Hanging on the Telephone

A publicist walks into an interview and things get colorful, plus aviatrixes, ponies, and a wildlife quiz that may save your life.

Sometimes when I’m interviewing people, there’s a publicist on the line too. And the publicists are usually there to help a source make sure they say one particular thing, or don’t say eleventy billion other things that might give a reader pause, or even alert law enforcement to some sort of low-level wrongdoing. I mean I guess that’s why they’re there. I don't know. They’re usually quiet, for the most part, and jump in at the end of the call to reassure me that they’re there for me if I need anything else. And then I say “oh yes, I’ll circle back…” and they say “oh please do…” and then there’s an exchange of Godspeeds and pip-pips and that sort of thing.

And then the call ends, and I move on to the next thing. 

Now there was one call this week, where I was talking to someone fairly scientific, so I had to be really sure I knew what he was explaining to me (ed note: C science student here who has come to really love the subject in my older years) because I’m going to have to explain it to someone else, like a. my editor, you know, the one I used to be terrified to write for because she has a PhD in poetry, which I associate with dignity that I lack, and b. a magazine reader. Yes, they still exist. Once I understood what this subject invented and what applications it had, I wanted to get some sense of where that came from. Did he grow up idolizing folks like Einstein and playing with science kits that someone gave him for Christmas, or what? I really wanted to get a sense of the flesh and blood person behind the genius.

Once the subject got going, I was hiiiighly entertained and thinking “THIS IS AMAZING. I wish this wasn’t a very busy person because I could talk to this guy all day long. HE IS THE BEST.” But when the subject realized some of the things he was saying, he paused and said to the publicist on the line “I guess I can’t say this, huh.” And the publicist smiled and said: “Well, it’s certainly colorful.” And I thought to myself: “Yes, it certainly is, and I will be so sad when I have to hang up because this is literally the unexpectedly favorite interview of the week for me. I did not see this coming and I hate that I won't be able to use everything you've said BECAUSE YOU, SIR, ARE AN ICON.” 

Man, I love what I do.

Here’s hoping your week has been full of unexpected little joys too.

Paige

Writing prompt: Write about some unexpected little joys you've experienced. What made them so good?

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.

-- Anne Lamott

Endnotes

What I've been reading

I just couldn't put down Laurie Gwen Shapiro's The Aviator and the Showman, the impressive new dual biography about Amelia Earhart and her husband George Putnam that takes a little bit of shine off of her myth, and makes you want to throw him into shark-infested waters. Putnam, a publishing scion, was trying to prove he had what it took to run the family business someday, so he sought out these real-life adventure tales (that sometimes ended in the author's death) that could be quickly churned out, embellished, and sold at Christmas. By the late-1920s, those adventure tales involved aviation. After G.P. Putnam's Sons published Charles Lindbergh's memoir WE, about his 1927 transatlantic flight to Paris, George started musing about whether there was a female pilot on par with him. The thing is, there were plenty, and many of them were well-trained. But a lovely young social worker who dabbled in flying became the person he decided he'd turn into a superstar. That was Amelia Earhart, and she was willing to do anything Putnam said. Having said that, the brave young woman was also well-aware that she needed to get more flight hours and training, so she quietly did that as Putnam turned her into the Queen of the Air. But you know, Putnam was messy, and his finances were messy, and he was counting on his wife's successful flight around the world with a drunken co-pilot to change his fortunes. Sadly, we know how that ended. And yet, Shapiro shows us that despite that, this partnership was one that pushed aviation forward, and inspired countless people to chase their seemingly impossible dreams. I just loved this book, and think you will too. Be sure to grab a copy at your favorite independent bookseller.

I've also been reading Molly Young's zines. The one that has been getting a lot of buzz lately is Privacy, which is about her pregnancy. It made me relive the very strange time when I was once pregnant too, and almost committed an act of violence when I told my husband I wanted to go eat at this ribs place and he said he wasn't in the mood for that. So I said some things to him. I don't recall what they were. But when I was done speaking my truth, he realized he was in the mood for ribs after all. Good times. Another example: I remember being out to lunch with my sister, and the child I was incubating proceeded to drag its heel (maybe) down the side of my abdomen. I pointed it out, my sister put her hand on my stomach to feel what was going on, and then declared: "That little shit!" Another funny zine Young produced is The Things They Fancied, which she wrote during the pandemic. It's about the stupid things the rich spend their money on, but it's also a series of super-twisted history lessons that I really enjoyed. You might too. Go check out her work at youngblanks.com.

What I'm wondering

It's summer, so maybe you're going on a trip to a national park. But just how much do you know about staying safe around the critters you will likely encounter? If you've been a faithful reader of this newsletter, you've learned that bison are surprisingly fast, reaching speeds of 35 m.p.h. You know that you should not make eye contact with them, too, because they will come for you. But what do you know about alligators and other beasts? Take this quiz and let me know how you did. I missed two, but at least now I know how to face off against stingrays and bears.

Speaking of...

Back when I was a wee lass, my mother used to bring me and my sister to Chincoteague Island, Virginia. Faithful readers know that I was once a horse-obsessed child, which meant I read pretty much every pony-related children's book by Marguerite Henry, including Misty of Chincoteague, which I'm sure I might see in a different, more problematic light if I read it now. At any rate, Misty was a real horse, one of the many plucky ponies living on nearby Assateague Island because of a shipwreck. To manage the island's equine population, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department began rounding up these ponies and having them swim across the channel between the two islands, so they could sell them off and raise money for the VFD. People come from all over the place to see this event, which takes place next week for the 100th time.

What are you listening to?

Hit reply and let me know what music or narrative-driven podcasts you're loving right now and why.

Where I hope you'll donate this week

People are starving in Gaza, even the doctors who are trying to save them from dying of malnutrition. World Food Program has said the crisis is at "new and astonishing levels of desperation, with a third of the population not eating for multiple days in a row." There are a bunch of different ways you can help. Here are just a few organizations that are doing what they can to get food relief into Palestinian hands: Palestine Children's Relief Fund, World Food Programme, The Sameer Project, Save the Children, Oxfam America, and Oxfam International.