One of the strange things about subscribing to a newsletter is that you can spend months with an author’s voice, but never learn very basic information about them, like their age, location, or aims.
Thank you so much for the shoutout, Naomi. I've been scrabbling up the hill of letters for almost ten years now, working quietly in my little study on this solitary writing, and much of that time has felt very lonely — so these messages in bottles from other writers, especially from writers like you whose work I really believe in, are wonderful. Nice to feel like I have some place in some community.
(By the way, you've given my name above as Michael, which I wouldn't mention except when I show this to my wife later she will laugh and call me Michael for a month. It's her prerogative to kick me when I'm winning...)
Fixed! And no worries, you’ve been doing really well lately. When I was looking into you, I noticed that you had also written the article on Kafka was all the rage, and I like that one too.
Thanks for the shoutout! I think the biggest inspiration I took from Woman of Letters, especially in 2023-24 (when I was working on my novel and kicking around the idea of starting a blog) was simply that there's still space for making a blog focused entirely on books. Not politics or movies or broader pop culture or even publishing, but just books themselves. Like... that can still be done. Reading your posts about Icelandic Epics gave me some sort of permission to start seriously considering the sort of posts I wanted to write.
If readers are coming to you from "What’s So Great About The Great Books?" (and they will, because it's fantastic, and if I ever teach somewhere that's a little less restrictive as far as the content of materials, I think I'd definitely assign it as a breezy summer read for incoming AP Literature students), I do hope they read the 2024/5 tales, because they've got all of these fun easter eggs in them, stylistic nods from the conversation you've been having with these books for decades. There's nothing else like them out there, because there aren't other readers like you out there!
Now to read thousands of words of overlocked. The first couple hundred got me hooked.
I also have to look into some of Naomi's blog mentions. They might have application to the nonfiction but personal book I am making my n-teenth pass through at the moment.
Holly Mathnerd did a smart and thoughtful post over the weekend that attached a name to the "one of the strange things...." that jumps out of Naomi"s Litstack self-description. Holly called the ephemeral connections we form from online exchanges "parasocial." She meant that such connections are usually misleading because we really are responding to a few data points that we think make us friends with a newscaster or some other electronic media celebrity. We don't really connect in those situations because the "real person" is usually a good deal more complex than the media person. I wonder whether writing of the sort Naomi is applauding is a step toward revealing the real person by writing fiction. I do know that the parasocial bond is not valid. I can't walk up to, say, Don Lemon or Tucker Carlson, and give them a big bear hug. Their security detail would probably put me on the floor. But it might be interesting to try the tactic, just to see what they do.
Such a good idea to reintroduce yourself seasonally! Loved reading this to understand better who you are and what youre doing, have enjoyed several of your recent posts. Thank you.
Apart from your literary criticism and tales, both of which I really enjoy, I've found a lot of value in your recommendations and curation of other interesting Substacks through your Notes.
Thank you so much for the shoutout, Naomi. I've been scrabbling up the hill of letters for almost ten years now, working quietly in my little study on this solitary writing, and much of that time has felt very lonely — so these messages in bottles from other writers, especially from writers like you whose work I really believe in, are wonderful. Nice to feel like I have some place in some community.
(By the way, you've given my name above as Michael, which I wouldn't mention except when I show this to my wife later she will laugh and call me Michael for a month. It's her prerogative to kick me when I'm winning...)
Fixed! And no worries, you’ve been doing really well lately. When I was looking into you, I noticed that you had also written the article on Kafka was all the rage, and I like that one too.
Thank you, I'm really proud of the Kafka essay!
Oh no sorry! I should be more detail oriented :) will fix
I have really been enjoying your reviews of the journals, so fingers crossed the phase lasts 💪🏼
Thanks for the shoutout! I think the biggest inspiration I took from Woman of Letters, especially in 2023-24 (when I was working on my novel and kicking around the idea of starting a blog) was simply that there's still space for making a blog focused entirely on books. Not politics or movies or broader pop culture or even publishing, but just books themselves. Like... that can still be done. Reading your posts about Icelandic Epics gave me some sort of permission to start seriously considering the sort of posts I wanted to write.
the way I DASHED to your blog to read about animorphs - which, as you said, was and remains a triumph of juvenile fiction
Have a regular SF event! I was out of town for the party and would love a lit community.
If readers are coming to you from "What’s So Great About The Great Books?" (and they will, because it's fantastic, and if I ever teach somewhere that's a little less restrictive as far as the content of materials, I think I'd definitely assign it as a breezy summer read for incoming AP Literature students), I do hope they read the 2024/5 tales, because they've got all of these fun easter eggs in them, stylistic nods from the conversation you've been having with these books for decades. There's nothing else like them out there, because there aren't other readers like you out there!
Now to read thousands of words of overlocked. The first couple hundred got me hooked.
Great links! Our tastes are very aligned.
I also have to look into some of Naomi's blog mentions. They might have application to the nonfiction but personal book I am making my n-teenth pass through at the moment.
Holly Mathnerd did a smart and thoughtful post over the weekend that attached a name to the "one of the strange things...." that jumps out of Naomi"s Litstack self-description. Holly called the ephemeral connections we form from online exchanges "parasocial." She meant that such connections are usually misleading because we really are responding to a few data points that we think make us friends with a newscaster or some other electronic media celebrity. We don't really connect in those situations because the "real person" is usually a good deal more complex than the media person. I wonder whether writing of the sort Naomi is applauding is a step toward revealing the real person by writing fiction. I do know that the parasocial bond is not valid. I can't walk up to, say, Don Lemon or Tucker Carlson, and give them a big bear hug. Their security detail would probably put me on the floor. But it might be interesting to try the tactic, just to see what they do.
Such a good idea to reintroduce yourself seasonally! Loved reading this to understand better who you are and what youre doing, have enjoyed several of your recent posts. Thank you.
Apart from your literary criticism and tales, both of which I really enjoy, I've found a lot of value in your recommendations and curation of other interesting Substacks through your Notes.