BEETHOVEN, POWER AND TILE GAMES

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

Power: I'm doing a mini, one-off bookclub with a few civic-minded friends in town, reading You're More Powerful Than You Think by Eric Liu. It's incredible and thought-provoking, covering what power truly is, how it flows, who has it, and how you can claim and exercise it. It's one of those books that tickles something inside of you that you already know so that you can recognize it as yours. Give this a read if you're ever at a loss for what to do when the problems seem bigger than your ability to sway them. They're not, which he reminds readers with this: “Remind yourself and others that power is in fact infinite—that we can create it where it does not exist. Our final strategy for doing that is simply this: act powerful. When we act powerful we become powerful.”

What I'm writing: I didn't do much personal writing this week!! Mainly because Daisy proofing took up all my time, but guess what: She's officially sent to the presses!! WEEEEEE. But I'm minutes away from joining my writing group's coaching call and I'll be asking them to hold me accountable to getting my first That Second Novel pages down before we meet again. I DID do some not writing for the novel, which was going down a rabbit hole about the great horse manure crisis in NYC at the turn of the century (yes, this is my life). It dawned on me that my main character would have a lot to say about how things smelled when she moved from Andover to NYC. I've smelled horse shit (of the actual kind) and there's simply no getting used to that.

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon:

I went to a beginner's Mahjong night and LOVED the game (and won!!!!). It was just the tile-moving, wine-drinking, friend-chirping experience I needed. If you're not familiar, Mahjong is a Chinese game created in the early 1800s and popularized in America by Jewish women in the early 20th century. I come from a card-playing family so it felt familiar to me, sorta like rummy with tiles? What a fun night! Why this Women's Game Matters was a great look at the history.

Other things I loved: These 82-year old BFFs who traveled the world in 80 days, yes please! This true-crime podcast about Who Killed Margaret Coon. It took some twists I DID not expect.

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:

In 1824 Beethoven finished his Ninth and final complete symphony. In 2024, I saw Beethoven's No. 9 for the first time, played by the Savannah Philharmonic. I was invited on a whim by some good friends who had an extra ticket. I'm always a “yes” on live art even though I'm not a classical music nerd. I didn't know anything about this piece of music, other than I'd competed with simplified arrangements of “Ode to Joy” in middle school with my violin. Oh, the days! Well, what I also didn't know about listening to this symphony is that I'd sit in my velvet covered retractable seat at Lucas Theatre and weep uncontrollably through the final 20 minutes. I was completely overcome by something I both didn't understand and also didn't need to. All I could comprehend was that it was the most beautiful piece of music that I'd ever heard. After the concert, I'd learn what many of you might already be familiar with: that Beethoven's Symphony No.9 is widely considered his greatest composition and one of the greatest symphonies ever composed. I also learned that the symphony builds to the end, when I began to cry, which is meant to represent humankind coming together to find universal joy and harmony. At the hands of the mystical, I understood. This year is the 200th anniversary of this composition, so go see it if an orchestra is playing it near you! And Jon Batiste just released an album of Beethoven blues compositions, and it's beautiful.

Ode to joy indeed, Woman on xx