Hello all! Welcome, new folks, & hi to friends I’ve added just now — don’t worry I rarely send emails.
Long time, no newsletter. In the nearly year and a half since I’ve written you all, much has happened. I moved to Las Vegas, finished the manuscript for the Bloomsbury wine book (out in June! You can pre-order here), and have written some essays, including one about a Mojave-based artist that published in High Country News today. I’ll make this quick, since the purpose of my writing you is a request, but first, if you’re curious, here’s a run-down on stuff I’ve published. For about half a year, I wrote a column in Catapult about wine and power, which pushed me to write the book. Last December, I published a feature in The New York Times Magazine about the family social scientist Pauline Boss and her theory of “ambiguous loss.” In February, I wrote for the New Yorker about Vegas acrobats who were looking for new gigs after their show shut down, and in April, I published a piece in Harper’s about how death certificates obfuscate reality. Over the summer, I did a lot of reporting for still-pending features, and last month, I published an essay in NYT Mag about why the Mojave is great. Currently, I’m developing ideas for a series about climate change in the Mojave, which is soft-commissioned, ie no contract yet but assigned (open to all thoughts on that topic). I think that’s it… more pending in the next few months!
To the point: I am writing because I’ve been messing with a book idea for the past two years, and I finally feel like I have a clear enough vision (though still somewhat vague) to start reporting it. And I want to crowdsource! I’m interested in folks who frequently receive death/loss stories as a designated part of their job, or as an unexpected byproduct of their work. In the past, I’ve written about such people — funeral home workers, for example, and therapists, and, as a journalist, I myself have frequently listened to these sorts of stories. I have lots of ideas for other workers, but wanted to cast out to the group to see if you had thoughts! And, if you know anyone in your community or elsewhere who might be interested in talking to me/fit the idea, I’d love to connect with them. Happy to explain the idea in more detail, as well.
To my non-Vegas friends who subscribe to this email: I am sorry for being very out of touch these last few months. I’ve been reporting two heavy and complex stories, and I’ve been spending most of my free time outdoors/keeping to myself. I had a stretch of burnout earlier this fall, so I took a small reporting break to focus on uncommissioned creative work, and that helped a lot. I’m back to my cheery + curious self, though, and hope to reconnect with you all very soon, because I miss you! I’m taking several trips to the East Coast in the spring — all for fun! — so I hope to catch some of you then.
That’s it from me. Would love love to hear from you — to hear how things are going wherever you are, and also if you have any ideas for the aforementioned book project.
I leave you with some desert photos! (The first was of the Devils Cornfield in Death Valley.)
love,
Meg
Wildrose Peak at Death Valley. We wanted to hike Telescope Peak but it was too snowy for our unprepared feet. Thanks to my pal Krista Diamond for sharing her obsession, and in turn making me obsessed, with this national park. Only 2 hrs from Vegas!
Golden aspens at Mt. Charleston, in the Spring Mountains near Vegas!
Sunset at the Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley.
Hey Meg,
I just wanted to say that I think you do fantastic work and I applaud you for it. I just moved to Stanford to start a PhD in comparative literature and have a couple reporting projects of my own that I’m also trying to develop so it’s inspiring to follow your trajectory; I, too, share your appreciation for nature and good stories.
Anyway, now to what’s potentially relevant: before Stanford, I worked at AP for a bit as a freelancer in Beirut, Lebanon. One of my colleagues there is a veteran reporter who, almost weekly, if not bi-weekly for the last decade, chronicles the death of Syrians caused mainly by pro-government forces in rebel-held areas of Syria. Often times, he doesn’t have his byline on the story because it will be like a 400 word news blast and details of the victims are rarely given beyond the most simple facts (age, profession, and maybe name). In 2016, with the siege of Aleppo, and during other intense moments of carnage/fighting, reports obviously were more in-depth -- but what remains is the tragic continuity of Syrian civilian deaths. I’m sure my reporter friend shares sentiments with other journalists who have covered war zones. What’s also uncanny is that he’s been monitoring deaths in neighboring Syria while Lebanon, his home country, has been dying a metaphorical death; it’s hemorrhage has accelerated at an exorbitant rate, with now 80 percent of the country plunged into poverty in what the world bank has described as one of the world’s worst economic crises since the 1850s.
This is all maybe - probably - beyond the scope of your research. But I thought I’d quickly reach out with something that’s frequently on my mind.
Keep up the important work.
AJ