Dec 23, 2023·edited Dec 23, 2023Liked by Mary Gaitskill
May I humbly speak for every gentle reader of your substack and say we cannot wait for your new novella about a woman who, in anguish and despair, sells her soul to the devil.
I laughed and wept at your grinch tale . I also wish you well in your search for a more balanced place.
Your words have helped me find balance over the years , being ,as it is ,so brilliantly poised between darkness and light, fear and love, irony and joy . No mean feat . So withdraw , retreat and rebalance, any damn time you feel like it.
If you never write another word , you’ve already done enough .
I listened to the Moth in later 2000s when it truly was ordinary people telling moving and fascinating stories. Then those involved decided to promote celebrities who did not reveal themselves or tell such life changing stories and I lost interest. I tried again a few years ago but it was the same dreary celebs and a few pretend ordinary people so I didn't persist.
I'm sorry if this is the case. I haven't listened that much lately, mostly if it comes on in the car. But I can say when I did it in 2017, the people with me weren't celebrities. Ordinary, I don't know, but definitely not celebrities.
More and more people on my street have gone in for LARGE inflatables- Santa’s, snowmen, reindeer. The first 🏡 that did it, several blocks down and a few years ago, did it in style and left it lit all night. It was magical finding it the first time walking my dog after we’d got home from a nasty shift at work about 1.00 AM. Solo was intrigued by the lights (I wanted to think).......but probably it was the smells on the other side of the gate. She likes to check out smells on the other side of gates. So the next night I let her walk a little down the path and took a few photos of my little whippet checking out this bizarre collection of lights and giant decorations and I thought it was rather wonderful.
We don’t do those midnight walks any more. Thanks to Long Covid I had to stop 🛑 working. But we did get down there in daylight at the end of November and saw the same house with its weird collection of Christmas misfit blowups -- only they were flat on the ground. Solo showed no interest. I took a few pictures of the deflated monsters covering more or less the whole yard. It looked like the mess outside any new house that’s going up-- just different colour flat packs and messier. Solo wanted to go home. It was cold and grey. No interesting smells.
Usually I do that walk anticlockwise. That afternoon I’d gone clockwise. As we headed for home we encountered an INVASION of Snowmen and Santa’s in their full blown up BIG and UGLY glory. House after house. Where are the body snatchers when you need them? To add insult, one has gone up across the street. I want to take a skewer to it -- it’s all I can see from my kitchen window. It’s there when I get up in the morning, at lunchtime, every time I go for a glass of water, in the middle of the night. It is definitely not an incentive to do the dishes- which desperately need doing -- thanks dead dishwasher.
Maybe I’m being grinchy, but I’d much rather see your skeleton with it’s big balls.
The Moth is wonderful. I can listen to the stories for hours. Thanks to you and Laurel for sharing your smiles.
This one actually has come down, the image is from last year. But it did stay up for quite awhile, celebrating Halloween, Christmas, New Years, Easter and the 4th. I wish it were still there!
May I humbly speak for every gentle reader of your substack and say we cannot wait for your new novella about a woman who, in anguish and despair, sells her soul to the devil.
Dearest Mary ,
I laughed and wept at your grinch tale . I also wish you well in your search for a more balanced place.
Your words have helped me find balance over the years , being ,as it is ,so brilliantly poised between darkness and light, fear and love, irony and joy . No mean feat . So withdraw , retreat and rebalance, any damn time you feel like it.
If you never write another word , you’ve already done enough .
Thankyou . Have a peaceful Christmas . J
Thank you!
This is beautiful and moving and yes. Merry Christmas Mary xx
I listened to the Moth in later 2000s when it truly was ordinary people telling moving and fascinating stories. Then those involved decided to promote celebrities who did not reveal themselves or tell such life changing stories and I lost interest. I tried again a few years ago but it was the same dreary celebs and a few pretend ordinary people so I didn't persist.
I'm sorry if this is the case. I haven't listened that much lately, mostly if it comes on in the car. But I can say when I did it in 2017, the people with me weren't celebrities. Ordinary, I don't know, but definitely not celebrities.
This link is such a gift! The Moth is one of my favorite nights out here in DC.
Mary,loved hearing you read the story, it was magical⭐️
Can’t wait to read your new work. Happy Holidays with love Rene
Thank you so much for this, Mary!!
OMG listening to this was a joy and I cried at the ending! I LOVE Substack and how it opens up my world to so many amazing and creative people!
So great to get this lovely surprise in my inbox. Thank for the Xmas gift, Mary! Good luck with the novella -- eager to read it!
The grinch story was beautiful. Merry Christmas Mary.
Merry Christmas back, even if it is over!
More and more people on my street have gone in for LARGE inflatables- Santa’s, snowmen, reindeer. The first 🏡 that did it, several blocks down and a few years ago, did it in style and left it lit all night. It was magical finding it the first time walking my dog after we’d got home from a nasty shift at work about 1.00 AM. Solo was intrigued by the lights (I wanted to think).......but probably it was the smells on the other side of the gate. She likes to check out smells on the other side of gates. So the next night I let her walk a little down the path and took a few photos of my little whippet checking out this bizarre collection of lights and giant decorations and I thought it was rather wonderful.
We don’t do those midnight walks any more. Thanks to Long Covid I had to stop 🛑 working. But we did get down there in daylight at the end of November and saw the same house with its weird collection of Christmas misfit blowups -- only they were flat on the ground. Solo showed no interest. I took a few pictures of the deflated monsters covering more or less the whole yard. It looked like the mess outside any new house that’s going up-- just different colour flat packs and messier. Solo wanted to go home. It was cold and grey. No interesting smells.
Usually I do that walk anticlockwise. That afternoon I’d gone clockwise. As we headed for home we encountered an INVASION of Snowmen and Santa’s in their full blown up BIG and UGLY glory. House after house. Where are the body snatchers when you need them? To add insult, one has gone up across the street. I want to take a skewer to it -- it’s all I can see from my kitchen window. It’s there when I get up in the morning, at lunchtime, every time I go for a glass of water, in the middle of the night. It is definitely not an incentive to do the dishes- which desperately need doing -- thanks dead dishwasher.
Maybe I’m being grinchy, but I’d much rather see your skeleton with it’s big balls.
The Moth is wonderful. I can listen to the stories for hours. Thanks to you and Laurel for sharing your smiles.
"I’d much rather see your skeleton with it’s big balls"
😜
Happy holidays, Mary! May you be well in the new year! 😊
You too!!!
With these skeletons...once they go up, they don't come down. They are everywhere.
This one actually has come down, the image is from last year. But it did stay up for quite awhile, celebrating Halloween, Christmas, New Years, Easter and the 4th. I wish it were still there!
So good to hear from you. Thanks for the encouragement. You sound excited about your work. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Merry Christmas, and the very best New Year!!!
Merry stuff to you too!
Thanks Mary. Happy holidays.