Letters from the Editor: On getting through a political reader's block, AI authors, and more

Hello! I've just made it back to the city after a brief but much needed visit home in North Carolina. It turned out that space was what I needed most...

As you might know, I've been in a weird headspace about reading lately. It's been really challenging for me to appreciate stories, even though doing just that is the bedrock of my whole life. I mean, this is what I do, this is what I'm here for, and yet picking up a new book has been borderline impossible the past few months.

I've had my suspicions about where this "reader's block" is coming from for quite a while, but I came across a Facebook post recently that solidified my hunch: at the present moment, the political climate of this country is, frankly, insane and exhausting, and being party to the madness is taking a toll on my ability to invest myself in meaningful work. Hearing about all the ways in which things are falling apart has been so mentally taxing, I feel like I've maxed out my emotional credit card for the foreseeable future. It's all taking a toll on my passion for books.

However, seeing that Facebook post and the number of people who felt the same was so validating; I was getting to a point where I felt bad -- guilty, even -- about my disengagement from the literary world, but knowing that others are experiencing the same thing has been comforting and has motivated me to confront the issue a bit more directly than I have been. If you're feeling this way as well, here are some potential ways to bust out of the slump we're in together:
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• Audiobooks: A number of people who commented on that post mentioned audiobooks as a way to still engage with stories, but in a more passive way than actually reading. Audiobooks tell the story to you rather than you seeking it out, so the amount of mental energy needed is slightly less. Being able to take a backseat and relax in this way may be helpful for some people.
• Personalized recommendations: I had an incredibly positive experience with my local bookstore the other day. I'd given them a call in search for a remedy to just the issue described above, and based on my specific requirements, I was given an excellent list of books that got me excited to dive back in. This was a great reminder of how supportive and helpful the literary community can be. Shout out to the wonderful folks at Astoria Bookshop!
• Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All:Another tactic to break out of this funk might be to stoke the fire a little. The book Road Map for Revolutionaries was recommended to me as a great introduction to becoming more engaged, so if you're interested at all in taking some steps toward activism, here's a great place to start.

If you have any other suggestions for how we can get back to books in the midst of all the noise of the world, I'd love to hear them.

Happy reading!

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