Dispatches from the heat dome

Guys, it’s too hot. The ‘hold my beer’ energy of August after July was declared the hottest month in the history of the planet is admirable, but terrible. It’s too hot to drive to TJ Maxx and buy a pumpkin scented candle. And even if I did, it’s too hot to have a candle burning in my house. Please, a live fire? In a house where I already have to close all the curtains and run a fan in every room? Absolutely not. And what about my seasonal re-watch of The Gilmore Girls? That is to be done in comfy pjs under a blanket, not wiping away boob sweat in a rayon caftan whilst fanning myself with a Dell Technologies hand fan someone gave me at Pride.

Wherever these links find out today, I hope you’re staying cool.

Xo,

Kim

• Silver lining: it’s still warm enough to go camping, preferably by a body of water you can dunk in several times a day. If you’re venturing out, clearly you’re taking Camp Joy with you, because you’re smart AND it’s on sale for 15% off. Use code JOYSCOUT15 and live your best life (with plenty of bug spray). Personally, I think we need iron-on “Joy Scout” badges, but that’s just me. (Camp Joy)

• Sam Sanders is one of my favorite podcasters and Tressie McMillan Cottom is one of my favorite – well, everything. Sam had Tressie on his Vulture podcast Into It to talk country music and race. It’s a great conversation. (Apple Podcasts)

• While you’re downloading episodes of Into It, go ahead and listen to the one on Lizzo, too. ICYMI: go back and read what Abby said about the lawsuit against Lizzo. And then watch this TikTok. (Apple Podcasts, Joy the Baker)

• Speaking of Abby, she lovingly linked to my Beyoncé review in her post. Since then, a young dancer and choreographer named O’Shae Sibley was stabbed to death in Brooklyn while he was listening to Renaissance and vogueing at a gas station. Zach Stafford wrote about it for MSNBC. (Nashville Scene)

• I’m obsessed with this quote from The New York Times Magazine story on female rappers:  “We’re making the people move. Men forget that women like them. You know? Everybody wanna talk about gang, gang, gang. Women like you, hello? Take a moment to be sexy! Hello? Take your shirt off! The boys is forgetting to take their shirts off, but the girlies never forget.” (NYT Gift Link)

• I met Jenn Shapland at Parnassus when she was on tour for her first book, My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, which is one of my favorite memoirs. Jenn has a new book out now called, Thin Skin, and I’m dying to read it. To get a taste of Jenn’s writing, here’s a recent story she wrote for the NY Times on water aerobics. (Bookshop.org, NYT Gift Link)

• If you were on Twitter while it was still somewhat fun and functional, then you may remember R. Eric Thomas, who went viral for his hilarious “Eric Reads the News” daily column for Elle. He was in Nashville recently to celebrate his new book, Congratulations, the Best Is Over!, and I was able to meet him. Spoiler alert: he’s a delight. (Bookshop.org)

• WaPo has a series where they ask writers to reflect on what it’s like to be back outside — if they are — and how the pandemic changed them. Danté Stewart wrote the most recent column about his local coffee shop. Stewart writes, “I think how I occupied this same spot before the pandemic cleared us out, how from this couch I’d read the words: “Coronavirus will also cause a loneliness epidemic.” How during the pandemic, world events and devastating loneliness indeed broke so many of us, but how, to our surprise, some of us bent back in the other direction to stand upright again.” Read the whole thing here. (Bookshop.org)

• I’m teaching my social media for writers class again. It’s in-person, so this is only of use to you if you can get to Nashville, but if you’re local, I’d love to see you there. (The Porch)

• Speaking of things you can only do in Nashville, I’ll be in coversation with Lindsay Lynch on Aug. 31 about the process of publishing her debut novel, Do Tell. This is part of the Birthing the Book series for The Porch. It’s free!

• An argument for downward facing cowboy. (TikTok)