Beautiful Words
Flavors and images too
I have been working on some news to share with you about our Spring Projects (including the very exciting ongoing construction of our new road at Rocinante), but since that’s not ready yet, I thought I’d share three diverse books I’ve been enjoying of late, from friends and family, and am keen to champion.
Screen Memory, a chapbook by Hannah Piette
I overflow with motherly pride: my daughter, Hannah Piette, has just had her first chapbook published by Chicago’s Kai Ihns’ chapbook press, The Year. Called Screen Memory, (a reference to Freud’s idea that memories can conceal or screen deeper emotions or conflict) Hannah’s chapbook is an edition of 200 copies, with a letterpress cover and hand-stitched spine enclosing a beautiful selection of her poems.
Hannah has been holding a pen and writing words onto paper since long before she even knew her alphabet. She might actually have been born with a pen in hand; in fact, one of the poems in Screen Memory explores the significance of a particular feather — indeed, a plume — which I have held onto for many years.
If any of you are interested in being one of the 200 to whom this chapbook will be distributed, you can email Hannah (hannah.piette@yale.edu) and she will send you a link when it is available for purchase. Hannah received her MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and is currently a PhD student in English Literature at Yale — she’s also exploring the world of publishing with a fellowship next year at the Yale Review. The Paris Review is publishing 4 of her poems in the next month or so, stay tuned!
Oralee: A Field Guide to a Young Human Who Learns to Glow in the Dark by Clare Crespo
Over the years home delivering farm boxes to homes in LA, I was lucky enough to befriend some of our long-standing customers. One of my favorites was Clare Crespo. A “fantastist”, she has a beautifully positive, playful and joyful spirit. I have shared a link to her fanciful yearly calendar in a previous post; but this year, alas, there was no calendar available — instead she published an absolutely gorgeous “illustrated fable book” that while it would delight any child, is a true indulgence for an adult. I absolutely love it — the images are gorgeous, and the words are magical and emotional. Even the bookmark that came with it is adorable. Is it entirely random that this treasure also involves feathers (like the feather memory in Screen Memory)?? Oralee. First edition sold out, 2nd edition, coming soon!
A Kitchen on Goose Cove: Recipes from the Heart of Maine, by Devin Finigan
The one summer that my daughter Lily spent with us in Deer Isle, she worked at Aragosta, Devin Finigan’s acclaimed restaurant at beautiful Goose Cove. It was a challenging job — up and down to the beach with trays of food during the countless weddings — serving VIPs like the head of the United Nations when they flew in for a special meal.
The entire summer, despite her post-work exhaustion, Lily would smile about her experience helping Devin to collect herbs and flowers from the garden, and how much she admired Devin as a “girl boss”. Indeed, Devin, through grit and skill, has truly built one of the most memorable restaurants in the country. Devin is not only respected far and wide, but is also committed to a local first ethos, supporting various growers, fisher-people, and even her own oyster farm in the Cove in front of the restaurant. Her new cookbook, meant moreso for home chefs than culinary pros, is full of inspiration for anyone with access to the delights of the Maine foodscape. A Kitchen on Goose Cove reflects the terroir and merroir around us right here in Deer Isle, as well as the community, so I’m very excited to be guided by her recipes as we move through the seasonal foods this area is known for!
Let me know if you try, and enjoy, any of these wonderful works!
Excited to receive new cookbooks!
Can I have the cook books for my up & coming birthday?