I’m still here

10 things worth sharing: Stephen Sondheim, a guide to better conversations, pencils, Owly, and more...

one of my lifted type collages

Hey y’all,

Tuesday’s email for paid subscribers was about The Beatles, surfing, and the creative process.

Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week:

1. RIP composer Stephen Sondheim. There were too many good things written about him this week to list, but I highly recommend the documentary Six by Sondheim. (Streaming on HBO Max.) I particularly liked the bits about teaching and Jarvis Cocker’s performance of “I’m Still Here.” (Although, Elaine Stritch singing it at his 80th birthday party is hard to beat.)
   
   

2. Sondheim said he only used Blackwing pencils because their lead was so soft they needed to be sharpened a lot, “which is a lot easier and more fun than writing.” I wrote about my love of them in “The Comfort of a Pencil.” (They’re also part of The Kleon Studio Gift Guide.)
   
   

3. Books: I started Louise Erdrich’s novel, The Sentence, without knowing a thing about it or the author, and I’m really enjoying it. Also, a book I blurbed is out now: The Art of Activism.
   
   

4. David Epstein, author of Range, made time to chat with me about his writing process.
   
   

5. Author Kat Vellos is selling calendars to help you have better conversations— I included her work in my post about conversational shortcuts.
   
   

6. My kids are loving the Owly graphic novel series by cartoonist Andy Runton. Here’s a video of him showing how to draw Owly. (Speaking of owls, here are the latest backyard updates on Coconut The Owl.)
   
   

7. Ear candy: It’s sunny and warm down here in Texas, so David Byrne’s “Cumbia for the Holidays!” playlist is hitting the spot. After watching The Beatles: Get Back, I’m revisiting this playlist of songs the Beatles listened to, which has a lot of Motown, Everly Brothers, Beach Boys, etc. (Encouraging to remember: The Beatles started as a cover band.)
   
   

8. Townscaper is a relaxing city-building art toy game thingie.
   
   

9. Two of my favorite writers have started newsletters: Lawrence Weschler and George Saunders.
   
   

10. Advice from Mel Brooks: “You say yes and you never do it.”
    

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to support this newsletter, get special emails on Tuesdays, and access to a cool, growing community in the comments, become a paid subscriber:

xoxo,

Austin