Letter of News: Keeping Up With Appearances

Dear Friends,

Some lovely new things to share with you, a couple of quick reminders, and then a list of uncanny drinks to mix for yourself if you're in a strange mood.

Brooklyn Public Library Event with Max Gladstone

In just over two hours, Max and I will be chatting with each other in public under the auspices of the BPL! Make sure to register here to catch it at 7:30 PM tonight!

Introducing Sparkle Salon

So once upon a time on Twitter, Meg Frank – artist, genius, all around human wonder – made the following wish:

That was in February; a bunch of us said wow, yes, absolutely we'd like to do that. Malka Older – author, genius, world-saver, all around human wonder – took it upon herself to herd email-cats and find a willing partner to make this happen, and Arizona State University stepped up. The result is honestly pretty extraordinary to me.

So, here's Sparkle Salon Episode 1 for your viewing pleasure: Malka Older, Karen Lord, Katie Mack, Annalee Newitz, Arkady Martine and me just hanging out and having a conversation about infrastructure, climate, the internet, narratives, careers, legibility vs indexability, and much more!

Huge especial thanks are due to Tyler Eglen for producing, to ASU for logistics and support, and to Meg Frank, again, for providing extra sparkly art! Enjoy! We've already recorded Episode 2!

Vanity Fair Podcast: Still Watching

Speaking of the occasional weird Twitter moment of grace – thanks in part to Al Kennedy (of excellent podcasts Desert Island DiscWorld and House to Astonish) serendipitously tagging us into each other's presence, the extremely charming Joanna Robinson invited me on to Vanity Fair's Still Watching podcast to talk about the new Loki TV show, tricksters, time travel, and This Is How You Lose the Time War. You can listen on Apple, Podchaser or however else you get your podcasts! It's episode 182, the one that aired today – and while it definitely contains spoilers for last week's Loki, I haven't listened yet to know whether they get into today's episode yet, so maybe make sure you're caught up on both if you want to stay spoiler-free!

Dressed As People: Opening Night Cocktails and Q&A

Finally, Dressed As People – the show I co-wrote with Kelly Robson and Alyx Dellamonica for Margo MacDonald, that I cannot stop talking about – is premiering tomorrow night! The Fringe period is June 17-27; those of you who've already bought tickets should find links in your inboxes as of midnight (EST) tonight; if you haven't yet grabbed yours, I encourage you to do so, because!

The creative team would like to invite you to an Opening Night Cocktails evening, for which you can register here! It's free, and it will most likely be a small intimate situation where you can ask us stuff about the show (we're assuming you'll have watched it already and that this discussion will be spoilery).

I've taken the liberty of designing some themed drinks for your enjoyment – one per monologue. Kelly wrote "Skinless"; Alyx wrote "Repositioning"; I wrote "The Shape of My Teeth." Here they are:

Skinless

- 8 oz water
- 1/2 oz vinegar
- pinch of salt

Fill a glass with water. Pour it out, slowly, down a drain where it will benefit no one. In the dregs, sprinkle a pinch of salt and 1/2 oz of vinegar. Drink it at the pace you will most regret.

Repositioning

- 1.5 oz tequila
- 1 oz blue curaçao liqueur
- 1 oz lime juice
- a small item of personal significance

Pour liquids into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until you're certain you can't go on any longer -- and then shake for 10 more seconds after that. Pour into a chilled, salt-rimmed margarita coupe; before garnishing, take your significant item & break it, dropping the pieces into the drink. Sip carefully around the choking hazard. Don't let anything distract you.

The Shape of My Teeth

- 2 oz Empress gin
- 1 oz St. Germaine
- 1 oz grapefruit juice

Stir spirits over ice; pour into a chilled coupe. Clutch the bitter citrus to your heart until you're ready to spill a secret. Whisper it as you mix it in; sip it, and be transformed.

I do hope you'll join us.

Meanwhile here's a lily pad sky to carry you into the rest of the week.

Wishing you all the best,

Amal