Acting as if things will get better and that we are an essential part of that change is a revolutionary act. When she said these words, I cried, because sometimes hope feels futile or naive or stupid. And that's when they win. So let's keep hoping. Together. 5. Reaching Out Yesterday I had the particular joy of texting with a 6 year old.  If texting emojis and telling someone they are wonderful is a job, I think I would excel at it. As far as I know, it's not, but if YOU need someone to tell you how wonderful you are. Or that you should believe in yourself. Or that you should take a nap, I'm your person!
You are wonderful. You most definitely should believe in yourself (and believe yourself) and go take a nap, you earned it. Wishing everyone hope and joy, they can be hard to come by but they are what keep us going and more importantly, asking questions and demanding better. Big hugs, Alyson Instagram and Twitter: @byalysonshelton * I am one thousand times better at Instagram. Welcome to the close of 2021! It wasn't an easy year, but amidst the poop storm there were moments to treasure. Seeing family and friends, getting vaccinated and having the kids in physical school again, simple things that took on a whole new level of meaning. More than anything this year reminded me of how important it is to lean into joy. Here's some things that have brought me considerable joy and I'm proud of them too. 1. My Partnership with Cody  I don't talk about it that much because, yes, it's private, sure, but it's more that I feel this pressure not to be defined by my relationship. And yet, I love him, we've built a life together and our relationship has changed my damn life. 2. My family (pictured here climbing a mountain)  Being together 24/7 for months, not easy, but possible because they happen to be my favorite people. 3. Stories  I love listening to people’s stories (and reading them too). One of the blessings of 2021 was taking part in the Project for Advancing Health Stewardship through the University of Minnesota, led by Jeannine Ouelettte. In the workshop we each completed our own Where I’m From Poem inspired by George Ella Lyon. I enjoyed the process of creating my own poem, but even more I loved listening to the poems of the other participants. Taking that kernel and running with it, for the past few months I’ve been hosting a weekly IG Live (you can follow me on Instagram HERE) where a participant shares their Where I’m From poem and we’ll chat for about 15 minutes or so. I’ve done 9 so far and the 10th is on Monday @9AM/NOON EST with Elizabeth Heise. PLEASE join me! SHARE your poem! You do not need to consider yourself a writer to participate. I firmly believe each of us has a story to tell and that sharing it is powerful. Plus its frikkin’ awesome! If you’re interested in participating - email (or DM) me and let me know. I can send you the prompts. You can join me on IG Live or we can record on Zoom (and I’ll post to IG Live) or you can just write it and let it be. Up to you. 4. Reburn  Thank you for your support of the Kickstarters from Issues #1 and #2. We are incredibly proud of the work and we so look forward to sharing Issues #3 and #4 with you in 2022! I am deeply grateful to my business partner, Jessica Petelle for her determination, vision and friendship. 5. Essays One more in under the wire for 2021, The Boys in this month’s issue of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, the sibling issue. As anyone who knows me would attest, I have a few things to say about siblings and I love this essay.  6. Reading I read a lot. It's an escape. It's an education. I just finished reading The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, Seek You: A Journey through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke and Textbook Amy Krause Rosenthal by Amy Krause Rosenthal (AKR). It was a serendipitous trio of books to read together. The experience braided many of the things that have been on my mind of late and brought clarity to those very same thoughts. I can (and will!) do little things and, yes, all those little things may add up to something larger, which is cool, but not the point. All those small steps forward, the small gestures, connections or actions, they give my life meaning, every day. I can (and will!) pursue joy, even if what I'm doing makes sense to no one but me.  Delight is contagious, yes, and loneliness is contagious too. And the longing to connect is real, for all of us. AKR connected with her audience in a myriad of ways and I’d like to do every single social experiment AKR did (and I'm definitely doing some) from Textbook by AKR but I’ll begin here... I’m planning/hoping to write a daily delight, inspired by Ross Gay, every day in 2022. Strangely I’m not a huge New Year’s resolution person but I do LOVE a good habit, so I’ll give this a try. I’ll post it on social media, if it doesn’t feel too utterly vulnerable but I have a feeling that being publicly vulnerable in delight is a worthwhile endeavor. I’d LOVE ( LOVE, LOVE) it if you'd share a delight with me either through email or DM. Daily, Weekly, one time, whatever.  And the 50th DELIGHT I receive, I’ll send that person a copy of The Book of Delights. If it takes 50 days of the same delightful person, I will be thrilled to send them a book in February. If it's sooner (or later), that’s lovely too.
7. All of you Reading Raptke’s book I thought of the last time I was truly lonely. It's been awhile and I am grateful for all the relationships in my life that make me feel seen, appreciated and loved. Thank you for taking this journey with me. See you in 2022! Alyson P.S. And don't forget to send me your DELIGHTS!! And it would be especially delightful if you forwarded this email to a friend, thanks! Happy November! So thrilled to share my piece, Outrageously Perfect, ran in the print edition of The New York Times yesterday and the online edition of Tiny Love in The New York Times, last week. CLICK HERE.  Annnnd, it was Halloween! And we love to dress up!  I started out a reluctant crafter but I have to say there's something very satisfying about bringing your kid's LUSH Bath Bomb dreams to reality.  REBURN Digital Issue #2 and Process Packet are out in the world! If you haven't received yours, please let me know  I've had the particular joy of immersing myself in writers I love this past month or so. In all the cases below, I picked up one work of theirs and then another. And then listened to a podcast. And then read an interview. Basking in their brilliance, it's a great way to spend some hours.
Samantha Irby Megan Stielstra Lorrie Moore Wishing everyone a joyous Autumn! Alyson Hi All! #1 - Shameless Plug The end of the Kickstarter for REBURN Issue #2 is two days away (get your pledges in by midnight PST on Thursday) I am overjoyed with our success so far - thank you to everyone who has backed the campaign. We are incredibly proud of Issue #2, the story, the art, the covers and the campaign. If you haven't backed it, now is a great time to check it out HERE.  #2 - Stuff I love* I read a lot. I've been relieved to hear that a writer should also read voraciously. How convenient is it, that while I was feeding my soul, I was always doing something that was imperative for my career? Bonus! 1. Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome If you've ever felt broken beyond repair and you needed a book to help you feel less alone, this is a powerful one. Also, it's so personal and raw about the intersection of the author's life as a queer Black man and the construct of masculinity. And it's surprisingly funny. 2. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad It's profound and beautiful and engages deeply with a conversation most of us are avoiding, our own mortality. 3. Good Grief An extremely bingeable podcast about, well, grief. It's 6 part, 60 minute length was the perfect length for me to take a sunset walk alone and have a good cry. *I think I come off a bit melancholy in the above section. Oops, I'm actually smiling right now. See below. #3 - Course Correction, Funny Book I'm Excited to Read! Happy Pub Day to - Babies Don't Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) a humorous parenting book by the hilarious Julie Vick. I picked up my copy today at my local bookstore. Yes, my LOCAL INDIE BOOKSTORE. Can you tell I'm a smidge proud of myself? I am.  #4 -Stuff I'm on, i.e. Podcasts
I have been fortunate enough to chat about REBURN Issue #2 on a couple of podcasts. I enjoy the opportunity to discuss our creative process and collaboration. Plus, it's fun to talk comics. 1. Part-Time Fanboy, you can listen HERE. 2. Bearded Comic Bro, you can listen HERE. #5 - One Last Ask Many of you know I had a wonderful, charismatic and generous mentor in college, Delle Chatman. She died too young of ovarian cancer and left behind a daughter, Ramona. Ramona is now is her 20's and facing numerous health battles, many of which are related to her BRCA gene mutation. Her bills are piling up. Check out her GoFundMe HERE. Any amount is deeply appreciated. As always, thank you for reading this whole dang newsletter, it's wonderful to have you! If there's something you'd like to hear more about or you have questions for me, please reach out! I'm right here. Much love, Alyson Happy Summer to All! Hope everyone is finding moments of respite amid the mild (massive?) chaos of re-entry. I think I'm getting used to it...kinda...though I often feel like a nap is in order. I'm thrilled to share our Reburn Issue #2 Pre-launch page HERE. Kickstarter likes it when people follow a project through their pre-launch page, and so do we! It factors into their algorithm which we try to keep happy, so if you have a moment please click on the LINK  In other thrilling news, Reburn Issue #1 is showing up in comic stores. (In limited supply) Here I am at one of our local stores, Pulp Fiction Culver City.  Never fear, I will send a reminder next Wednesday, July 14th, when the Kickstarter launches. Because of your incredible support on the last campaign we were able to hit our goal in less than 24 hours. Backing early is important for algorithms, 100%, but also for our peace of mind. If you are considering backing, the earlier the better so we can continue building our fan base, reaching stretch goals and raising money for Issue #3.
And if you have a friend or two (or twelve!) that is looking for an all-female kickass creative project to back, that's us! I've read a bunch of fantastic books lately, my three faves were: 1. Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism and Treason by Gina Frangello To say this book is FIRE, is simple but true. The fire of self-discovery, love, self-loathing, sex, motherhood and the list goes on. I loved what this book is about AND it was masterfully written. 2. Sanctuary by Emily Rapp Black Black writes about resilience and grief in this book with such tenderness. The experience of reading it felt gentle and hopeful. I can't really summarize it. I'll just say, it spoke to me. 3. Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder For all the motherless daughters out there, this one is for you. Or honestly, for anyone who needs a frank and humorous conversation about grief and if we're being honest, who isn't? Bonus: Tyler is a a graduate of Northwestern University (like me!) and of their Creative Writing for the Media Program (like me!) and she's a lovely person (like me! [see what I did there?]). Also, watch HACKS. If you have HBO Max and you love funny, talented + complicated women. As always, thank you for your support. I love hearing from you and connecting via this newsletter, social media or IN REAL LIFE. This is actually happening now and I am deeply grateful for the science that made this possible. I'll state the obvious when I say it has been a challenging 18 months. For me, for everyone, for the world. I am deeply grateful to see and feel some hope. May we all stay safe and take everything we've learned during this unprecedented time out into the world to make it a more caring and equitable place. All the love, Alyson P.S. Please forward this to everyone you know. P.P.S. Attach a thoughtful note so it doesn't feel like spam. |
AuthorWriter, reader, lover and fighter. Read a far more detailed bio on my About Page. CategoriesArchives
May 2023
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