Books, writing, classes
You know, the usual.
Book Updates
After 18 events in about three weeks, the major portion of the book tour is basically over. (Wow, that’s a lot.) I’ll be showing up a few places in the near future, and hopefully more too — if you’re interested, let’s talk — and you can always find that info on my website.
In the meantime, though, you can watch video from two of my events:
A packed-out conversation with Aidan Flax-Clark at the New York Public Library on March 26, the day that the Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne archive opened.
A virtual event with Lauren Winner (hosted by Image Journal) from March 12.
There will also be a livestream for my event at the American Library in Paris on May 13 (1:30pm EST), where I’ll be in conversation with the wonderful cultural historian Joanna Scutts. (And if you’re in Paris, the event is at 7:30pm local time.)
I hope you’re enjoying the book if you’ve read it! I’d love to hear what you think.
Take Class With Me
A couple of weeks ago, I gave a craft lecture to the creative writing MFA at NYU — my students also came — and have been pretty happy about how much feedback and interest it generated. Maybe talking about “the second person and reality” sounds overly nerdy but let’s be real: we’re all nerds.
Anyhow, I’m teaching a version of it in Brooklyn next weekend at the Center for Fiction, and you can sign up!
As the spring semester starts veering towards its conclusion, I’m hoping to have more ways to teach courses on writing, literature, film and criticism in the near future. I’m working on some things, but in the meantime, if you’ve been thinking “gee, I wish I could get Alissa to teach a class for us,” please do get in touch!
I Also Have Been Working Very Hard At My Job
March is a strange time at the movies, and also I haven’t posted a lot of links to things this year. So here’s a tiny selection of what you might have missed from my broader list of work (which you can always access here). Gift links, mostly.
A notebook on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Cory Booker, and the moral duty of lost causes.
Extremely proud of this notebook about the shared visual style between Best Picture nominee Nickel Boys and its director’s earlier movie, the Oscar-nominated Hale County This Morning, This Evening — and what it means.
A probably very singular notebook on perhaps the greatest living American director, Frederick Wiseman, and also my Instagram Reels algorithm.
Maybe you saw it on your Instagram, but I did a video about the messed-up state of the Oscars Best International Film category!
On Sean Baker and Anora.
What it means to say something is Lynchian, in several scenes.
There’s a very excellent new documentary about Thomas Kinkade (and his secret stash of scary paintings) that you have to see.
Review of I’m Still Here, the Oscar-nominated historically accurate movie about how everything feels normal under authoritarianism until people start disappearing.