Here’s everything that made us happy this week.
The theme this week is small attention. Whether palpating the perfect nightshade or kneeling at the church of secular folk, we spent time looking and listening close. Small things—good jokes, cupcakes, asides—kept the engines running.
Drew Broussard went to a workshop of a new Heather Christian piece, and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it. None: A Practical Breviary, from the haunting witch who brought us Animal Wisdom, is the singer-songwriter-bookwriter’s latest attempt to “mimic the flow of classic monastic breviaries.” (Or a daily liturgy, to the erstwhile layman.)
Drew says the piece “had elements of space and nihilism,” but he mostly experienced it outside narrative. “The joy of hearing original, challenging, interesting theatrical music performed for a group of maybe 50 people or so…magical.”
Calvin Kasulke’s nice thing of the week is the fact of the Tiny Awards, which have been celebrating the weirdest corners of the internet since 2023. The websites, boondoggles, goofs, and larks nominated cover what’s still “small, poetic, creative, [and] handmade” about the internet. Calvin puts it better: it’s nice to be reminded that people are still up to “neat sh*t.”
Previous Tiny winners include this hypnotic rotating sandwich from Lauren Walker, and this virtual park from Elliott Cost.
Molly Odintz saw My Morning Jacket this week, which slapped. But the real headliner was a surprise. “By far the biggest cheer was not for the band…but for PBS.” This one’s extra galvanizing considering the week public media had.
James Folta’s rose is the launch of tomato season. Our favorite home chef is a connoisseur, and starts to get fiend-y come August. “I get a little too diligent about checking the farmers markets and grocery stores for good reds, and I like what I’m seeing this week. I made a good salad, and am looking forward to galettes, tomato and egg stir fries, and gazpachos. Gonna try pickling some cherry tomatoes this year too.”
Picking a tomato is a high art unto itself. So “don’t gatekeep,” says James. “let me know where you’re finding good ‘toes in Brooklyn!”
Jonny Diamond’s got a birthday on the books. His toddler turns two tomorrow, so the gang is making Little Bear cupcakes to celebrate. “It’s all very wholesome and nice.”
And I, Brittany Allen, took joy in book treasure. Nettie Jones’ Fish Tales, recently reissued from FSG, is riotous, bawdy, horny, alarming, funny, gross, and frank. A chronicle of the sexual and romantic misadventures of Lewis, a true original, this novel felt like a blast of fresh air. Delighted to (re)discover the iconoclast Nettie Jones.
Wishing you a weekend of wholesome bites, secular prayers, and fresh discoveries.
