What to read when: you're feeling "over" everything
In the words of Peter Gabriel, don't give up...yet.
The book: “A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing” by Eimar McBride, winner of the Goldsmith’s Prize and the Bailey’s Women Prize for Fiction
The why: For many writers—especially those who teach throughout the year—summer is the time they have available to buckle down and write. But it’s hard to write in summer, especially after another challenging year for our bodies, mental health, and wallets. Whether you’re in a reading slump, no longer believe in the project you are writing, or are suffering burnout in another form, Eimar McBride’s “A Girl is A Half-Formed Thing” might pull you from the beige.
This is not an easy book. The content is challenging as is the syntax. By way of example, the book starts: For you. You’ll soon. You’ll give her name. In the stitches of her skin, she’ll wear your say.
In the tradition of Pádraic Ó Conaire and James Joyce, Eimar McBride is an Irish writer whose prose will force you to consider the boundless potential of language, the ways in which words can be made new again, the power of the short sentence, the power of the run-on. This book is not for everyone, but maybe it’s for you?
We loved each other so much…
On the topic of shaking things up, if you haven’t seen the Leos Cartax film that opened the Cannes Film Festival last year, “Annette,” perhaps 2 plus hours of Marion Cottilard and Adam Driver singing with—or to—a truly freaky puppet will wrench you from that rut. I think there are two reactions to this film: either your skin will burn with the desire to get up and turn the damn thing off, or you’ll be able to push past the road blocks of length and form and content to get at the absurdly beautiful thing that Carax is achieving.
Call for query letters! I’ll be starting up Friday Office Hours in July— a series where I’ll critique (and compliment) select agent query letters of paid subscribers. If you would like to have your query letter considered, please do the following:
Send your query in the body of an email to thequerydoula (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line “Substack Friday queries.” Queries should be around 4 paragraphs- 6 paragraphs max. Do not send a synopsis. No attachments, please.
Please send the query in a format you’re comfortable having shared here on Substack with numerous people. Let me know if you don’t want your real name used.
I’ll notify you by email *only* if I’d like to use your letter. Please do not follow up by email in regards to what you sent.
Friday Office Hours is only for paid subscribers. Consider becoming one— this will be a really fun and eye-opening offering.
Sleepaway camp: My daughter is going away to sleepaway camp for the first time. Any tips? I thought it would be nice to send her with pre-addressed postcards so she’ll hopefully write to us. Do campers still use shower caddies?
June 30th at 5:30pm ET, I'll be in conversation with the fantastic Sarah LaDuke of WAMC radio at Edith Wharton's storied home, The Mount, in the middle of the Berkshire mountains. You can get tickets to our event here, and you'll also be able to stroll the gorgeous grounds!
Do you live near Nashville? Author Christie Grotheim will be teaching an 8-week class on “Writing Personal Essays That Resonate” at Nashville’s wonderful writing center, The Porch.
Until next time! I’m reading Leila Taylor’s “Darkly: Black History and America’s Gothic Soul” and Maggie Shipstead’s new story collection “You Have a Friend in 10A” and I highly recommend both!
The blue Bookshop hyperlink is an affiliate link. If you opt to buy the featured title with that link, I get a tiny kickback at no cost to you which I use as credit to buy books on Bookshop, myself. “A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing” is available everywhere books are sold.