Renata Golden

October 18, 2024

Greetings!

I hope you are enjoying some fall weather, wherever you are, with a beautiful change in seasons. The aspens on the Sangre de Cristos here in Santa Fe have been showing off their bright yellows for the past week, and the ash trees and bigtooth maples are rich red. I am especially enjoying the Santa Fe weather after returning from Greenville, South Carolina, where I arrived just in time for Hurricane Helene. Although Greenville experienced long power outages and many downed trees, the city was spared the devastation that impacted parts of western North Carolina, including Asheville. My week of no internet and canceled reading events was nothing compared to folks who lost everything—family members, animals, livelihoods. You can read updates on the area, including ways that you can help, at the local Asheville newspaper.

But I do have some good news to share. "My Eight-Snake Day," an essay from the book, is currently up at Terrain.org—take a look and I think you might be surprised at what you don't know about snakes. Also, I will be reading at Columbus State University on October 23 and the Georgia Center for the Book in Atlanta on October 24. Both readings are at 7:00 PM and are with Ellen Birkett Morris, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. If you are in Georgia or parts nearby, please stop by and say hello!

In my last email, I told you about a conversation coming up with James Aronhió:ta's Stevens at Geronimo's Books in Santa Fe on November 16, 2024 at 4:00 PM. I was already excited about this event, and then James told me about a conversation he had with a breakfast server in Hawaii (where he photographed Mountain Time in a bamboo grove). James said, "The first morning she asked me what I was reading and I told her they were nature essays. She asked me to tell her about the ant essay. The second morning I told her about snakes. This morning she said, 'We left off on bluebirds. What can you tell me about today?' So we talked about prairie dogs. We bemoaned this being my last morning but she said, 'I know so much more than I did four days ago!'" Hearing about this conversation makes me ridiculously happy.

I will leave you with a song by a singer new to me, who you probably are already familiar with. I can't get his songs out of my head. (But don't be put off by the thought of an earworm; I really think you'll like this.) Here is Teddy Swims singing at a pub in Dublin. (Thanks to the poet Sean Hill for the introduction.)

 

Enjoy the fall weather!

Renata