The Return of a So-Called Innocent from Abroad

I don't want to be back, but my bed is nice, plus my profile of journalist Soledad O'Brien, and how I laughed at my TBR pile once again. My excuse: reading is fundamental.

Hello readers,

I have returned from almost two weeks in London and then Amsterdam, which is why you got that piece of fiction about a pub portrait last week. I am full of stories for you, but I just got off a plane yesterday so I am trying to decide which stories to tell and how to tell and present them within the confines of this weekly letter. I think I know what will show up next week, but if you have any questions about either of those cities, hit reply and let me know what they are.

Was it nice to be away from U.S. headlines? Yes. Am I happy to be home? No (because of U.S. headlines), but sleeping in my own bed and snuggling my dog has been a treat. Plus, and this is so random, I did just receive a FedEx package with a bottle of premium rum sent to me by former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who just launched his own rum brand. My life is full of random delights like this, and for that I am grateful.

I am also grateful for you, being here with me for another week. Let's continue keeping calm and carrying on together.

Fondly,

Paige

Writing prompt: If you could get a passport stamp from anywhere on the globe, where would it be, and why?

Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.

-- Anthony Bourdain

Endnotes

Something I've written

If there’s one thing Soledad O’Brien has learned in her career as an award-winning broadcast journalist and documentarian, it’s that data doesn’t resonate with audiences the way stories do.

“I think in the craziest of times, the unhappiest of times, the most stressful of times, storytelling matters the most,” O’Brien says. “I don’t know how we find a way for people to come together around being kind and just and fair and not hateful except for understanding each other. And I don’t know how you help people understand each other better except for stories.”

She told me her story recently for the September issue of Palm Beach Illustrated. I really enjoyed getting to know her, and writing the piece. And I hope you'll enjoy reading it by clicking here.

Some things I've enjoyed watching on planes

• "Very Ralph," the really interesting Graydon Carter-produced biopic about American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. In it, Lauren recounts how he, a boy from the Bronx, went from designing his own line of ties to building a multimillion-dollar fashion empire full of clothes that told a very American, very aspirational, and ultimately very inclusive story.
• "Luther: Never Too Much" about singer/songwriter Luther Vandross, whose velvety voice I happen to love. I had no idea he and his band got their big break by performing on "Sesame Street" in its earliest days. While I knew he worked with a number of performers, among them David Bowie, Roberta Flack, and Chic, I had no idea that they needed to nudge him to quit being their backup singer and go do his own thing. And did he ever.

Wherein I laugh at my TBR pile

I brought a book on the plane, but never opened it. And then I bought three books in London because I am just like that. One of them is a signed copy of the new Gertrude Stein biography by Francesca Wade that won't be released here until October. Another is a history of refugees and exiles in Britain, because I am a colossal dork. And finally, there is The Sunday Times bestseller Mrs Robinson's Disgrace, about a scandalous 19th century divorce trial that I am probably going to start reading about today.

I've enjoyed listening to...

Jon Batiste's new album "Big Money" which came out last week. It's a really stripped down, funky, folky, bluesy bunch of tunes that you can tell he had a bunch of fun recording. I'm always amazed and inspired by what Batiste can do. I mean, he did just come out with a bluesy Beethoven album about a year ago, after all. Anyway, definitely check this one out.

Where I hope you'll donate this week

I don't know about you, but while I respect and appreciate the right to bear arms, I, personally, do NOT like guns. More than that, I do not like the gun violence that continues to bedevil this country. Thoughts and prayers are insufficient when the children who were injured or killed this week were LITERALLY PRAYING. So, if you are able, please consider a $25 donation to Moms Demand Action. Thank you.