The new Mr.
I'm back in "the real world" as of Tuesday night.
I'm back in "the real world" as of Tuesday night. My first meal in the Real World was pizza at Star Tavern in Orange, NJ.
Pro tip for Amtrak: enjoy the window seat as long as possible, but move to the aisle seat when the train starts to fill up, so you don't get boxed in by a wordless man staring at an Excel sheet. (Granted this man saved me from buying a second disappointing train coffee and a disappointing train sandwich, so.)
Mr. the cardinal stayed behind in Virginia, in the bramble just outside studio W1 in the Fellows Barn.
When I'd finally zipped the last of my four (!) bags, containing all my comforts and printed drafts – I sat down at the big desk one last time, and wrote a note to the next writer, explaining that the Post-Its in the window were there for Mr.'s benefit, not that he paid them any mind.
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The new Mr. is a cat, on the larger, older side.
"Does he look, or am I projecting?" The cat rescue people dodge this question. They want a better photo to determine if his ear is tipped.
It's always dinnertime for Mr. I mean: could you say "no" to that face?
He's still waiting for his name assignment, but in the meantime, he is Mr. If he sticks around, we'll give him a job, too, like Larry on Downing Street.
And me? I know my name, but/and I'm looking for a job.
I've caught up on laundry, cleared some surfaces, shelved my books, the ones I took with me and the ones I acquired while away. I made a meal plan for the week and pumped my bicycle tires so I can ride to the grocery store tomorrow.
And now I'll sit down with the novella draft and see if it holds up?
And hope it's not too soon to look at it. (I don't think it is. Like eggs, the pages keep cooking in the pan, even when you've taken them off the stove.)
Mr. Cardinal outside my studio at VCCA. He visited several times a day, but I only managed to photograph him on my last day. In a past life, he may have been a paparazzo. Takes one to evade one so expertly.
ABOUT
Divinity School • a letter every Sunday at sunset • if you’re always looking, after some time you’ll have seen
I make Divinity School from scratch without AI. The writing and the photos here are all my work, always. Thank you for reading, please share near and far, and upgrade to a paid subscription if you can swing it!
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NEWSY STUFF
On Monday, March 9, I talked about and read from Divinity School at VCCA Connects at Riverviews Artspace in Lynchburg, VA, along with composer Andrea Clearfield and translator Kurt Beals. Thanks to everyone who came out for this!
Free but required RSVP is live for the April 1 (new date) launch party for SEARCH WORK: A Collective Inquiry into the Job Hunt, edited by Rachel Meade Smith (OR Books, 2026), available for pre-order now and for sale at the event. My essay is in the book so YES I WILL sign your copy!
JUNCO AND WOLF, a story inspired by my year studying in Moscow, is forthcoming in Issue No. 33 of A Public Space. Stay tuned for a pub date and order link.
