Greetings friends, family, fellow travelers,
It's 4pm as I begin this newsletter and already darkness is descending upon Boston for the evening and my pocket computer tells me tonight's low will be a "real feel" of 5 degrees fahrenheit. Winter is approaching! While many of my colleagues grumble about traveling home in the dark, Hanna and I enjoy the long, dark evenings filled with candlelight and look forward to the midwinter holidays that mean both of us have two full weeks of time away from work to hunker down and enjoy one anothers' company on a rhythm not dictated by the workaday world.
Image: Teazle peering judgmentally out from a nest of blankets on our couch.
I've been working my way steadily through review book assignments this month and am looking forward to some (hopefully) fascinating titles as we draw toward the end of the year! At the end of October I read Evangelicals: Who They Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be, which was an intriguing anthology pulled together by three founding scholars of modern evangelical Christian history -- George Marsden, Mark Noll, and David Bebbington -- that attempts to historicize and put in global perspective the current moment in white American evangelical Christian nationalism. It could have easily devolved into #NotAllEvangelicals but managed not to do so; I doubt it will find much readership beyond those already following these discussions but it is a thoughtful contribution all the same. Concurrently, along entirely different lines (although now I'm tempted to write a joint review just to see if I could pull it off!), I reviewed the latest Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year volume from Cleis Press, edited by Sinclair Sexsmith. It's been a few years since I read an original erotica anthology rather than fanfic shorts or romance novels/novellas and I can say my own personal taste in sexually explicit media definitely swings toward longer format, character-driven work. But the Best Lesbian series introduced me to the erotic shorts genre over a decade ago and I'm glad it is still going strong.
Image: Cover art for Her Neighbor's Wife by Lauren Jae Gutterman
This weekend, I'm in the middle of the engrossing Her Neighbor's Wife: A History of Lesbian Desire Within Marriage and owe my editor the review of Overturning Brown: The Segregationist Legacy of the Modern School Choice Movement which should have been longer, but is still a thoughtful introduction to the white supremacist history of the push for "school choice," school vouchers, and charter schools. In the month of December I'll be reading Supporting Trans People in Libraries, The Laywoman Project: Remaking Catholic Womanhood in the Vatican II Era, and Saving History: How White Evangelicals Tour the Nation's Capital and Redeem a Christian America which will probably be rage-making but is very much needed.
Image: An image of election signs outside my polling place (left) and the "Vote Here" sign in four different languages posted inside (right).
In addition to being Guy Fawks' Day, the 5th of November was an election day for many local communities across the U.S. In Boston we voted in an historic number of women and people of color to the Boston City Council, and in my hometown of Holland, Mich. a good friend won her race for councillor-at-large and the conservative mayor lost her seat to a progressive opponant. Elections matter, y'all!
Image: The artist's statement and my Firebird wall hanging at Solid Ground Cafe.
Election week also marked the opening of my first-ever art show at the local Solid Ground Cafe in Mission Hill (Boston, Mass.). The folks at Solid Ground are excited to showcase artwork that fundraises for local social justice work and I am excited to give Persistent Stitches a bit of a local airing. Two of the dozen pieces on display have already been claimed in exchange for a donation to Haley House in Roxbury. Persistent Stitches has reached $4,098.75 raised for the year and we've claimed $85 of our $200 in November match dollars (going to support the work of the International Rescue Committee in supporting the world's refugees). If you're starting to think about end-of-year holiday gift-giving, do remember our crafters' offerings!
Image: Christopher sleeping on Hanna's blue and white striped sweater.
We don't have travel plans for Thanksgiving -- it's become a much-appreciated long weekend at home for us these past few years -- but will be returning to Brattleboro, Vermont in mid-December for an overnight away. Our mid-October vacation week impressed upon us the need for more regular purposeful breaks as time and funding allow. Thankfully, a professional development course I'm facilitating this month pays enough to cover the cost of a car rental and hotel. Huzzah!
Image: Beauty berries in the Arnold Arboretum.
Other things I am looking forward to in the final six weeks of 2019 include the 5th annual Twelvetide Drabbles challege, finishing my sister's 2018 Christmas quilt (and a secret surprise to go with it for this year), and getting some of my Aziraphale/Crowley fic out of the drafts folder and onto Ao3 for my patient readers.
Be kind, stay warm, and enjoy the darkness,
Anna
It's 4pm as I begin this newsletter and already darkness is descending upon Boston for the evening and my pocket computer tells me tonight's low will be a "real feel" of 5 degrees fahrenheit. Winter is approaching! While many of my colleagues grumble about traveling home in the dark, Hanna and I enjoy the long, dark evenings filled with candlelight and look forward to the midwinter holidays that mean both of us have two full weeks of time away from work to hunker down and enjoy one anothers' company on a rhythm not dictated by the workaday world.
Image: Teazle peering judgmentally out from a nest of blankets on our couch.I've been working my way steadily through review book assignments this month and am looking forward to some (hopefully) fascinating titles as we draw toward the end of the year! At the end of October I read Evangelicals: Who They Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be, which was an intriguing anthology pulled together by three founding scholars of modern evangelical Christian history -- George Marsden, Mark Noll, and David Bebbington -- that attempts to historicize and put in global perspective the current moment in white American evangelical Christian nationalism. It could have easily devolved into #NotAllEvangelicals but managed not to do so; I doubt it will find much readership beyond those already following these discussions but it is a thoughtful contribution all the same. Concurrently, along entirely different lines (although now I'm tempted to write a joint review just to see if I could pull it off!), I reviewed the latest Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year volume from Cleis Press, edited by Sinclair Sexsmith. It's been a few years since I read an original erotica anthology rather than fanfic shorts or romance novels/novellas and I can say my own personal taste in sexually explicit media definitely swings toward longer format, character-driven work. But the Best Lesbian series introduced me to the erotic shorts genre over a decade ago and I'm glad it is still going strong.
Image: Cover art for Her Neighbor's Wife by Lauren Jae GuttermanThis weekend, I'm in the middle of the engrossing Her Neighbor's Wife: A History of Lesbian Desire Within Marriage and owe my editor the review of Overturning Brown: The Segregationist Legacy of the Modern School Choice Movement which should have been longer, but is still a thoughtful introduction to the white supremacist history of the push for "school choice," school vouchers, and charter schools. In the month of December I'll be reading Supporting Trans People in Libraries, The Laywoman Project: Remaking Catholic Womanhood in the Vatican II Era, and Saving History: How White Evangelicals Tour the Nation's Capital and Redeem a Christian America which will probably be rage-making but is very much needed.
Image: An image of election signs outside my polling place (left) and the "Vote Here" sign in four different languages posted inside (right). In addition to being Guy Fawks' Day, the 5th of November was an election day for many local communities across the U.S. In Boston we voted in an historic number of women and people of color to the Boston City Council, and in my hometown of Holland, Mich. a good friend won her race for councillor-at-large and the conservative mayor lost her seat to a progressive opponant. Elections matter, y'all!
Image: The artist's statement and my Firebird wall hanging at Solid Ground Cafe. Election week also marked the opening of my first-ever art show at the local Solid Ground Cafe in Mission Hill (Boston, Mass.). The folks at Solid Ground are excited to showcase artwork that fundraises for local social justice work and I am excited to give Persistent Stitches a bit of a local airing. Two of the dozen pieces on display have already been claimed in exchange for a donation to Haley House in Roxbury. Persistent Stitches has reached $4,098.75 raised for the year and we've claimed $85 of our $200 in November match dollars (going to support the work of the International Rescue Committee in supporting the world's refugees). If you're starting to think about end-of-year holiday gift-giving, do remember our crafters' offerings!
Image: Christopher sleeping on Hanna's blue and white striped sweater.We don't have travel plans for Thanksgiving -- it's become a much-appreciated long weekend at home for us these past few years -- but will be returning to Brattleboro, Vermont in mid-December for an overnight away. Our mid-October vacation week impressed upon us the need for more regular purposeful breaks as time and funding allow. Thankfully, a professional development course I'm facilitating this month pays enough to cover the cost of a car rental and hotel. Huzzah!
Image: Beauty berries in the Arnold Arboretum. Other things I am looking forward to in the final six weeks of 2019 include the 5th annual Twelvetide Drabbles challege, finishing my sister's 2018 Christmas quilt (and a secret surprise to go with it for this year), and getting some of my Aziraphale/Crowley fic out of the drafts folder and onto Ao3 for my patient readers.
Be kind, stay warm, and enjoy the darkness,
Anna