I'm writing a piece about "doomslang"

And I need your help!

Writing Prompt:

In her poem “How I Go Into the Woods,” Mary Oliver writes:

Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.

I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the cat birds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours… 

In light of this piece, write a journal entry or poem that addresses the prompt: What is a technically non-religious way in which you “pray?”

I’m writing a piece for Esquire about “doomslang,” and I’d love your help…

Similar to my Harper’s Bazaar story on the rise of therapyspeak in the workplace, I’m starting work on a new piece for Esquire about the emergence of apocalypse-themed language in casual conversation. Think of pleasantries like “How are you? Aside from the world burning and all,” or using the end of the world as a marketing tool, like this dishware brand Calamityware, which even has a line of bowls and mugs titled “Things Could Be Worse.” I’m curious about what this trend of invoking “doomsday vibes” in everyday vernacular—from polite small talk to branding—says about us. And what is it doing to our minds and morale? Is it numbing us? Making us more fatalistic? Or more prone to catastrophizing? I’ll be exploring these questions with the help of a variety of experts, but in the meantime, can y’all think of any other specific examples of “doomslang” (from personal anecdotes, memes, copywriting, anywhere)? If so, I’d love to talk to you. Leave a comment with your example, and I might reach out to learn more!

I’m recording my new audiobook this week! Any feedback or tips?

I remember some readers saying that listening to my recording of the Wordslut audiobook felt like listening to a podcast, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I want to make sure my reading of The Age of Magical Overthinking feels *sophisticated* as well as listenable and fun. If anyone has any audiobook narration preferences, pet peeves, etc. to share, feel free to comment them below :) Anyway, wish me luck!

This week’s episode of Sounds Like A Cult is…

A clandestine society aimed at indoctrinating a fleet of nationalist spies with an extensive entrance process, aliases, secretive language, isolation from the outside world, and no clear exit strategy... sounds like a cult, but it’s actually America’s most prized federal agency, the CIA. This week, former CIA intelligence analyst Christina Hillsberg joins the pod, fulfilling all our Carrie Mathison fantasies with a tell-all interview about how the CIA is high-key just like a fringey religious sect!!! I hope you delight in this dishy, hilarious (and sometime deeply uncomfortable) convo as much as I did. It drops tomorrow at 2am PST/5am EST on all podcast platforms.

A weekly roundup of books, podcasts, TV shows, tchotchkes, and anything else I’m currently “cult following.”

BOOK: ADULT CHILDREN OF EMOTIONALLY IMMATURE PARENTS

As long as I live, I will never spit out this book title right, but while its name is a little wonky, the content is crystal clear. My friend, the author Coco Mellors, recommended the book to me. It was written by a clinical psychologist named Lindsay C. Gibson, and while I can’t relate to everything in it (thank god lol), it is fascinating to dispassionately unpack how certain inexplicable social behaviors of your own connect to the ways your parent(s) related to you emotionally. It’s a very short book, and the writing style is not lyrical or narrative but rather entirely to-the-point. If you suspect you might have experienced some emotionally immature parenting, it’s definitely worth a look.

MUSIC: JENSEN MCRAE

I have been listening to this pop artist’s discography on an infinite loop since the start of the new year. Her song “My Ego Dies at the End” is an anthemic, philosophically wise banger. Better yet, I know for a fact she loves to read!!! It shows in her songwriting. 

FILM: ALL OF US STRANGERS

I recently rewatched Fleabag, and was left even more devastated at the end than the first time I saw it. Praise be that this movie just came out in theaters to wean me off Andrew Scott (the hot priest). It’s a poetic, devastating film about memory and romance and delusion, starring Scott and Paul Mescal from Normal People, two gorgeous and grotesquely talented Irishmen, whom I will watch in just about anything. (For clarity, this movie is nothing like Fleabag, except for that Andrew Scott is equally hot and tragic in it!!)

PODCAST: THE DAILY’S “SHOULD YOU RENT OR BUY” THE NEW MATH

I have been in an existential real estate crisis lately, and this episode of The Daily really talked me off the ledge. If you, too, have anxiety about never being able to afford a house (and anxiety about that anxiety), give this extremely informative and validating explainer a listen!