Great News and Good Reads for the Hard Homestretch to Election Day
A Paint It Black watch party! Poetry Podcasts! A relaxing Mediterranean island with cats!
![Four numbered cards with stills from the movie "Paint It Black" lay partially overlapping each other. Each card has a description of what is happening in the still. They read, "82: [Josie's] goes to mansion," "131: Meredith whispers to Josie," "83: Josie pees in front of mansion," "171: Josie packs up to go."](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GbDM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc93ecdb-0d2f-4f9f-8f2d-2613d71641ce_1600x1284.png "Four numbered cards with stills from the movie \"Paint It Black\" lay partially overlapping each other. Each card has a description of what is happening in the still. They read, \"82: [Josie's] goes to mansion,\" \"131: Meredith whispers to Josie,\" \"83: Josie pees in front of mansion,\" \"171: Josie packs up to go.\"")
Hi friends,
We are less than a month away from one of the biggest elections of our lifetime here in the U.S., and I’m doing everything I can to prepare my body and my mind for whatever the outcome may be. I’m having so many different emotions about all of it, from resignation to anxiety to the glee-filled hope that we will make the right decision in the end: nothing short of a full-throated rejection of all the darkness, chaos, and cruelty that occurred during Trump’s first term, and that will undoubtedly continue with a second term. As a country, I believe in us, even if I don’t share the same beliefs as everyone. I believe we will do the right thing on Election Day.
Register to vote, check your current registration status, learn how to vote by mail, preview your ballot (because down ballot races matter too!) and more at Vote.org.
With all that in mind, I wanted to share a few pieces of good news as well as a mini roundup of articles I’ve read that have made me feel good in the midst of the final weeks of election fatigue. Hope you enjoy all of it.
“THIS LIVING” FEATURED ON TWO OF MY FAVORITE PODCASTS
I was thrilled when my poem, “This Living,” was published in print and online in The New Yorker in June, so it was the cheese in the rind (I do not like icing or cake, so allow me this metaphor thank you very much) to be asked to join The New Yorker’s poetry editor, Kevin Young, to be interviewed on the magazine’s poetry podcast. Before we recorded, I had the opportunity to go through their archives to choose a poem to read in addition to my own. I landed on a beautiful piece by Didi Jackson called “The Dahlias.” You can listen to both poems and the interview below.
“This Living” was also recently featured on another one of my favorite podcasts, The Slowdown, hosted by the extraordinary poet, Major Jackson. It’s so wild to see this work of mine make the rounds in some of my favorite publications years after I wrote it. It just goes to show you that you never know just how or when something you’ve created might find someone and speak to them in the most significant ways.
TWO RECENT SUBSTACK READS I LOVED:
I love this essay by fellow Substacker Devany Amber Wolfe on the toll social media (and life in general) takes on our bodies in a capitalist world that is constantly forcing us to do more, be more, and rest less. If anyone is in need of a good existential soothing, I highly recommend this piece.
Don’t read anything into the fact that I am including another essay about the importance of rest recovery in this round up. (IT’S FINE I’M FINE NO I DON’T NEED A NAP.) This piece is from Kirsten Powers, who moved to Italy with the goal of rejecting the demands of capitalism and the idea that productivity equates to worth—an idea ingrained in us early on here in the United States. I highly recommend all of her essays, as her journey of learning how to slow down in order to be healthier and happier is one we can all learn from.
SYROS CATS
I recently saw an ad that said, “Did you know you can live on a Greek island for free by volunteering at a cat sanctuary?” Why no, ad, I did NOT know this! I figured this was a total scam (I am on high alert ever since the Postmates debacle), but it turns out the organization, Syros Cats, is legitimate and you actually can help care for these gorgeous Grecian felines during the day in exchange for room and board. (In other words, you get to hang out on the crystal beaches of Syros Island in Greece and eat moussaka to your heart’s content. I mean??????) I guess I’ll have to figure out a way to plan our first LITD retreat here, so yeah, see you there! 😻😭
PAINT IT BLACK IS BACK
In other exciting news—and this is a big one for me—Paint It Black, the film I co-wrote and directed, is back on streaming services! The film is based on the phenomenal cult classic book by Janet Fitch and is available to watch on Apple TV+ and Amazon. We spent the last couple of years getting it retrofitted and updated for streaming’s 4K model, and now here we are, with the finished movie in all her glory, ready for you to watch. (If you’re interested in more behind-the-scenes stories and pictures from the making of the film, check out this piece I wrote for our newsletter last year, The Transformative Experience of Being Believed In.) Please be sure to read the film’s synopsis before viewing, as some material may not be suitable for all viewers.
Speaking of Paint It Black and creativity and manifesting joy! Our next two gatherings for The Short and Sweet, our monthly get together live over Zoom for paid subscribers, are going to be significant ones!
THE SHORT AND SWEET: OCTOBER
I’m hosting a watch party for Paint It Black over Zoom, complete with director commentary! Our special guest will be the director of the film (which is me). I’ll share my screen so we can all watch the film together and I can give you some BTS in the comments section! Afterwards, I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about the film and filmmaking in general. This will be longer than our usual one-hour get together so if you can’t join us for the whole thing, don’t worry! You’re welcome to hang out for however long you’d like to. Mark your calendars: Saturday, October 19 from 12pm-2pm ET.
THE SHORT AND SWEET: NOVEMBER
I’ve invited my real-life bestie and very special guest Dr. Mindy Nettifee to join us for some pre-Election Day central nervous system regulation and centering. Mindy is a somatic therapist specializing in trauma healing and expression. She holds a doctorate in Depth Psychology, is a poet extraordinaire, and the creator of one of my favorite newsletters, In the River of What’s Happening Now. We’ll be talking to Mindy about her work studying trauma’s effects on the voice and body, and more specifically, how to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for this election’s outcome, whatever it may be. She’ll also lead us in a somatic exercise to get us in the mood and the groove for what will undoubtedly be an intense couple of weeks to follow. Mark your calendars: Monday, November 4 from 9pm-10pm ET.
I know this one is on the later side for us East Coasters, but I wanted to make sure we could accommodate as many U.S. time zones as possible for this one. Hope you’re able to join us! Reminder that the Zoom link will be emailed to paid subscribers thirty minutes before the start of The Short and Sweet each month.
That’s it for now. Check in and let me know how you’re doing/feeling/living in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Love,
Amber
Wow, thank you for these links. I really needed two of these today. thank you for everything you are working so hard to do with this election! (and for being gorge)
I need all the good news I can get. 🫶 I have determined that my time here on Substack is much more fulfilling than my time on FB. That toxicity seeps into my skin and I am finding my morning coffee time to be much more peaceful and mentally stimulating. Thanks for helping with that.