lol, lol, crying [#100]
Some antidotes to despair, and a look back at my first Hu's Letter dispatch, which was this month, seven years ago.
Hello from Palm Springs, which feels like being on the surface of Mars. The whole family has to come here every year on my middle daughter Isa’s birthday because it’s (bafflingly) her happy place even though you can’t be outdoors for more than 90 seconds and my skin is now leather.
Seven years ago, I was also staying indoors, in Seoul, to avoid MERS and intermittently nursing then-baby Isa, who was born July 9 in the humidity of Seoul. I guess since I had nothing else better to do, I started this newsletter and sent it to a dozen friends who I manually signed up. SORRY NOT SORRY.
All these years and 99 editions of the letter later, I am still grateful for your correspondence and readership. It is hard not to despair these days, but I tried to include some delight below, and the only way we can keep putting one foot in front of the other is through connection and care. At the risk of sounding preachy, hug your loved ones, hug ‘em tight.
Reading/Watching/Listening
The riveting January 6 Committee hearings. The top 25 movies about journalism (I still quote Broadcast News constantly: “I say it over here, it comes out over there!) Ada Limon is the next US poet laureate! Enjoy my faves among her stellar work, The Conditional, and How To Triumph Like a Girl. “There are so many children who need apologies from their parents.” The leading cause of death among American children and adolescents, charted. Biden’s response to the fall of Roe has been awful. The most glaring thing wrong with Selling Sunset. Ben Affleck’s 10-year-old backed into a Lamborghini. Spotify’s kimchi fried rice playlist teaches you how to make the dish.
Werk Werk Werk
Revisions on my book! It’s coming out May 23, 2023, y’all! There is a cover already and everything. We’re also about to start running my interviews with notable authors this summer, as part of our TED Talks Daily Summer Book Club. I especially loved speaking with Elif Shafak and Pico Iyer, and each author came armed with a book recommendation for us, so stay tuned, those episodes are coming soon.
My stint on NPR’s It’s Been A Minute wrapped in early June, which allows a little time for unpacking boxes and focusing on Reasonable Volume, the podcast production house I co-lead with my friend/partner Rachel. We are making a lotta podcasts in Q3 and Q4, and if you have ideas or want one for yourself, don’t hesitate to reach out.
A recommendation from Hu’s Letter #1, which still holds up:
Rectify is a quiet and sometimes lyrical show that was originally on Sundance Channel. The first season is only six episodes, so it's easy to get caught up. It's worth the investment if you enjoy character driven stories and can handle a more plodding pace. Not sure? Read Matt Zoller Seitz's review, which won't give much away.
And another oldie but goodie, Party Down! I’m on a re-watch of this and it’s just as zany and hilarious. If you want something light but smart and sends up LA life (who doesn’t), Party Down is it.
Okay, until next time, send me your memes,
Elise