Won’t he do it?

Last week, an old friend contemplating PhD programs said he was going to check out my blog, “to see what PhD students do” and I laughed: since March 2020, the tone of this page has taken on a tone that is much more confessional than professional.

Since then, I’ve given some thought about what I want this space to be & (if I have) any viewers who visit this space with any regularity—a keen eye will reveal that a number of posts written between March & the present were removed. Those that remain either reflect the kind of writing I’d like publications to be aware that I’m capable of producing (to wit: navel-gaze-y cultural criticisms & navel-gaze-y, nostalgia-laden navel-gazing), or serve to refer readers to my professional publications and press.

& with that change, I’ve decided to bump this post about a toasts & topics conversation from August up in the queue. It may come as a shock (mainly to myself because it sure shocked the hell out of me) that based on this conversation, I was asked to interview an author (the inimitable Shayla Lawson) for the Texas Book Festival.

The Book Festival’s 2020 line up is live & you can RSVP to my interview with Shayla Lawson about her book, This is Major, by looking at the events scheduled for Friday, November 13th. (Available here: https://www.texasbookfestival.org/2020-festival-schedule/ )

& for those wondering, “how did this hack get booked for something like this?” Know that I wholeheartedly agree with you! And allow me to point you back to this interview with Kendyll Gross which I’ve heard was enjoyable & the foundation for the book festival’s invitation (if I’m being honest, Kendyll is the magic, here).

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Kendyll asked me whether or not I’ve still kept up with M*rk P*llium & the racist antics happening at St*p The In*anity. To which I responded, “actually, no. Not really. If there’s a silver lining to all of this, it’s that it’s given me something else to fixate on besides the Facebook racists.”

& then Kendyll said, “As they say in my momma’s church, ‘won’t he do it?’”

That whip-like wit is one of the many reasons why I love her. (On top of the fact that that she is the most supportive, most brilliant, most interesting person I know.) But you can see for yourself: last week, I was able to interview Kendyll about the future of confederate monuments & she is dazzling & charming for the entire hour. You can watch that interview here:

Truth be told, it’s just as much a video about me drinking a bottle of wine in an hour as it is about confederate monuments. But I think that adds something to it. Be on the look out for the particularly humbling moment when I pantomimed a cat’s anus & the conversation was momentarily derailed!