I’ve been listening to a podcast lately while cooking called A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, that always includes in the following line in the outro:^[1]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot in relation to the books I read and recommend. Specifically the novel Villa E by Jane Alison, who, for disclosure, I took classes with way back at U Miami. It’s a damn good fucking book. Jane is so lovely. But mostly it’s a great fucking book, and I want everybody to read it, though specifically a couple writer friends of mine, one of whom is also working (albeit on the back burner) on an "architecture novel," the other of whom likes/writes literary historical fiction and good prose (Villa E is both). And I really enjoyed it, myself,^[2] and so I’ve told people about it.

And funny enough, I only heard about that podcast because one of my cycling buddies (who is also a musician) told me about it: so it must be working.

This is all in the context, too, of — you know — the political climate, and I can’t help but think that in the face of gigantic, large, looming disasters like climate change et al, the only thing to do — the only thing I can think to do, anyway, given my time, abilities, influence — is go local, go talking to people. Thus Two Page Tuesday. Thus a few other projects I’ve got simmering on my own mental back burner. Thus why I keep telling everyone to go read Jane’s book. Why I’ve mentioned the podcast to a few folks. Why I keep trying to think of ways to get journals and agents and folks to the readings so they can see my great friends' great work and sign it.

But the shit takes time, but we’ll get there,^[3] eventually.