the ella luna book club

may 2025

Uncommon Measure: A Journey Through Music, Performance, and the Science of Time
by Natalie Hodges

There are periods of my life when I am in a flux of creativity; usually when I’m falling in love, when I’m making an album, when I’m moving to a new city. On the other side of the coin, there are periods when I am in a drought of creativity; when everything I write sounds bad, when even sitting down to record a cover proves to be difficult. I’ve been in a drought lately! When I look at other songwriters and musicians my age, it can be so frustrating to see them have all the time in the world to be creative. I’ve been lucky to have had months of unemployment (trophy wife-ing) where I could really focus on my symphony transcriptions and recording songs in Brooklyn, but that is not life. To pay rent, I’ve been a music teacher, a waitress, a bookseller, a barista. Security and consistency is very important in financial responsibility, but it also makes me feel like a play-pretend pop princess when I travel to play shows or when a coworker finds out how many monthly listeners I have. It doesn’t feel like my job per se.

So in the drought, I have to find ways to dig myself from the ground. As a novel reader, I get inspired by other stories. I wrote a song a while ago loosely inspired by Tiny’s story in Chouette by Claire Oshetsky, by the language and perspective in Marigold and Rose by Louise Glück. I watch Fiona Apple interviews and media about first lesbian relationships (My First Summer and The Last of Us for some reason…) to get my creative juices flowing. I love getting lost in another person's mind.

I’d never really read a non-fiction book that captivated and inspired me in this way until Uncommon Measure. I picked it up a few months before my performance with the symphony and it sat on my TBR pile since it wasn’t a typical genre for me. When I finally did pick it up, I devoured it in a few days. This is the debut of Natalie Hodges, who is an accomplished violinist. This book is genre-defying. No matter who you are or how extensive your understanding of music is, you will learn something.

There are two things that stuck with me the most since first reading this. The first is this quote, which I included in my Artist Statement in the program for the symphony performance, “The desire to make music is as much a desire to assert the individual self as to connect with others. -performing requires humility: a willingness to risk being humiliated or misunderstood, and to lay yourself bare so you can try to say what you mean (and what you think the composer meant). I have never heard a response to the question “why perform?” that resonated with me as much as this. The other is the introduction to Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero. Hodges references Montero’s improvisations at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr 2009 Philharmonie Essen. She includes a link to the full performance on YouTube, which you can find below. I come back to this video whenever I am feeling uninspired musically, when the lyrics and subject are coming to me but the music isn’t. Everyone I show the video too is as floored by Montero’s undeniable gift as myself and Hodges. I can’t wait for you to hear what stands out most to you in Uncommon Measure.

Love to All My Sweethearts,

Ella

may media

film -

the last repair shop (2023) dir. ben proudfoot, kris bowers

bambi (1942) dir. david hand

my first summer (2020) dir. katie found

music -

changing light by ironsides

naive by LUELLA

back to me by the marias

places -

the shop at MATTER / 2114 Market St, Denver, CO 80205

feminist majority foundation / 433 S. Beverly Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212

boulder bookstore / 1107 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302

Seabrook Designs Zelda Bouquet Stripe Unpasted Wallpaper.jpeg

meeting is may 25th at 5:00 PM at the Little Cheesman Park (701-799 High St, Denver, CO 80218) !

april 2025

The English Understand Wool
by Helen DeWitt

10 years ago, Tuesday’s were my favorite day of the week because I got to stay late for “tutoring” after school, which was actually the time I spent feeling electricity in my stomach while holding hands with the first girl I ever loved on the picnic benches in the back of school. 4 years ago, April was my favorite month of the year because it was the month that the girl who would eventually break my heart told me she thought I was cute and wanted to be my girlfriend. Last year, the last day of April marked my last day as a resident in the City of Angels; my love and I packed up our studio apartment and set off for a summer of adventures. April is to the year whatTuesday is to a week in my head. Does that make sense? Time wise it makes sense, but also it is a time that was once precious to me that now is just another word on the calendar.

But don’t get me wrong, I still like April. Spring is around the corner, little flowers are budding as we walk the dog around the neighborhood, it’s not pitch black when we meet friends for drinks at 7:00 PM anymore. This April is exciting in my world in particular because I get to go to two cities I love that I don’t live in. The first week of this month, I get to open for the magical folk sister duo Sarah Julia at Scribble in Los Angeles, which I am greatly looking forward to. The last week of this month, I will be in New York City on vacation. I am excited to write songs, visit my favorite bookstores, and spend some time with my best friend Grace before she graduates college. All in all, this month holds a lot of promise for me. I hope you have many days to look forward to this month.

With all of this absence in mind, Ella Luna Book Club must meet earlier in the month than we are used to. The 19th of April, a Saturday, at 5:00 to be exact. Since I know most of the loyal book club members work jobs in which they can’t just read all day (horrible news), I knew I would need to choose a short book for this month. At first I thought we could do another poetry collection, but then I remembered a fairy-tale I read in February.

The English Understand Wool has a cover that stuck with me from the first time I saw it. It was a Storybook ND Series, so it has the same silver spine of my copy of The Road to the City by Natalia Ginzburg. I’d passed on it many times at my local bookstores, so when I saw it again at Beacon Hill Books in Boston, I knew the time had come for me to read it.

This novella is narrated by a 17-year-old girl under the strict guidance of her French mother and English father. She plays piano for hours a day, and travels with her mother to ensure her wardrobe is as suitable as possible. During this year's annual Ramadan, a huge secret of her life is revealed overnight. The entire story is told in only 70 pages, so I don’t want to risk spoiling anything. You will just have to pick up your copy at Petals & Pages and find out what happens in this physiological thriller and satirical critique of the publishing industry.

Sending Tulips & Pink Sunsets,

Ella (I broke my glasses)

april media

film -

the only girl in the orchestra (2023) dir. molly o'brien

sabrina (1954) dir. billy wilder

the hunger games (2012) dir. gary ross

music -

admist the chaos by sara bareilles

crying, lauhing, loving, lying by labi siffre

lookaftering by vashti bunyan

places -

north figueroa bookshop / 6040 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042

scribble / 5541 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042

three lives & company / 154 W 10th St, New York, NY 10014

meeting is april 19th at 5:00 PM at the Little Cheesman Park (701-799 High St, Denver, CO 80218) !

macrh 2025

Sandwich
by Catherine Newman

When do we stop crying? When my brother was little, he cried all the time. Sometimes understandably, like when we rode It’s A Small World at Disneyland (those little dolls are scary) and sometimes for reasons I couldn’t wrap my little head around; maybe both of our thick bangs haircuts were creating a barrier. When I was in high school, I cried watching the Grammys, making breakfast, dog sitting, thinking about a boy I thought I liked. When I was 19, I cried missing my mom, when my girlfriend was mean to me, when I felt like a stranger in my own body. I don’t cry much at all anymore. Not because there isn’t anything to cry about (there always is), but because I think that if I started I may not stop. Usually I squeal or talk to myself to keep from crying. After a day of teaching music lessons to little kids, I drive home in my red Jeep and think about how much I love them, how teaching makes me think I could be a mother. Instead of crying, I smile and squeal and listen to my “born to be somebody then somebody comes from me” playlist. When my partner and I have a conflict I don’t need to cry every time because I know we will figure it out. When I miss my friends I call them and make plans. Things are not as life or death as they once felt.

When things did feel so dire all the time, I cried at all sorts of art. On a field trip with my French class senior year of high school, I cried in front of the Monet’s. I’d lay on the floor of Lulu’s living room, openly sobbing to pop music that we felt reflected our private journals. I saw Ladybird in theatres 7 times just for the rush of tears.

These days, it takes a lot to make me cry. Is this growing up? I don’t want to lose my sensitivity; I want to be delicate and soft forever. Maybe my skin is just thicker. Maybe the art I’m consuming is less emotional. I don’t really know. The upside to this infrequency is that, when I do cry, it’s memorable. In the past year, I’ve cried about the following: my girlfriends incapability to impregnate me, Chappell Roan performing on SNL, when my 8 year old student told me at the end of our lesson that she hates when she has to leave me, and reading Catherine Newman’s We All Want Impossible Things.

Silly Ella Luna, you may be thinking to yourself, the name of the book you chose is Sandwich! And you are right! My crying was plot driven when reading We All Want Impossible Things, but I fell in love with Newman’s writing. Sandwich is all beauty and emotion, minus the intense grieving. So because I love you all and want to cause no suffering, I chose the ladder for March book club.

Sandwich is set on a summer vacation, with our characters making up a family of Mom, Dad, and “grown up children.” Told from the perspective of Mom, Rocky, this is a story about motherhood and womanhood. It’s about menopause. It’s about feeling like your body is betraying you, about masquerading unconditional love for your daughter as nonchalance as to not scare her away, about offering wisdom and guidance to your son's girlfriend. I read this book in the last few days of 2024 in Los Angeles. I will read it again now. I hope you love it.

How Alive Your Heart To Feel Such Sorrow,
Ella

march media

film -

waitress: the musical (2023) dir. diane paulus, brett sullivan

tell it to the bees (2019) dir. annabel jankel

inside out 2 (2024) dir. Kelsey Mann

music -

julius eastman, vol 1: feminine by julius eastman

live at the symphony by ella luna

tracy chapman by tracy chapman

places -

beacon hill books & cafe / 71 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114

alleycat coffee house / 120 1/2 W Laurel St A, Fort Collins, CO 80524

denver central library / 10 W 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80204

february 2025

Lucy
by Jamaica Kincaid

When Erin and I were living in Southern California, one of my favorite things we would do is hop on the electric bike and ride over to Vroman’s to sit in the book bar, order a pomegranate mocktail, and read our books side by side. It was especially fun on Thursday’s when there would be a live jazz trio at the bar. After we were finished with the drink and reading portion, we would wander the bookshelves. Erin pointed out Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid, with the comment “Oh I’ve been wanting to read this forever. I’m going to get it,” and that she did! The next several coffee and bar trips consisted of Erin reading Lucy across from me, pausing every now and then to tell me that it was “so good” and that I “needed to read it,” and so I did! It’s rare and special to have a moment of “why didn’t I know about ____ sooner?” Whether it be a food, a band, a life hack, or an author, uncovering something that is somewhat of a secret is always a thrill.

Unbeknownst to me, Jamaica Kincaid has been a prominent figure in literature since the mid-1970’s. She was born in St.Johns, the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, as Elaine Cynthia Potter Richardson. (A Small Place is a gorgeous novella Kincaid wrote in 1988 about her home.) She changed her name to Jamaica Kincaid in 1973, saying the change was "a way to do things without being the same person who couldn't do them — the same person who had all these weights.” She wrote many pieces for The New Yorker for 20 years, eventually resigning in 1996 when the magazine began to be too “celebrity oriented” for Kincaid’s taste. She has since said that during her time at The New Yorker, she would often be questioned by people as to how she got to where she was, Kincaid quotes "-from nowhere… I have no credentials. I have no money. I literally come from a poor place. I was a servant. I dropped out of college. The next thing you know I'm writing for The New Yorker, I have this sort of life, and it must seem annoying to people.”

I knew I wanted to highlight Jamaica Kincaid for book club; all of the books I’ve read of hers are under 200 pages, so I really could choose anything for the short month of February. I considered Annie John, which I read this summer in Oregon and absolutely loved, but I ended on Lucy, because there really is nothing like the first time you uncover that hidden gem, even if you are the only person in the world it was hidden from. This novella, originally published in 1990, follows narrator Lucy as she works as an au pair for a wealthy white family after coming to the US from the West Indies. Insightful, beautifully written, and emotional, this novel has something to offer every reader. Join me at Petals & Pages of Denver Sunday February 23rd at 5:00 PM to chat all about this wonderful work.

With All Love & Tenderness,

Ella

film -

daughters (2024) dir. natalie rae, angela patton

are you there god? it's me, margaret. (2023) dir. kelly freman craig

bottoms (2023) dir. emma seligman

music -

sling by clairo

patterns in repeat by laura marling

endlessness by nala sinephro

places -

hudson hill / 619 E 13th Ave, Denver, CO 80203

elliott bay book company / 152110th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

cha cha matcha / 1158 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

february media

january 2025

Owls & Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

Love & Love & Love Again,

Ella (this is me when I wrote this)

New Year's Day is my favorite holiday; I love the idea of a fresh start, or this significant moment to acknowledge the growth of myself and of the world. I loved January 1st of 2018, a day spent listening to jazz standards in Lulu’s sunroom and going to see Ladybird in theatres for the 6th time. I loved January 1st of 2024, a day spent with my head in Erin’s lap, reading a book I love in the backyard while Grace takes a nap upstairs. I loved January 1st of 2022, a day spent picking lemons from my neighbor’s tree and trying to skateboard outside my first house in Los Angeles. I know I will love January 1st 2025 no matter what because it will be a day spent with the love of my life. This is the second New Year’s Day in which I get to choose a book to share with you. Last year, January was the first EVER month of the Ella Luna Book Club, and I chose to read Marigold & Rose by Louise Glück because it’s an adult fairy tale. This year I want to open book club with something of equal tenderness and magic, and there was only one answer: Mary Oliver.

It’s upsetting to admit that the person to introduce me to the work of Mary Oliver was none other than the girl I lost my virginity to, but lucky for me, when I love an artist as much as I do Mary Oliver, it is impossible for me to associate them with anyone but myself. While I was familiar with her poetry via Blue Iris (gifted to me by said girl for my 18th birthday), I had my come-to-Jesus (or rather, come-to-Mary) with her after my breakup with the girl I was in love with (not to be confused with the girl I lost my virginity to) when I was 19. I picked up Owls & Other Fantasies, I had a spiritual connection to The Kingfisher, specifically the line “I think this is the prettiest world - so long as you don’t mind a little dying, how could there be a day in your whole life that doesn’t have its splash of happiness?” Which is to say, I was not in the best frame of mind, and was desperate for hope, and Mary Oliver was the light at the end of the tunnel.

This year, there is an overwhelming presence of fear and hate in the world, and it’s easy to get drowned in helplessness and hopelessness. Let this poetry collection be a reminder to you of all that is good in the world. And there is SO MUCH good in the world, I see it everyday. I see it in the poetry-reading-turned-proposal in the bookstore I work in. I see it in the smiles of my music students. I see it in the messages I get from people all around the world who like my music. If you know where to look, you will see the good in so many places and so many people. This is the prettiest world. Happy new year my friends! I cannot wait for another year of sharing books & music together.