Outside the lines

A sold out book event, cover trends, luxury today

Today, Emily Sundberg announced that Feed Me will be hosting a launch party of my book Grand Rapids for her paid readers at Library180 on September 30 at 6pm. I’m truly so touched by her support and the kind things she’s said about my writing, like the note in this post:

“Ever since I discovered Natasha’s work (probably in 2017, probably in my cubicle at New York Magazine) I’ve always kept her books handy at the top of my stacks, and her past columns bookmarked in my browser. I fell in love with the way she wrote about New York and the endless array of people who live in the city. Grand Rapids is about someplace else — the Midwest, burning high school crushes, worn-in couches, boxes of black hair dye from the supermarket — but as always, the minds of young women.”

This just in: the guest list is closed, sold out in under an hour. Her reach!

I’m also participating in Basilica Soundscape’s reading series this weekend, in case you’re going to that, in Hudson. More readings/events to be announced soon. This post is free, by the way, but I would love it if you became a paid subscriber. And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who is.

I’m loving Drew Zeiba tracking in real time this book cover trend of childish scribbles in his Substack notes:

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash (2026); an English translation of Unfit by Ariana Harwicz (2025); and a reissue of The Golden Book of Words by Bernadette Mayer (2025).

I might add A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken (2025); an English translation of Not Today by Ana Margarida Matos (2024); and, for good measure, a 2020 issue of The Atlantic.

Reverse-image searching these images turns up books on early childhood education, dealing with anxiety or migraines, or teaching a kid to color outside the lines as an artistic parent. Does this say…something about…the culture…?

I contributed to this exhaustive rundown of what “luxury” means today, by Rachel Tashjian for the Washington Post, per some of fashion’s biggest and smallest stars. My quote is, of course, a bit longwinded:

“Luxury today is refinement: every piece in its place, the perfect something (white T-shirt, moisturizer, water bottle), a totally controlled atmosphere, a remote yet sustained destination, locally foraged and freshly served food. Because everything, from the everyday technology we use to the car services we book, can be upgraded by minute degrees.

That term now touches all aspects of life, which leads to a reassessment of what, of those upgrades, actually feels like luxury as compared to empty posturing. I see this as a reason for the continued prestige of minimalist, expensive pieces like those made by The Row or by smaller, more special-feeling brands, styled with low-end basics (a canvas sneaker, a cozy hoodie) that simply perform better than their high end counterparts. Plus, everyone has a brand, now, and maybe you’d rather buy a friend’s merch than that of a legacy house, if it’s all the same.

There is more to spend on, and in selfie videos, we see it all, which partially explains younger generations’ growing interests in, say, designer furniture, vintage watches, cosmetic procedures, good cookware.

Plus, the constant, multiple streams of shopping suggestions through which we sift don’t exactly make us want to purchase less, but the saturation might inspire us to buy smarter, thinking of a bigger picture (one’s entire persona, as presented to peers and strangers). It’s about way more than the clothes.”

I also added to this post consisting of publishing advice, compiled by Elena Sheppard. My two cents:

“1. An MFA can be pretty useful and 2. Maybe you’re better off taking a very long time to get the first one published.

I wrote my first book, Surveys in a 2-year creative writing graduate program and then moved to New York, expecting to have a foot in the door because I knew a couple editorial assistants. Either no one wanted it or no one higher up read it, I still don’t know.

Eventually, I met my publisher organically, and they wished they had found me and my manuscript sooner, but it still felt timely. And the delay got me to edit and refine, based on the insights I gained from meeting new people, and that added depth to the story. I was no longer under 30 [I was 30] but the book was better for it, if I’m being honest.”