Hitting The Links: 4/28/24
This one's got lots of links, a possible intern, my disparate-but-connected writing, a workout resurgence, my favorite Pete Bagge panel, & more
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Don’t Quote Me
A few hours after I sent out last Wednesday’s email, a couple of funny things happened. First, my brother took my Two Crows anecdote from that email, added line breaks, and revealed it to be a poem (which is how it’ll appear in the next issue of Haiku for Business Travelers, for which I think I made another breakthrough this week and still semi-sorta hope to send to the printer a month from now). Then a reporter emailed me for a comment about the retirement of an FDA official I’d worked with since 2015.
I wrote something, shared it with my closest industry advisor (and good friend) who made a suggestion or two, and sent it to the reporter with an apology for Going Long:
"Mary Beth Clarke played a key role in helping PBOA ‘find its legs’ with FDA when we got involved in GDUFA II reauthorization talks. She took our association and our CMO/CDMO members seriously, came to understand that we had legitimate issues with how the original GDUFA was implemented, and was an honest broker throughout that negotiation. After that, she helped us work with FDA, bringing the CMO/CDMO perspective into areas like drug shortages, supply chain, quality metrics, serialization, and more. Her presence was felt throughout the GDUFA III talks, and while we’re happy for her, it’ll make the next GDUFA reauthorization that much tougher, not having her presence and her deep knowledge of both the evolution of GDUFA and the industry stakeholders.”
The article came out the next day; it turned out that I was the only industry (that is, non-FDA) person quoted, and they used almost my entire statement.
It occurred to me that those were two very different pieces, both written & edited quickly a few hours apart, around planning calls for webinars and Congressional briefings (along with other work, like prep for tomorrow’s meeting with my board of trustees), but they both struck their targets.
As much as I goof on myself as a Failed Writer, I’m still better at that than I am at anything else.
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And now, let’s hit the links!
Links & Such
Recent Virtual Memories Show podcasts: Jen Silverman • Leonard Barkan • Emily Raboteau • Trillian Stars/Kyle Cassidy (bonus ep.) • Leela Corman • Keith Mayerson • Edith Hall
One of my friends writes: “My daughter is completing her sophomore year at college, where she’s majoring in publishing & creative writing. Would you have any suggestions for people in the publishing industry she could contact about summer internships? Would any of the authors you interview like some free summer help so she can build her resumé?” She’s based in the northeast; if anyone has ideas or wants to find out if she’d make a good fit for an internship (paid or un-), hit me up & I’ll connect you.
RIP Terry Anderson . . . RIP Karen the Ostrich . . . RIP The Schwab . . . RIP Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. . . .
Only a few days left to contribute to This Is Only Earth, My Dear: Poems & Photos, a Kickstarter project by Trillian Stars & Kyle Cassidy based on the poems of Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal. Put some money into that, and listen to our bonus episode to learn more about the project.
Next week’s guest is DW Young, who was on the show on back in 2020 for his documentary, The Booksellers. He’s got a fantastic new doc that premiered this week, UNCROPPED, about the photographer James Hamilton. If you’re in NYC/LA, GO SEE IT NOWNOWNOW. It’ll make the rounds, but this one’s a treasure.
NYT asked a whole bunch of creative folks what projects they’re working on (incl. past guests Samuel Delany and Daniel Clowes). Some neat stuff they’ve got going on.
Pretty weird reboot of LA To Vegas.
Updates to my belief that Everything Is A Real Estate Scam: Detroit’s on the upswing, but St. Louis is in a doom spiral, while Hudson Yards has lots of office workers, but China has tons of excess internal combustion car-making capacity, and in fact Everything In China Was A Real Estate Scam.
This headline instantly made me think of a certain panel by Pete Bagge from an early issue of HATE
Current/Recent Reading
Deaths of Artists - Jim Moske
The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing - Adam Moss
Winging It: Improv’s Power & Peril In The Age Of Trump - Randy Fertel
“We heard something on the grapevine, went there, came back, sat in his bedroom, heard something else, went by bus, bike, on foot, sat in someone’s bedroom. In the summer we went swimming. That was it.
“What was it all about?
“We were friends, there was no more than that.
“And the waiting, that was life.”
—Karl Ove Knausgaard (tr. Don Bartlett), My Struggle: Book 4
Fractured Body, Fractured Mind
Finally got my full 5-day workout cycle — weights-yoga-w-y-w — last week, and on pace to do it again! First time in 3 months that I’ve managed that, and I’m still using slightly lighter dumbbells than before, but it’s progress. Also got in a 3.75-mi. Walk with The Guys on Friday.
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far! I’ll be back on Wednesday with a new episode and some art, and on Sunday with links, books, & workout craziness, & who knows maybe a little profundity or something.
XXX,