Here’s what’s making us happy this week.
The theme this week is running-up-that-hill. Here at Lit Hub, we’re questing for answers. In the Kingdom of Hollownest, or ancient Egypt. We’re trying to keep the dream alive while that big wheel keeps on turning. And we’re accepting invitations to look backwards—if only to prepare for what’s ahead.
After receiving his first “ever-ever” gaming console (a Switch), Drew Broussard has become “fully obsessed” with Hollow Knight. The 2D action-adventure game draws readers into a labyrinthine Gothic mystery, set far “beneath the fading town of Dirtmouth.”
Says Drew: “It’s a little Gormenghast, a little Locked Tomb, a little bit Edward Gorey…I love that it doesn’t tell me sh*t and I have to figure out what to do and where to go on my own.” (Emily Temple cosigns this endorsement.)
James Folta was laid a little low from a cold this week, and has been spending evenings “slurping chicken soups and rewatching Party Down.” This apex ensemble comedy following a bunch of struggling LA artists/cater waiters comes “with a killer cast” and “sharp writing.” But its biggest pull may be the unflinching realism.
“It really nails the feeling of pursuing a creative life,” says James. “The hope and camaraderie alongside the frustration and bitterness.” You can rerun or get hip to the series on Hulu.
And speaking of reruns. Jessie Gaynor got her hands on the latest book in the Greeking Out series—Tales from the Underworld. These bone-chilling stories—based on a popular National Geographic Kids podcast—take young readers to mythical backdrops in ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, China, and beyond.
The books have “caused great joy” in Casa Gaynor. Because Jessie’s “ultimate parenting goal is to raise giant mythology nerds, and it’s going great.”
This week, our own Molly Odintz celebrated her eighth year (!) at Lit Hub. Nuff said. Though please hug her, if you see her in person.
And I, Brittany Allen, have been finding inspiration in endings. We lost two greats this week: the Black revolutionary Assata Shakur, and the primatologist turned earth advocate, Jane Goodall. Though very different, both women were paragons of commitment. They were wild idealists (and writers!), in thrall to a higher cause.
Assata fought tooth and nail for the freer “amerika,” while Jane brought us into closer communion with our pals on the evolutionary chain—and subsequently, the fading resources we all rely on. Celebrating their lives this week, I was buoyed and galvanized by their biographies. Two good templates for hard times.
Wishing you all a weekend of treasure found, stones unturned, and milestones celebrated.
