Beautiful people,
You been drinking water? You been breathing with intention? You been looking at your friends in their faces, and telling them you love them? Have you?
Have you been writing out your worries, feeling your feelings, letting yourself grieve and putting that pain somewhere right?
You been loving yourself, or you been trying? You been dancing to new music, to old, to the song in your head? You been singing along? You been singing at all? You been good to yourself, you been trying? You been surviving? You been surviving? You been surviving?
Me, too. And I am simply here to check in. I love us so much, and I am asking myself so, so many questions lately. I am questioning, curious, learning, thinking. Thinking out loud.
Dear people, I hope that you are well. And I know that is a big hope at a time like this.
Cause How.
How do we “be” at a time like this? How?
How is it we simply are? Doing this. This.
Are we not fantastic? Living this, stranger than fiction? Somehow?
The “how” begets itself.
The “how” inspires me. Everyday.
NOTE: Jasper wrote a whole ass essay here, full of pontifications and platitudes, and even an Octavia Butler reference. And then? They deleted every single bit of it. It was no fun at all to read, or to write, therefore not suitable for this newsletter.
This version has been much more fun, and that is very, very important to the author. Especially right now.
Movie time
My partner has two, identical Danny DeVito shirts. One I got them for a birthday (due to their professed love for this man’s art early in our relationship), and another that already existed, of which I knew nothing about at the time. Needless to say, they are a stan.
And I’ve learned through them of Danny DeVito’s expansive directorial scope, spanning way past one of my favorite movies of all time; Matilda.
Specifically, I highly recommend Throw Momma from the Train. It’s currently free on Tubi. Do you have a favorite Danny DeVito film?
…
As I get deeper into my Letterboxd bag, one of my greatest goals has been to watch his whole filmography. It’s gonna take a minute.
One way I like to have fun is through teaching. I have a class coming up, about a thing I love so deeply; magical realism in memoir. I teamed up with
for a 3-hour seminar on Infusing Memoir Writing with Magical Realism on Wednesday, September 17 from 6 pm to 9 pm ET.Come join, if you are able and interested.
Thank y’all. Sending so much love, and talk soon,
Jasper
Throw Mama From the Train is such a classic. "Sultry."