Friday Boost #3

Looks like this is becoming a weekly thing!

NOTE: You may have noticed it’s not quite Friday, but you’ve received our Friday Boost. (So observant!) That’s because this was supposed to have been scheduled for Friday but I hit the ‘send’ button instead. There’s no turning back from that, so just pretend you’re reading this tomorrow. Or save it until tomorrow. Or—to hell with it— enjoy it right now!

“Which one shall I choose?” Chester, one of my garden gnomes.

Did you know Garrison Keillor has his own Substack newsletter? He does. Part of it is behind a paywall but there’s enough good stuff out in front to keep me going there. He makes me laugh. Every time. And I did it again, here:

The secret of my success is longevity

Annette Laing’s newsletter title, ‘Non-boring History’, is catchy, for sure, but once you get inside, you’ll find it’s far more than just non-boring. Annette’s ‘history’ is compelling, delicious, addicting—not just for her choice of stories, but for her choice of words. This story, about a black hero hiding in plain sight, is longer than most I might choose to boost, but well worth the time. So take your shoes off, settle in, and get to know Gene Bullard. You’ll never forget him.

Being Gene Bullard

I found Jeff Maurer’s newsletter, ‘I Might Be Wrong’, on a Facebook page. He was raving over this piece by Ethan Coen, and at first I thought, naw, couldn’t be that Ethan Coen—but it looks like it is. I won’t tell Jeff Maurer that I didn’t know who he was when I subscribed, but, okay, I had my doubts… (He’s the former Senior Writer for John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’—says so in his bio.) But you be the judge. Just know if you don’t find this howl-out-loud hilarious, I’m going to have my doubts about you, too.

Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth", Reviewed by Ethan Coen

Remember that time I said I don’t like lists in newsletters? Well, Paul at Deplatformable Newsletter showed up to prove me wrong. His list is delightful and funny and full of ideas I’m going to steal.

Personal Owner's Manual for 2022

And here’s an example of an informational newsletter that manages to entertain. (We’ve been talking about this after my Monday post, where I asked, What is a Newsletter, Anyway?) I love how Joe handles his stories, whether he’s advocating, or reminding us of past history, or taking on the oddities of culture and class.

Market Societies vs. Societies with Markets

In Anne Kadet’s ‘Cafe Anne’ she interviews NYC’s Most Miserable Priest, and what a character he is! Foul-mouthed, drinking, and pontificating on helping the F-ing poor. A wild ride, for sure, but one I’m glad I didn’t miss.

NYC's Most Miserable Priest

Adrienne at The Dri Journal is a fabulous watercolorist, but has her doubts about starting anything new. Name me a writer on this earth who hasn’t felt that? I love what she had to say here, and I love that she shared a couple of her notebook pages she illustrated with her watercolors. (Hint: She got over it, and now she’s showing us how to paint in watercolor. Love it!)

On Being Unable to JUST START

I hope you liked my picks this week. As always, if you find posts you want to share, let me know and I’ll include them here. Nothing I like more than promoting writers who do their thing and do it so well!