BONUS Archival Magic | Sourdough
As I've said before: don't judge archives by age. This comic from last week was too perfect to miss. / Hilary Price
Mid-month extra!
Some of my stories travel a quick path from idea to a little paper airplane thrown out the window and into the world. This is not one of those.
Last spring, I didn't understand the hype about sourdough as it morphed into the pandemic shorthand for working from home. So I started reporting. And based on some thought-provoking interviews, I started pitching. Editors from Bon Appétit to Eater to The New York Times said some version of "love the idea, but have to pass for x reason."
Yet even after shelving 35 pages of notes for a full year, the story still tugged at me.
My own process is rigorous but never a substitute for a seasoned editor. Still, I started writing and revising + solving the challenge of visual articulation.
One small detail I liked that does not appear in the final draft: Bonnie's description of her starter, which smells like "ripe apricots."
Another cut involved a section I favored for its profound observation, though the story is stronger because the subtraction maintained the narrative's momentum. I'm happy to share the wisdom with you here.
Every sourdough starter provides its keeper a source of unconditional generosity in the form of the excess that bakers must otherwise use immediately or toss out during a normal feeding cycle.
"No one's losing anything in giving it away," Lexie explains of the gift, "and everybody who has it gains something."
Even if you develop hives within a mile of gluten, please have a read for the much deeper themes of community and history embedded in this story.
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This newsletter was written on the traditional lands of the Piscataway and Nacotchtank.
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