Best Shit List: January

Made it through. It wasn’t *all* gnarly.

When I fessed up to being bummed out to friends and family, work peeps, and here on the ‘stack, the feedback I received made a pile of anecdotal evidence that a lot of us are in bad shape. Well, we made it through January, motherfuckers. It wasn’t all gnarly, was it? Some things below which kept me floating.

-AV

🎶 “Do It Faster” by Militarie Gun
A perfect one minute and forty-eight seconds.

🎤 Geoff Rickly & Blake Butler at the Franklin Park Reading Series
I went to Brooklyn to see these two do their thing. Geoff’s book Someone Who Isn’t Me was my favorite novel from last year. While I’d only read a little bit of Blake’s Molly before the event—it was hard to find a copy!—I’ve finished now and it’s sure to be on my list of favorites at the end of this year. Many friendly faces in attendance at Franklin Park. I got to hang with my old friend Tobias Carroll, who runs Vol. 1 Brooklyn and has published several books of his own which you should read. I reconnected with some writers from Morning Writing Club, and folks I’d previously know on the internet only. Met Bud Smith and Steve Anwyll, whose writings and vibes I admire. Finally got face-to-face with Lexi Kent-Monning. She rules as hard in person as she does in her writing and online. A very good, affirming night.

👊🏻 The last line in Chris Richard’s Debussy Ringtone Issue 9
My friend MC Taylor from Hiss Golden Messenger connected me to Chris, whose energy is youthful, funny, and inspiring. We swapped zines. Here he quotes a buddy after a band’s reunion.

📖 The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic: Revised and Expanded Edition by Jessica Hopper
I had the original version of this book in my TBR pile for years. Jessica’s agent passed me the updated one, which also sat around getting dusty. I decided it was time after reading Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution, in which Hopper features heavily for a bit, somewhat controversially. If fears for music journalism’s demise are well founded, this book will be a testament to Hopper as one of the best last gasps. An incredible, essential body of work.

☃️ A rare Nashville winter storm
The most snow I’ve seen in Nashville. It shut everyone down for a week.

📖 Chapters 22 & 23 of Kevin Maloney’s The Red-Headed Pilgrim
I laughed harder at the one-two punch of the midwife chapter into the childbirth chapter than I’ve ever laughed while reading anything. I had to wake my wife up so I could do them again for her out loud.

✏️ Progress on the novel
I worked on this thing a bunch this month, with a minor breakthrough figuring out act one.

📖 Molly by Blake Butler
Read this. Everybody.

🎶 The return of Dehd
The band released “Mood Ring,” the first single from their upcoming album, on the last day of the month. An optimistic exit from January.

I’ll be in Kansas City next week for AWP. Little Engines has an event on February 8th for the early risers. It’s free and open to the public, not just AWP dickheads. If you can’t make the event, but are doing AWP officially, come by the Little Engines booth at the bookfair. I’ll be there with magazines and candy.