Katrin's Newsletter #39: Happy Summer, from NYC
This brief missive is a way for me to make connections with people interested in art and creativity (sign up here). I'm an author and editor, always on the lookout for inspiration.
Hellooooo from New York City!
I was two years old when my family left Germany for America. As we flew over the East Coast, the cities below us were burning from race riots. The Jehovah's Witness owned much of Brooklyn Heights, where we lucked into a summer sublet. The dank, neglected waterfront was the stuff of nightmares and the St. George Hotel on our block housed the mentally ill. My mother was 22 years old and spoke no English.
For me, it was a a magical time that I think of as the Free to Be You and Me era: I was taught about self love, Black culture and beauty, music in all its forms, and dancing. This picture is of my brother and me at a neighborhood street fair.
I was one of only a handful of white kids in my class at PS 8. (I didn't notice this until looking at class photos decades later, in which I was often dressed in a dirndl). Alongside my brother, who once starred in a Salvation Army commercial, I rode bikes in the windswept plazas near Dumbo. I played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz, an exuberant adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. My fifth grade teacher, a young Italian woman with huge permed hair, was a disco queen who taught us to dance The Bus Stop during Math class.
I'm currently in Williamsburg for a month, soaking up city life. I love the messy bustle of big cities. Brooklyn Heights has changed, of course, but it's still recognizable to me. This weekend we walked 7+ miles, down through Williamsburg, around the Heights, across the Brooklyn Bridge up to the Williamsburg Bridge and then we limped back to our rental. The adult me reveled in all those good memories and had sore feet.
This period of my youth was pivotal to forming my world view. It's the reason I'm a teacher and a writer. I'm grateful to have been taught that life is better when we're guided by generosity and empathy. What's your turning point moment? Let me know.
As we're emerging from hibernation, I felt it was time to shake things up a bit, hence the new header. Thank you to Sarah Klinger, who created the sketch, and Michelle Higgins, who gave my imagination a jumpstart with her design skills.
This month's sources of inspiration
I'm reading "Animal" by Lisa Taddeo. Wow. I can't necessarily recommend it (it's definitely not for everyone), but for the writers amongst you I encourage you to give it a go. It's liberating to re
ad a book written with confidence and brio that doesn't give a flying f**k about likability. "For this voracious heroine, it's all out war." NYT Review
We stumbled on this Netflix documentary "All or Nothing at All" about Frank Sinatra and, somewhat to my surprise, it pulled me right in. I was happy to learn he was a staunch supporter of the NAACP and equal rights. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
PS...
Dear readers, would you help me by taking a vote on which new author photo you like best? I'd love to know which vibe you prefer. These were taken by the supremely talented Elena Seibert who has quite the impressive author portfolio and was incredibly nice to work with. Maybe some of her magic will rub off on me!
(Note: these haven't been color balanced or cleaned up yet.)
