Off the Page with Kate Mapother

Dear Friends,

If you’re a new subscriber, welcome! There are a lot of you this week, and I’m so happy you’re here. It truly means the world to me. You might be wondering what this Come As You Are Conversation is all about. Once a month or so I go live with a writer whose writing I love, respect, appreciate, and admire - to talk about - you guessed it, writing. Inevitably, the conversation turns to life, love, grief, inspiration, loneliness, connection - and what it is that draws us back to the page again and again.

One thing you can count on with most writers, and certainly the ones I gravitate toward, is that they’re willing to be vulnerable and honest. These conversations are always such a gift, especially during these times which feel so dark and fraught. It’s important life-giving to open yourself up to people who still believe in the power of art, poetry, music, words, kindness, love and laughter. We need these things like we need oxygen these days.

So far I have gone “Off the Page” with the wonderful Paul Crenshaw whose phenomenal ‘stacks I cannot recommend enough. He has two - Melt with Me for his fantastic essays, and Establish the Habit, for those of you who want to make writing an important part of your life, and could use a gifted guide. I had one of my favorite conversations ever in life with one of my closest friends, Dani Shapiro. Maybe someday we’ll get her on Substack ;) but not right now because she is writing a new book. You can find these talks in the archive - they make my heart happy, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.

Tonight, I spoke with the extraordinary Kate Mapother. Kate is a poet and essayist, and she is currently working on a novel. She’s also one of the best people you could ever have in your corner. We had such a beautiful conversation about grief, longing, writing through these painful times, gender, connection, and whether “letting go” is really even a thing. I know if you listen, you will see why I love Kate so much, and if you go and read her work, you’ll see why I am sobbing into my coffee many mornings a week. Here is the poem I was referencing tonight, but honestly, you don’t want to miss any of them.

A big thank you to Paul Crenshaw, Nicole Peattie, Chris Keller, Man In Back, Jennifer Smith, Wendy Wolf who did a phenomenal sketch of us while we talked!! What?! And all of you for tuning into Off the Page with Kate Mapother! I hope you’ll join me for my next Come As You Are Conversation in July.

Sending you so much love,

Ally Hamilton

Come As You Are is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I appreciate your re-stacks so much, and always love meeting you in the comments! I’m working on this week’s essay for you, too. Love y’all. Stay gold.

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