Here I am.

Celebrate spring with a garden workshop! Also: death, reporting on sex parties and what I think is wrong with Anora

So after my one-year weekly burst of posts with Nevertheless She Persisted, I figured I’d just send out an occasional post. But I was waiting to be struck with a new theme. I’ve pondered a few. I just can’t decide on one yet. So for now it’s just Clayton Place. I’ll offer brief updates on projects, workshops and maybe I’ll ramble a bit.

Over the past handful of months a lot has happened. My mother died in November. I’m still getting used to the idea that she’s gone. After she died, I looked in the mirror and thought “Who am I now?” Her death was imminent. Yet it’s still a weird process of acceptance and I miss her quirky ways. We’ll be having a celebration of life for her in the midwest in June.

As far as work goes, I’ve contributed to a book project about super survivors of cancer (more on this later), started co-leading a workshop at the Huntington Gardens & Library in Pasadena (see below), worked on a couple of stories about the LA fires, talked to folks worried sick over the possibility that their Medicaid/Medi-Cal benefits might get cut, hung out with some farmworkers and — oh yes! — for The Guardian US I got to talk to some people who know a lot about sex parties and how to have one the right way (as opposed to the now infamous “freak off”). I also worked on a massive report about the global clean cooking crisis. If you’re at all interested in this environmental and health issue, which impacts poor women and kids most, click on the report now because I’m told it will go behind a paywall soon.

Is it just me or has the world gone to hell in a handbasket? Maybe you don’t need to think about Medicaid and environmental issues right now! How about something more fun? Like summer camp! Check out my Atlantic essay about going to summer camp with my kid.

And if you’re in the LA area…

My friend Kimberly Lee and I are co-leading an art+writing workshop a couple of times a month at The Huntington on Sunday mornings. It’s a beautiful place to hang out. We’d love to see you there!

Anora (the rambling part)

I got in a discussion the other night about the Oscar wining movie “Anora” so I’ll just throw it out here in case anyone wants to weigh in. I’ve co-written one feature and one short script and my reaction to this movie makes me understand myself as a storyteller better. Yes, it is a riveting, well-acted, realistic movie. But it is also, in the end, a story in which the character Anora gets effed literally and figuratively. The most heart-breaking part is not even the end (quite sad) but when the Russian oligarch father laughs at Anora while she’s venting and being forced to annul her marriage. The writer, Sean Baker, calls it a love story. I’d call it a Cinderella fairytale (starring Mikey Madison as Anora, the sex worker Cinderella) with a realistic, cruel conclusion. Compare that to the Max series The White Lotus. This is also written by a guy and it’s like a “cozy” murder story crossed with scandal, cheating, sex and existential dread. It’s funny sometimes, but often not uplifting per se. Yet it has a moral compass storytelling-wise. The people who get effed are usually the ones who deserve it and they’re not always marginalized women. I prefer to tell those kinds of stories. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Also…I recently visited one of my college roommates who now lives in Charleston. Renee has started a business where she organizes homes. And I can attest that her condo is organized like no other. So maybe I’ll get her to share tips soon.

Anyhow, please drop me a line and tell me what you’re up to! It’s been too long!