Would I do it tomorrow?

10 things worth sharing: Independent Bookstore Day events, a question to ask before accepting an invitation, and more...

Hey y’all,

Our epic open thread on Tuesday lifted my spirits. I look forward to the next one already.

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

1. Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day! Some participating stores are stocking an exclusive Read Like an Artist zine by yours truly. If you’re here in Austin, TX, I’m biking to Bookpeople and Black Pearl Books to hang out, hand-sell, and sign books for a couple hours. Details here.
   
   

2. To further celebrate: I posted a book-related itinerary for people visiting Austin, TX, and I was on two bookish podcasts recently that I thought were really good: Close Reads HQ and Book Dreams. (Both have show notes to give you an idea of what we talked about.)
   
   

3. I absolutely loved Don Delillo’s novel White Noise. It won the National Book Award two years after I was born, but it felt like it could’ve been written yesterday. (Delillo was obviously inspired by Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death, a book I read this winter.)
   
   

4. Last Sunday’s entire NYTimes T magazine was dedicated to the creative rituals, advice, and process of contemporary artists.
   
   

5. Instapaper as a “don’t-read-later service.”
   
   

6. These paper engineering courses that genius Kelli Anderson is teaching look incredible. (Here’s some student work from previous courses.) Paper is a wonderful technology.
   
   

7. I know almost nothing about skateboarding except for a few excellent skater accounts I follow on Instagram, but I enjoyed Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off. I also watched Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, which gives you the context of the scenius around Hawk. The skater who steals the show in both documentaries is Rodney Mullen, who has become a sought-after consultant and public speaker. (His TED talk is worth watching.)
   
   

8. Ear candy: I’m enjoying the new Pusha T and his Filet-O-Fish diss track I somehow missed.
   
   

9. Filmmaker Gary Hustwit announced that his next film is about Brian Eno. Longtime readers might know that Eno is something of a hero of mine. (Fun connection: His teacher in art school was the great Tom Phillips.) In addition to Eno’s records and the music he’s produced for others, I would recommend Geeta Dayal’s book Another Green World and Eno’s diary, A Year With Swollen Appendices. (If you’d rather watch than read, check out this lecture and this doc isn’t bad, either.) Oh, and his brother Roger just did a Tiny Desk Concert.
   
   

10. A question to ask before you accept an invitation: “Would I do it tomorrow?”

Thanks for reading! This newsletter is a reader-supported publication. The best way to support my work is to buy my books, hire me to speak, shop for some of my favorite gear (I get a cut), or become a paid subscriber and help keep Fridays free for everyone:

xoxo,

Austin

PS. Here’s a peek at the zine participating bookstores are giving out tomorrow.