Emma Straub's Blog, page 13

The Center of the Center

Last night, I read at the Center for Fiction with Shya Scanlon and our Flatmancrooked editor, Deena Drewis. If you live in New York and you've never been, go, go go. The Center is on 47th Street, in the middle of Manhattan, and is the graceful sort of place that one doesn't get to go very often. There are books for sale and books to borrow and desks to write at and incredible events to attend. I want to move in.

Our charge was to talk about small presses, but mostly I think I talked about Twitter and lipstick and god knows what. I had a lovely time, and will be back on April 19 for my father Peter Straub's craft talk. You should go, too. Really, you should. In fact, I expect to see you there.

love

Emma

I Love My Book Club

Last night, I baked a batch of cookies and went to my neighbor Sonnet's house, where our book club was discussing….my book. The women in my book club are so kind, so smart, and so varied in age/stage/race/religion/interest. One couldn't ask for a better group of readers, or friends.

I took the below photos with my telephone, and so they are fairly terrible, but rest assured that all the women pictured below are as wild and wonderful as they appear to be.

With love,

Emma

Hello, Metuchen!

I'm writing you from my plush digs on the NJ Transit train home from The Raconteur, in lovely Metuchen, New Jersey. The bookstore is warm and wonderful, with a thousand corners to get lost in. Allow me to show you some pictures, won't you?

They had excellent signage.

Alex and his wife run the place, and were fabulous hosts.

The Raconteur has a Western shelf.

Jess Row, a giant metal cow head, me.

This young man was a great fan of Big Pete, and had me sign several books on his behalf. Why not, really.

Then we headed back to the train station. It really does feel good to get out of the city, even if just for a few hours.

We celebrated with Peppermint Patties.

And then I thought about freezing my eggs.

Thank you, Raconteur! Was a pleasure.

Yours,

Emma

Largehearted Boy + Yours Truly

David Gutowski is one of the nicest people I have ever met. I am perpetually surprised by how generous he is to me, and how all-seeing, all-knowing he seems to be, without the slightest drop of pretension. I was delighted to do another Book Notes column for him. This time, I picked a song to go along with every story. Here's one of them:

Story: "Mohawk"

This story takes place around a summer camp that is the complete opposite of the one I went to, where we all sat around and sang "The Circle Game" nine hundred times a day. I had never listened to the Beatles before I went to camp (I was seven, okay, and my parents only listened to jazz, so there were some pretty major holes in my knowledge of popular music), and I thought that the counselors had written "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and "Eleanor Rigby."

Here's a link to the whole she-bang.

Tonight, I'm off to Raconteur Books in Metuchen, New Jersey. If you live nearby, please come say hello! I will be over the moon to see you.

love

Emma

Is It Just Me

Or does this look like Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, some years after the wedding?

Also, if anyone feels like buying me a present, this locket is available for sale at Erie Basin.

Yours,

Emma

In Which I Visit a Fashion Magazine

This afternoon, I visited the office of a fashion magazine for the first time. I've always loved glossy mags, the kind where even the ads make you drool over a handbag you didn't know you needed, but somehow, I'd never had the occasion to visit one before. There were clothes strewn about the place, just like the walk-in closet of my dreams. I wanted to steal everything, but didn't, because I am a nice girl.

The reason for my visit was simple: NYLON wanted to record me reading part of one of my stories to run alongside their review of OPWM. Even though I knew it was just going to be audio, I still put on lipstick and wore a cute dress, just in case they decided I was too adorable not to photograph. (Note: they somehow resisted my charms.) (Note to the note: I am open to coming back, NYLON, just holler at me.)

Afterwards, I celebrated by buying myself some new purple eye-liner, as one does.

The review is in the March issue, with Kate Bosworth on the cover.

love

Emma