While it’s been some time since I’ve written a post here, I am reading and writing many things! Here’s the latest on what I’ve been up to and where you can find me.
First, I was asked to take on new duties at my day job because my boss left to take another job. So I am now serving as the interim Collection Development Officer for UW-Madison Libraries. This is in addition to my regular position as the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian for the UW System. So to say my schedule has gotten busier would be an understatement. With time and discipline (what is that??), I am learning to juggle these new duties with the existing ones. While I enjoy the work, I hope that new people can be hired so that I will be off the hook by mid-spring (fingers crossed).
In addition to this, I am writing more. Everything I read says that if you want to be a writer you need to write, and write a lot. So this week, I started a daily writing practice in which I write for at least 30 minutes a day. Usually it’s more and I have written quite a bit this week. I’ve started publishing on Medium, so please check that out. Some of the pieces are recycled but I was excited when my new original piece, Shedding the sugar security blanket, was picked up by The Startup.
I still have my series, Feminist Know-It-All, on the Ms. Magazine website and it is so fun. Up to now, it’s been mostly lists of new Reads for the Rest of Us but it will be expanding soon. I recently conducted an interview with Melanie S. Hatter, author of the Kimbilio National Fiction Prize winning Malawi’s Sisters, and I hope this will be published as part of that column in the near future.
I recently had a chapter published in an ebook entitled, The Time is Now: Feminist Leadership for a New Era. The book was compiled by the Global Network UNESCO Chairs on Gender and my chapter is “The role of libraries in the leadership development of women and girls around the world.” The book is available free online, so please take a look!
I was asked to write a book review for the Canadian Journal of History, which should be published by early spring, and I continue to contribute to Resources for Gender and Women’s Studies: A Feminist Review. I am also trying to work on my first book project, which is a history of the Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian at the UW. It’s been tough to make this a priority but that’s why I started a daily writing practice. My hope is to alternate projects each day to find time for all the things I want to write.
I continue to update my resource guide on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW or MMIWG). It is consistently my most popular post on the site. Please share it widely!
Of course, I continue to read as much as I can. There’s never enough time to read all of the books I want to, though! Favorites this year include (so far, and in no particular order):
- the aforementioned Malawi’s Sisters
- Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
- High School by Tegan and Sara Quin
- Them Goon Rules by Marquis Bey
- They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
- Tonic and Balm by Stephanie Allen
- When Death Takes Something From You Give It Back by Naja Marie Aidt
- Native Country of the Heart by Cherrie Moraga
I’ve also committed to improving my health. So this week, I started to detox from sugar and diet soda; you can read about it on The Startup. I’ve also increased my activity level and my intake of tea and water. I’ve joined Noom, which is helping tremendously with the psychology behind my existing habits. Click the link or image for a 20% discount!
I actually took a week off work to get started on all of this because I knew it would be challenging. It’s day four or five and the headaches have decreased significantly. I feel clearer and my mood has improved a bit. I am peeing all the time because of the increased water intake. I’ve lost two pounds and am feeling more motivated in general.
Duo (top) and Grace
Above and beyond all this, there were a few other big things happening this summer. First, my son moved out into his first place. This is a big adjustment, but it’s been great. Second, my partner and I adopted a puppy. She is a boxer mix from our local humane society and her name is Grace. I don’t have to tell you that she is the sweetest, cutest, most cuddly girl ever. She’s brought a lot of joy into our lives since we lost our amazing dog, Duo, in June.
Beautiful boy, Duo
Gracie sleeping
Little girl Grace
So what have you been up to this summer? What have you been reading? What’s been your favorite book so far this year? Let me know in the comments below.
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In a starred review, Library Journal describes Red Clocks in this way: “In language both poetic and political, Zumas presents characters who are strong and determined; each is an individual in her own right. Inevitably, there will be comparisons to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, but Zumas’s work is not nearly as dystopic or futuristic, only serving to make it that much more believable. Highly recommended.”
Named one of the most anticipated books of the year by Electric Lit, Bustle, Bitch, Book Riot, and others, this debut by Emezi received starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist.
A story about groundbreaking Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad, this debut was described by Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage and Silver Sparrow: “Written with the urgent tenderness of a love letter, this soaring novel is a heart-breaker and heart-mender at once—a gorgeous tribute to the brave and brilliant poet remembered in its pages.” #ownvoices
I am in the middle of reading this book now and I find it hard to put it down. Rao’s writing allows the reader to access the intricacies and darkness of her protagonist’s life in India in a way that one feels her intense heartbreak and resilience at once.
If 
Like many of you, I cannot WAIT to read this book.
People are already raving over this debut collection of stories about Black identity, culture, and citizenship. It’s been described as wicked, awkward, wise, intense, inventive, honest, funny, smart, rewarding, original, and urgent.
The description of this debut novel is so compelling… an injured concert pianist impetuously buys a house on the coast of Cape Town (who wouldn’t) but over time, the house seems to affect the man in disturbing and mind-altering ways.
In her futuristic debut novel, Peng Shepherd examines themes of memory and the darkness that forgetting can bring. I haven’t read a lot about this book except for a 
R.O. Kwon said 
Heng’s debut futuristic novel has been described as glittering. Kristen Iskandrian, author of Motherest, said “Suicide Club bends genre with grace and artistry, delivering us to the outermost reaches of what’s familiar and affirming what dares to still exist there: family, friendship, and forgiveness. With superb writing, Rachel Heng has crafted a world inside of a world gone mad, one where love faces its most difficult test. This is an exciting, bold, inventive novel.”
In her debut novel, Rojas Contreras tells the story of two women making their way in war-torn Colombia in the 1990’s. Called “Spellbinding…” by Cristina Henriquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans, this book centers women’s experiences with violence, secrecy, and unexpected connections.