This is a story for all of you who are on the cusp of the unknown: maybe you’re starting a new job or leaving an old job, starting a relationship or leaving one, moving to a new city or home, or embarking on a new project of some kind.
My boss is reading The Winnie the Pooh collection of stories to her daughter. In one story called “Don’t Be Scared, Piglet and Roo!”, Piglet and Roo, two of the smallest characters in the cast, hear scary noises and see scary shapes at night. Her daughter has read this story many times and as soon as Piglet and Roo show signs of being scared, her daughter calls out “Don’t worry, it’s just the wind and shadows!” And it is. And eventually Piglet and Roo learn that. When boss was telling me that story, I thought about how often our minds go to that place, how often we’re afraid of things that we don’t need to be afraid of. It is the perfect metaphor for being afraid of the unknown.
Don’t be afraid. Let’s go out into the unknown together, support one another, and see what we find. The wind and shadows won’t be so scary as long as we aren’t alone in our journey.
“Specificity is the soul of narrative.” ~Judge John Hodgman
I’m using part of this long weekend to get back to writing. Emerson has been waiting for me for a few months while I traveled, moved, and got my life set up again in a new place. So today I dust off those cobwebs and look at her life and trials with new fresh eyes to begin the next and final round of edits.
As I take up the task of these edits, I’m reminded of what it means to literally create the soul of a character. Not a hollow shell with a name who faces challenges in a setting, but a living, breathing soul whom you root for, who conveys her emotions in a way that is visceral. You hurt when she hurts. You cry when she cries. You smile when she smiles. You win when she wins.
The only way to do that is to get specific, to place the reader right into her mind and her heart. That’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s always fun to do the impossible.
After several months, I’ve finally finished the latest round of handwritten edits for my novel, Emerson Page – Where the Light Enters. Once I get them all transcribed, I’ll finally have a version that I can work on with an editor before beginning the journey of submitting it for possible publication.
Writing a book is a long and winding road, and I am so happy and grateful to be traveling this route. I remain very grateful to so many of you who always support my writing and creative projects. We may write a book one word at a time, but it takes a village of support to keep going.
I can’t wait to introduce you to Emerson and take you into her world. She has taught me so much already, and I’m sure the best is yet to come.
“Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness, and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.” ~Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott is one of my very favorite authors. I like her sass, crankiness, and craziness as much as I adore her poetry and poignancy. Her thoughts on faith are particularly inspiring. I’m not a religious person. I don’t go to any kind of house of worship (except to see art and architecture), and I don’t consider myself to be of any denomination. I do believe in the goodness of people and the wisdom of the universe. I do believe we are all connected and the very best we can do on this plane is to take care of each other.
Sometimes life leaves us shaking our heads. It leaves us confused and bewildered. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do people who behave badly often seem to skate by unscathed? Why is there violence, cruelty, loss, narcissism, and on occasion, massive disappointment? I don’t know any of those answers, though I do know this: the light returns. Always, always, always. The scene that the light illuminates is undoubtedly different after any kind of major emotional event, and it will be seen.
I often hate the mess of life. It can leave us gutted and uncomfortable. In those moments, I sit. I breathe. I listen to the beat of my heart. I remind myself that all over the world every living being is experiencing that same rhythm of life, whether they know it or not. If we can tune our senses to that oneness, then I find that we can bounce back from anything. Braver, wiser, and with more compassion than ever. We become the light.
I am so deeply committed to the arts in any form for one simple reason: it is the one vehicle we have to take any circumstance, be it joyful or tragic, and turn it into something that can inspire anyone who comes in contact with it. One of my favorite examples of this is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Dickens’s tale makes him synonymous with Christmas. He grew up in dire circumstances, going to work in a factory at age 12 in order to support his family because his father had been jailed for debt. His early personal experience with poverty fueled his passion to use his writing to speak for people who couldn’t speak for themselves. Originally, he wanted to create a political pamphlet about poverty in Victorian England and instead decided to write A Christmas Carol because he felt it would have “20 times the impact of a political pamphlet.” He was right that it would have more impact. What he didn’t know is that it would remain in print for 172 years (and counting!), and become one of the most beloved texts and multi-media traditions of all-time.
So this Christmas, whether you’re listening to holiday music, reading a book like A Christmas Carol, or watching a holiday movie, let’s take a moment to recognize that the tough times we experience have the potential to be turned into something beautiful that could inspire people and help them persevere.
My travel companions: Between the World and Me on my Kindle, passport, and neck pillow
Reading while traveling has always been special to me. While I’m learning about other cultures, books help me see how much I have to learn about my own home. While I was in Sarajevo and Budapest, I read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is a tough and necessary read, especially for Americans who aren’t black. While I will never truly understand what it means to be black in America, I do want to understand as much and as best I can. This book forced me to wake up.
I live just north of Howard University, where Coates went to school and where his father worked for many years. After reading this book, I see Howard in a new light. That is sacred ground for its students because for many, their time there is the beginning of them feeling fully accepted and respected by those around them.
Coates talks about the constant pursuit by black Americans to work twice as hard to get half as far as whites in America. He talks about The Dream and The Dreamers, and how neither are fully accessible, much less possible, for many black people in America. He talks about the constant message we send to black youth—when dealing with storied institutions here, keep your head down, your mouth shut, and your eyes and ears open for danger. This book, and its truths, broke my heart
I will fully admit that I cried through much of the book, out of sadness, embarrassment, and anger. 250 years on from the end of the Civil War and still, it rages on in the streets all over this country. I had hoped the book would wrap up with ideas of how to solve the struggle. It didn’t. And maybe that’s the point. We can’t erase history. We can only learn from it and use it as context to frame the situation currently at-hand. Coates wrote this book as a guide to taking the first step on the journey, not a guide to get to some pre-determined destination.
With this book, I have more awareness and understanding of the anger and fear felt by the black community, especially in light of the year we’ve had. And that’s a start.
I went to Sixth & I last night to see Linda Holmes interview Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the creators of the podcast and new novel, Welcome to Night Vale. Night Vale is a small southwestern town where every conspiracy theory is true. There’s much you can read about the podcast – how it was started by two theater artists in a Brooklyn apartment, that there were only 52 downloads in the first month, and that the creators are flat-out shocked by the success of this off-beat, quirky, and confounding story that’s filled with equal amounts of tenderness and weirdness.
What you haven’t heard, because it has to be experienced, is the overwhelming joy that the loyal fans feel toward this story, these characters, this town, and its creators. The cheers and applause never stopped at the event last night. The laughter literally rang through the rafters of Sixth & I, the warmth between the audience and the authors was palpable, and I’ll never forget it. This is what story told with authenticity and love can do. This is what happens when we build from the heart and not for the wallet. (Night Vale refuses to take money from advertising and instead relies on donations, merchandise sales, and revenue from live shows.) It’s an example of how art done right has a powerful impact on the soul. All of it makes me happy.
My friend, mentor, and teacher, Ed Freeman, posted this image a few weeks ago and it really resonated with me. I’m now digging into Oliver Sack’s book Musicophilia. The book explores the neuroscience of music and all of the unknown reasons why music resonates so deeply with us.
Have you ever noticed that a song can take us back in time, that it can remind us of someone, something, or some place that we haven’t thought about in years? Music stores memories and unlocks them for us. I like to think of that power as the truest form of magic. Play on.
Last night my friend, Josh, and I attended the fabulous launch party for the Hidden Brain podcast at NPR’s headquarters. Hidden Brain starts on 9/22 and is hosted by Shankar Vedantam. It’s mission: to have a conversation about life’s unseen patterns. It’s grounded in science and based on the desire to better understand our own behaviors and the behaviors of others.
I’m loving Shankar’s book The Hidden Brain and am excited to tune in for his take on what really happens between our ears. There will be plenty of games and entertainment, lots of discovery, and an incredible amount of inquiry. He’s got an incredible slate of special guests lined up for his listeners! For some fun pics from the event, check out my Twitter and Instagram feeds! Here are a few of my favorites:
Me inside Studio 42
Josh and I having fun in the photobooth
Me at the Studio 42 mic
Group selfie with Shankar (I’m on the left in pink!)
For the past couple of months, I’ve been exploring D.C.’s cultural side. Through a wide variety of newsletters, blogs, Twitter feeds, Meetup groups, and random findings, I’ve managed to turn up some fantastic experiences and meet great people along the way. A few friends recently asked me how I learn about these events and places so I decided to try out a weekly feature on this blog on Fridays that captures cool things happening in D.C. in the week ahead. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a Meetup group, too. Please join me at any of these activities and share with people whom you think might be interested!
The week ahead:
Labor Day weekend is a busy one as we try to squeeze out our last drops of summer fun!
Friday, 9/4/15 First Friday in Dupont
I’ve enjoyed First Fridays in many cities around the country and I’m excited to learn that D.C. has one, too. The art galleries in and around Dupont Circle have extended hours on the first Friday of every month. Get inspired by the event “Where Art Comes Alive in D.C.”
Saturday, 9/5/15 Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage
The Kennedy Center hosts more than 50 D.C.-area theater companies in a series of free readings and open rehearsals of plays and musicals being prepared for Washington premieres in the 2015–2016 theater season.
Free museums with Bank of America card
A lot of museums in D.C. are free but the ones that aren’t can be a little pricey. If you’re a BOA customer, your debit card can get you into some museums for free on the first full weekend of every month. Check with the museum just to make sure they’re honoring it when you want to go. This weekend I’ll be hitting the amazing Newseum!
Yoga at U.S. Botanic Garden
The US Botanical Garden has graciously invited WithLoveDC to continue our amazing community yoga classes through Setpember and October! Bring your mat, your water bottle, your smile, and an open heart as we join together every Saturday from 10:30-11:30am to flow, smile, and sweat (a little bit).
The National Book Festival
The 15th Library of Congress National Book Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, and feature more than 170 authors, poets, illustrators and special presenters. To mark this anniversary, as well as the the 200th anniversary of the Library’s acquisition of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library, the festival has as its theme Jefferson’s quote, “I Cannot Live Without Books.”
The Lamont Street Collective Bi-annual Salon de Libertad The Lamont Street Collective is hosting its bi-annual Salon de Libertad – an all day salon-style art show where every inch of our house is covered in the work of local artists. The events will feature live performance art, music, workshops, 2D/3D art, and activities for kids. We want to celebrate the wonders of our local artists here in DC, and open our home to communities across the District.
Sunday, 9/6/15 Paint Nite at Crios
You buy a ticket and create a work of art in a fun, vibrant atmosphere. Guided by a master painter, all participants leave with a beautiful work of art that they created themselves.
Monday, 9/7/15 Happy Hour at the Hirshhorn
The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is offering Happy Hour at the Hirshhorn, in collaboration with “SMITHSONIAN at 8,” every Monday, Aug. 10–Sept. 14, 5 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Galleries will be open late, so visitors can view exhibitions such as “Shirin Neshat: Facing History” and “At the Hub of Things: New Views of the Collection.” Admission is free, and there is a cash bar, operated by Tortoise and Hare Bar and Grille. Last call to enter the galleries and to order drinks is 8 p.m.
Woolly Mammoth Pay What You Can performance
Woolly offers Pay What You Can tickets for the first two performances (usually Monday and Tuesday) of every production. The season opens on Labor Day with a new play entitled Women Laughing Alone with Salad staring a D.C. favorite performer, Kimberly Gilbert. There is a second PWYC performance of this show on Tuesday, 9/8/15.
Tuesday, 9/8/15 Author Joyce Carol Oates at Politics and Prose
In A Widow’s Story Oates gave a powerful and moving account of her husband’s sudden death and how the loss led her to fresh perspectives on life. In her new memoir, the award-winning writer and Princeton professor of the humanities jumps farther back in time, chronicling her childhood and adolescence in rural western New York. An avid storyteller even then, Oates credits Alice in Wonderland with inspiring her to find adventures in everything, and she remains true to that spirit, bringing to life family and friends (which include a chicken) and reflecting on hard work.
Wednesday, 9/9/15 Glen’s Garden Market behind-the-scenes tour by Knowledge Commons
Go backstage at Glen’s Garden Market, an all-local grocery, deli, and craft-beer bar in Dupont Circle. You’ll see the kitchen and back-of-house operations, and talk with owner Danielle Vogel about opening and operating the mission-driven store, which launched more than 35 food vendors in its first two and a half years.
Mortified – A storytelling event at Town
Experience a night of adults sharing the embarrassing things they created as kids– in front of total strangers. Doors open 1 hour prior to showtime.
Thursday, 9/10/15 Rorschach Theatre presents Truth & Beauty Bombs: A Softer World at Atlas. Pay What You Can performance.
Somewhere, not far from here, there’s a place where we can touch the clouds and all the monsters are real. Based on the web comic by Emily Horne and Joey Comeau, this softer world explodes with brutal honesty and dark wit. As a photographer goes blind, he sets out to capture as much of the world as he can. Through his lens he discovers laundromats that eat hope, cameras that capture souls and a love that just won’t die. Created and directed by Jenny McConnell Frederick and written by Randy Baker, Norman Allen, Heather McDonald, Shawn Northip, and Alexandra Petri.
Christa Avampato 