Hello friends!

I hope that you are keeping safe this fall. It's been a doozy and I hope that it's going to let up soon. If I’m being honest, I feel a bit silly sharing what I've been up to when there's so much of great consequence going on in the world but I want to hear what you're up to and so, I'm sharing what's happening with me.

Last week, out walking, I saw a pair of owls. I rarely, more like never see them in LA, and then, there they were, hooting, it was magical.

When I reflect on what to write about in my newsletter, I think a lot about all the wonderful people I’ve been in conversation with or whose work I’ve had the pleasure of reading and watching. There are moments when I let it sink in the amount of talented and generous people I have in my life. There are moments, honestly, that I wish I could go back to my younger selves (and in therapy I do) and tell them,

“You are not alone. And someday you will know it in your bones.”

Most days, I know it. Thank you for being a part of that knowledge.

1. New Writing from Me!

I’m busy working on my memoir and co-editing (with Lynn Shattuck) Loss of a Lifetime: Advice from Grieving Siblings on Love, Loss and Hope so it’s a special treat to have some writing to share with you.
​
Mercy at Parley Lit

This is a first for me. An animated essay! I want to thank Asha Dore for her supportive edits and gorgeous animation. It was a joy working with Asha and Parley Lit on this essay, Mercy. It's a vulnerable and personal one and I'm grateful for their encouragement and support.

​Match Point at 5 Minute Lit

I love flash pieces and I'm happy to share this one about 5 minutes of my life.
​
If you’re looking for places to submit, I would highly recommend both.


2. To Hold The Night Screenings in Los Angeles, Dallas and London, Ontario
Look at us (me, Jessica Petelle and Jen Prince) holding the awards for To Hold The Night’s three wins at Simi Film Fest!

To Hold The Night was nominated in nine (!!!) categories and brought home three trophies:
Best Editing - Maxyme Tremblay
Best Costumes - Nola Chaters
Best Hair and Makeup - Dylan Twigg & Jaye Falcioni

I’m forever struck by the level of craft and artistry that everyone brought to To Hold The Night, it was such a thrill seeing them recognized at this level.

After fantastic screenings at Simi Film Fest and Toronto Shorts International Film Festival we are excited to screen at three more festivals this month:

Topanga Film Festival: Screening this Saturday, October 19th at 3pm
I will be there and I would love it if you come by and say hi!
​
TICKETS HERE

#154 Colleen Golafshan
#155 Andréa Ferrell Gannon
#156 Katie Ware
#157 Charlotte Wilkins
#158 Jacque Gorelick
#159 Shoshana Koch
#160 Diane Zinna
#161 Claire Polders

I love every single poem that I’ve heard over the past three years and this batch is no exception. It brings shape to my life every week and these poems and conversations are incredible.

I issue this open invite every newsletter and I mean it, please reach out if you’re interested in joining me. I would love it!

​4. Comics Lit

t’s out in the world! And I love all of the essays in the collection. If you love comics, this book is for you. Thank you to A.R. Farina and Tonya Todd for their invitation to join this collection and for all of their hard work and thoughtful edits along the way.

ORDER HERE

5. What I've Been Watching and Reading

Sexism and Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World by Jo-Ann Finkelstein, PhD

This is a great book. It combines research, Finkelstein’s own experiences and stories from her psychology practice. Plus razor sharp insights like this one:

“For as long as I can remember, I was told girls can anything boys can be. I’ve never heard, however, the phrase, ‘boys can be anything girls can be.’”

Everywhere I Look: a Memoir by Ona Gritz

What a gorgeous book about sibling loss and family secrets. It also happens to be our selection for Sibling Loss Book Club on Monday, October 21st at 4pm PDT/7pm EDT. There is still time for RSVP. Please join us for a conversation with Ona, even if you haven’t read the book, I guarantee it’s going to be incredible.
​
If you’re still with me, thanks for taking the time. I hope you’re well and I’d love to hear what you’re reading or watching or if you’ve seen any owls lately. Whatever speaks to you, let me know.

May we all find a moment(s) of joy and moment(s) of peace amidst the din.
XO. Alyson

Hello All!

I hope you are having a lovely summer. Mine has been mixed, I've been sidelined with a pinched nerve for most of it but I am beginning to feel better after a rough six weeks (WOO HOO!!!) and I'm also grateful for all of the wonderful news I get to share with you.

1. To Hold The Night Premiere 
​
To Hold The Night will be premiering at the  TORONTO SHORTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - Toronto Shorts is the largest short film festival in Canada.  This festival is August 22nd - 25th at Innis Town Hall Theatre at the University of Toronto.  If you're in Toronto, please check it out! ​

4. Sibling Loss Book Club and Newsletter
​
Our next Sibling Loss Book Club is rapidly approaching. It's this coming Monday, August 19th at 4pm PDT/7pm EDT on Zoom. We are reading Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner's Guide to Grief by Annie Sklaver Orenstein. Annie will be joining us in conversation and I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone grieving a sibling, no matter where you are on your grief journey.
SIGN UP for Sibling Loss Book Club HERE

I recorded an episode of Femme on Creatives with Annie. We had such an incredible conversation and I know the book club is going to be a special one. 
​
I also attended her book signing in LA (pre pinched nerve) and had the privilege of meeting her in real life!

Also, our Sibling Loss Newsletter went out this week. In it, I write about how my brother Michael died 40 years ago this month, and my associated shame with not handling it "right." 
You can subscribe to the Loss of a Lifetime newsletter HERE.
​
5. Where I'm From Hits #150!

One thing I managed to do, even in the throes of pain (I couldn't do much typing, sitting, driving or sleeping) but I could host Where I'm From! And I did. 

A series of incredible guests joined me.

#141 Jackie Tempera
#142 Jennie Burke
#143 Micah Klassen
#144 Hannah Sward
#145 Kristine Kopperud
#146 Olga Katsovskiy
#147 Molly Fowkes
#148 Ona Gritz
#149 Freda Love Smith
#150 Rebecca Morrison
#151 Kim Kelly Stamp
#152 Judy Lipson
#153 Colette Freedman

As always, please let me know if you're interested in joining me, the more the merrier.

6. What I've Been Watching

The OLYMPICS. I’m not going to wax philosophical because this is already the most I’ve typed in seven weeks, instead I’m going to say they were inspiring, awesome and just what I needed in my life. I loved them and I am very excited to watch the Paralympics starting August 28th.
Oh and LA28. I can’t wait!!! (I know the traffic is going to be bad, no duh, but I’m still excited).

​7. My husband, Cody, won an Emmy
​
At the Daytime Emmys for Hack My Home on Netflix. He’s always amazing but the way he cared for me this summer, when I was really vulnerable and hurting, meant more than I’m going to be able to communicate in this newsletter.

He’s my rock star, I love him and now he’s an Emmy Winner.

Love to all of you. Alyson

Hello All! 

And welcome to my newsletter, now on Substack. This is still a free newsletter. Sadly, the old home for my newsletter, Tiny Letter, closed and I needed to find a new spot. This is where I landed.

Sibling Loss Website and Book Club

As many of you know, my brother Michael died when I was 10 years old. It was devastating and yet, we kept living, and didn't talk that much about him, other than in passing. Over the years, my stomach would tie in knots every time someone asked me,

"How many siblings do you have?"

The present tense would throw me. 

"Well, I have three."

But that felt like a lie. I grew up with four. I feel like my four brothers provided much of the foundation (faulty or not) for my young life. But I didn't know how to talk about it and so I didn't. During the pandemic I was introduced to Lynn Shattuck's writing on sibling loss, she gave words to so many things I'd felt and thought. Her writing was a gift to me and helped me grieve, all these years later. And then we became friends. What a joyous surprise. 

Eventually, we began talking about expanding ideas Lynn has been working on for years. Along with Molly Fowkes, we are building a sibling loss community with a gorgeous website, designed and built by Molly (that will continue to grow and evolve). I'm so proud of all of our work. We have our first sibling loss book club next week, Monday, May 13th with author Anne Pinkerton and her book, Were You Close?(Another question I would get asked that would tie my stomach in knots). And we have many more book clubs planned.

Lynn and I are also co-editing an anthology on Sibling Loss, entitled, The Loss of a Lifetime: Advice from Grieving Siblings on Loss, Love and Hope. And as we edit the anthology, we are incredibly moved by all the writing of our peers.

Comics Lit, Vol. 1

Speaking of essay collections, I'm thrilled to share that Comics Lit, Vol. 1 will be published October 2nd. I contributed an essay on Black Widow and I loved the opportunity to think and write about all that she means to me.
Here's the fantastic cover!

Here are our pre-order links! You can purchase directly from the publisher for a 15% discount, or at full price at the usual A & B options. Here's a snippet of the blurb: "This essay collection illustrates that modern pop culture characters are direct descendants of classic works of literature."

Where I'm From 
A weekly dose of joy for me. So grateful for everyone who participates! Please let me know if you are interested in joining me. The more the merrier!

#127 Nicole Graev Lipson
#128 joj
#129 Joanna Rakoff
#130 Jocelyn Jane Cox
#131 Debbie Weiss
#132 Mimi Zieman
#133 Megan Hutchings
#134 Jenny Bartoy
#135 Annie Finch
#136 Diane Gottlieb
#137 Anna Abraham Gasaway
#138 Melinda Gordon Blum
#139 Nikki Andrew
#140 Alana Omolayole

Femme On
So many fun conversations with incredible people, and what a treat to sit down with George Ella Lyon for a chat for National Poetry Month. George Ella is a funny, honest and engaging person when talking about anything and her wisdom about creativity is a balm. Love any excuse to talk with her.

Most recent Fine Cut episodes:
Megan Hutchings - The family scene from the 2006 film, Candy.
Jessica Waite - The reunion scene in the 2015 film Room.
Michelle Yang - The restaurant scene in the 2024 TV show, Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

What I'm Watching
Challengers I just saw this movie last night. And for anyone who knows me, Call Me By Your Name (also directed by Luca Guadagnino) is one of my faves. It's sexy as hell, gorgeous to watch and emotionally resonant. I would say the same for Challengers. Plus, I grew up watching and playing tennis and felt like they nailed so much of the dynamics, physicality and language of the sport.

What I'm Reading
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa  A compelling book about obsession and how it shapes our lives. Doireann is an Irish poet who finds herself wrapped up in her young family and in her stolen moments, the life and work of 18th century Irish poet, Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaíl. It is an exploration of female texts and their often invisible nature, at least in the eyes of history.
The Future by Naomi Alderman A fictional book (from the author of The Power) about a potential near future that starts out, a bit dark, but I think it finds its way through the challenges to a place I would call hopeful. And the research is incredibly impressive.
Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story by Julia Wertz A graphic memoir about the ups and downs of recovery. I loved the graphic nature of this book, it took a potentially heavy story and infused it with levity.


Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter and supporting my work with your time and energy. It means a lot!


Much love, Alyson

​Happy 2024 to all! 
Starting out with a bit of housekeeping, Tiny Letter, which hosts my newsletter, is closing at the end of the month. So I will be switching to another provider. Don't be alarmed, it's still me! Thank you to everyone who subscribes. I really appreciate your support and I hope to see some of you in real life as our film To Hold The Night hits the festival circuit later this year.

​WOW! Gorgeous Poster by Elise McCall
 To Hold The Night is complete!
The picture is locked, the sound is mixed, the digital copy is in our inboxes. We made a film! I am so proud of our whole team, and extra especially Jessica Petelle, director/producer/visionary who said, back in August,
 
“Let’s make this film.”
 
And so we did. Cast, crew, locations and magic all came together in a way I’ve never experienced before.
And all along she would say, “I think we’ll finish by the end of January” (while also sharing all the deadlines along the way) “and we’ll be ready to submit it to festivals.”
 
And we are!
 
This film is a dream come true for me. I wouldn’t change one thing about it. Truly. And while I’m so ready to share it with people, I wasn’t itching to be finished, I enjoyed the process that much. Like I said, magic!
 
For those of you who’ve been kind enough ask how you can see To Hold the Night, it’s a process. We will be submitting to festivals and hosting screenings, we’ll let you know if it’s coming to a city near you. (I hope to see you there!)

I’m so excited at the prospect of sharing it with you. The cast and crew all did superlative work. It’s a gem of a film.
​
Above is a still from the first scene, featuring the exceptional Anwen O’Driscoll as Nadine, the wonderful Kelsey Falconer as Sharon, all of our background actors and a VERY IMPRESSIVE bonfire and Lake Huron shimmering in the background.
 
More to come, stay tuned!

What I'm Reading 
This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America by Navied Mahdavian
A gorgeous graphic memoir about Mahdavian's time in rural Idaho; what brings he and his wife there and why they ultimately decide to leave.

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang
Wang writes powerfully and vulnerably about her journey with schizoaffective disorder It's a great primer if you know nothing about the disorder and it goes far deeper, communicating in specific and rich detail, how it is to be in the world, grappling with mental illness.

Congratulations, the Best is Over! and Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays by R. Eric Thomas
Funny, thoughtful, readable books that you won't want to put down.

Hello All!
 
I hope that you are finding ways to care for yourself and your loved ones right now, when the world feels incredibly vulnerable and the grief is palpable. 
 
To Hold the Night (formerly The Night We Met)

Since my last update, in early August, we made a short film, ​

*Photo by Peter Mabrucco

I wasn't sure, going into it, how it would feel being on set again. (it's been AWHILE) And yet, I knew I wanted to be there and that I used to love it. I also knew that if Jessica Petelle and Jen Prince and me, were producing a film I wrote and Jessica was directing, there was no place I would rather be.

It's essential to show up when dreams are actually coming true.
 
I loved it. All over again. And to be clear, it wasn't just any set, it was our set. Led by five female producers (Jessica, Jen, Alana Omolayole, Nikki Andrew and me along with a incredibly supportive and enthusiastic male producer, Brad Turner) and a lead actress, Anwen O'Driscoll, that blew us all away. And we were in a community (Bayfield, Ontario) full of wildly supportive and caring people. And yes, the weather, was incredible.

*Photo by Dianne Brandon

It was magic. I look forward to sharing updates with you as we move through post-production and into festivals. 
 
PAHS (Project for Advancing Healthcare Stewardship)
 
Right after returning from Canada, I guest facilitated a forum for PAHS through The University of Minnesota. One of the joys of facilitating was choosing a leader to share for ten minutes to kick off the meeting. I didn't hesitate before reaching out to Kim Rowe. Her presentation on living with chronic illness affected all of us. And the close reading of Ada Limón's "Instructions on Not Giving Up" and subsequent writing prompt felt like a supportive and generative space to inhabit as the horrific violence in the Middle East continued to intensify. 

*Photo by Marisa Vitale

  choose Ada Limón's poem because of how it makes me feel, every single time I read it. 
If you have a moment, read Limón’s poem and sit with it. Or think of a natural phenomena that speaks to you; the crash of the waves, The Northern Lights, the patter of rain on your car window, an epic sunset and let it wash over you. 

Instructions on Not Giving Up
By Ada Limón
More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out
of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s
almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving
their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate
sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees
that really gets to me. When all the shock of white
and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave
the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath,
the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.


There is still time to sign up for the November Forum and it's free!


Where I'm From and Fine Cut
 
I continue to have the great pleasure of sitting down with people I admire and immerse myself in their childhoods, their thoughts and their passions. 

​Fine Cut

13/Bryan Holdman 
14/Lori Arend 
 
What I'm Reading
 
Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman is a book that makes me wish I had a million dollars to spend on books. I would buy one for each of you and mail it to your house. It is a book that is easy to pick and put down and not feel guilty doing either, it'll wait. It feels like a perfect book for now, when we are all holding so much. And it is a book that acknowledges that women hold it differently. 

​Hello Wonderful Friends! 
​
1. Where I'm From #100
Yesterday, we celebrated the 100th episode of Where I'm From (!!!) with my special guest, Cody Shelton. You may know him because he's my fantastic husband, TV producer and all around great guy.

Thank you to everyone who's been a part of this series, watched, commented and/or shared it. It's my privilege and joy to listen to these poems every week. Come join me! For real! Even if you're not on Instagram, we can record on Zoom, it's easy.
 
Since my last newsletter I've had these gold star guests join me, and yes, in my opinion, every guest is a gold star guest:
 
#89 Paul McGuigan
#90 Michelle Bowdler
#91 A.R. Farina
#92 Blake Byles
#93 Tammy Evans
#94 Roz Morris
#95 Sara Letourneau
#96 Elizabeth Marian Charles
#97 Katherine Anne Gilbert
#98 Natalie Serianni
#99 Brenan Yack
#100 Cody Shelton

​2. Loss of a Lifetime: Sibling Loss Anthology
 
As many of you know, my brother Michael died when I was ten years old. It shaped the course of my life though I didn't realize it, I was mostly surviving and trying to move on or move forward and find some semblance of peace. One of the many gifts my complicated relationship with the internet has given me is a community of others who've lost their siblings. Even though sibling loss happens, it is the sort of bereavement that receives little focus and you can see that in the lack of literature around it. Lynn Shattuck, brilliant writer and friend, has been working on an anthology about sibling loss for some time and I've joined as a co-editor. I'm looking forward to finding a home for this anthology and sharing it with all of you.

3. Fine Cut
 
It continues to be a blast connecting with people I adore and talking about media that's made an impact on us. Recent episodes of Fine Cut include:
9/L.L. Kirchner
10/A.R. Farina 
11/Meera Vijayann 
12/Liz Santoro
 
4. What I'm Reading
 
Wow, I've read some real bangers lately but in the contemplative sense of the word.

Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth and Identity by Leah Meyers - I loved it. An incredible book that braids together seemingly disparate elements to form a cohesive and impactful whole. 

Blurb from Bookshop.Org "Leah Myers may be the last member of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe in her family line, due to her tribe's strict blood quantum laws. In this unflinching and intimate memoir, Myers excavates the stories of four generations of women in order to leave a record of her family." 
 
Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe - This book feels like sitting in on a soul-defining, private conversation. It changed the author and it changed me too.

Blurb from Bookshop.Org "A singular achievement, Ordinary Notes explores profound questions about loss and the shapes of Black life that emerge in the wake. In a series of 248 notes that gather meaning as we read them, Christina Sharpe skillfully weaves artifacts from the past--public ones alongside others that are poignantly personal--with present realities and possible futures, intricately constructing an immersive portrait of everyday Black existence." 
 
The Crying Book by Heather Christle - Yes, as a crier I am the target audience for this book, also it's so beautiful. 

Blurb from Bookshop.Org "Heather Christle has just lost a dear friend to suicide and now must reckon with her own depression and the birth of her first child. As she faces her grief and impending parenthood, she decides to research the act of crying: what it is and why people do it, even if they rarely talk about it."

​5. What I'm Watching - BARBIE
 
The joy of Barbie! (Do you see that Barbie townhouse?!? Dreams do come true!) Feeling it as a young girl and feeling it again now. Barbies were kind of my life when I was young. It was the toy I asked for every time someone asked me what I might like. And then they started asking, 
 
"What would you like other than a Barbie?"
 
Which would really tick me off. 
 
You asked me what I wanted. I told you. Some people would tease me (a lot) about my love of Barbie and so this movie, this wonderful, incredible, joyful, surprising, empowering, funny, PINK movie has felt validating and especially fun for me. 
 
And thank goodness Ria saw it and we found a time to talk about it for Femme on Film. You can listen to us chat about it HERE.
 
I hope you've seen Barbie or some of the press and felt validated or acknowledged. I'm grateful there's a movie that celebrates a toy that anchored my young life and talks about the patriarchy and how f***ing unbelievable it is that we all live with it and accept that it is normal. It's not.  

​Thank you for reading my newsletter. I love connecting with you, if you lived closer I'd hand delivery you some peaches from our trees.

Please let me know what you're reading, watching and thinking about this Summer.
 
Hugs, Alyson
 
*If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in Where I'm From, let me know!

​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.

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. ​

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. 

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.