Things that happened this week and a Feb. 28 gig

Some things happened this week.

I learned that THREE MUSES is a finalist for the?Gotham Book Prize:

“awarded annually to the best book published that calendar year — either fiction or nonfiction — that either is about New York City or takes place in New York City.”

I am really overjoyed about this, and awestruck by the company. I’ve read three of the finalists and can recommend them.?OLGA DIES DREAMING?was one of my favorite books from 2022. I thought?TRUST?was wickedly clever and that?BIG GIRL?had a lot to say. I look forward to reading the others.

In you’re in the DC metro area, please join me in conversation with the inspiring Ericka Taylor at?Chevy Chase Library?in MD (8005 Connecticut Avenue) at?6:30 PM on February 28.

Last Saturday I read at Charlottesville’s?New Dominion Bookshop. It’s a beautiful store, and I loved being in conversation with?Jody Hobbs Hesler, who has a collection of short stories and a novel coming out next year.

It is hard to overstate how much I love being in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. I had hoped to complete a first draft of a new novel before I leave this weekend, but that seems unlikely. The time and space are a gift, but things are going more slowly than I had hoped. That’s to be expected. You can’t speed up something that doesn’t want to go faster.

A couple of days ago, an artist friend and I visited the local antique shop. I was intrigued by the number of items that were in our home growing up. Can’t help sharing—

May your week be wonderful.

Love,?Martha