What I'm Reading

What I'm Reading | February 2016

Recipe testing is going well.

This is what remains from a batch of muffins I tested (again) for the cookbook. If you've been following along, you'll know tomorrow is the big day. Manuscript day. As in, all 50,000 words are due to my publisher. (!) It's a huge milestone in book making, and I could not be more excited about it. 

One more thing: The 2016 reader survey is here, and I'd love to get your feedback. This year my hope is to encourage your writing, especially in areas where you might be struggling. Because let's face it, creativity is hard sometimes! If you have about four minutes to spare, please share your thoughts! They are greatly appreciated. 


How to overcome the fear of putting yourself out there.

Relearning the art of eating.

Why designers love the ampersand.

Anthony Bourdain reads a poem by Derek Halpern. 

Julia Child's home is now a yoga retreat.

How we belong somewhere.

Molly's musings on cooking with a young child.

Stop comparing your creative life to others.

Every positive change starts with these two words.

"It's the process of getting better, and lucky for the craftsmen, the process is its own reward, because everyone starts at the bottom, sweeping the shop, just hoping to get a little better each day."

What I'm Reading | December 2015

Grain Bowl at Superba

Grain Bowl at Superba

I make short ribs every New Year's Eve. In a few hours they'll be simmering in the stove, covered in a luxurious sauce of tomatoes and zinfandel. On the last day of 2015, I can say it's been one for the books. I don't typically do roundup posts for the year, but some of my favorite posts were making something out of nothing, when writing slips away, the poem I shared when I told you I was pregnant, and a new recipe for an old poem, stirring up memories from my trip to Thailand. 

Tomorrow morning the first Right Brains Society newsletter of 2016 will arrive in your inbox, and it's filled with news about the year ahead. I can't wait to share it, so if you haven't signed up yet, head here

And if you're staying up to watch the countdown and share a kiss at midnight, cheers to you! I'll be asleep. 


26 things every person should do for themselves at least once a year.

The myth of easy cooking.

"I think that the power of art is the power to wake us up, strike us to our depths, change us."

The ultimate guide to getting published in a literary magazine. 

The world's best tea shops

The next 11 literary scandals.

A storied bookstores leaves an imprint on Islamabad. 

The daily routines of 12 famous writers.

Iceland seems to have its priorities in order.

The death of the artist, and the birth of the creative entrepreneur. 

A cozy chestnut soup

15 inspiring writing podcasts.

What I'm Reading | November 2015

I feel as though there is much to say, but I hardly know how to begin. My writing during the last two months has been sporadic at best, a jumble of notes saved on my phone, as blog drafts, and penciled into a journal I'm lucky if I remember to open every night. Although not much is well organized, the scattered thoughts and insights are there somewhere, and one day I know I'll revisit them. Today is not that day, however.

Thanksgiving was quiet for us this year. Our group was small, but I cooked almost everything from pumpkin pie to roast turkey breast. My two pearls of wisdom to remember for next year: Simmer your own turkey stock the weekend before. It makes for the very best pan gravy and stuffing. Also, if you have a smaller group, roast a turkey breast instead of an entire turkey.

So, we say goodbye to November with a few good reads from around the web. I can hardly believe it's December, the end to what ended up being a very, very good year, for myriad reasons.


The curious persistence of poetry shops

The surprising power of waiting.

These ingredients are leading the locavore movement. 

How to make masala chai.

The psychology of why we do nothing about climate change.

The lost art of conversation.

How recipe writing is changing.

Pleasures of the literary meal.

Why Mark Bittman left his dream job at the New York Times

A trick to keep lipstick off your wine glass

When tweeting meets poetry.

How to raise a voracious reader.

Change your story to change your life.