top of page

the ella luna book club

6D5D90D9-637B-4D91-9956-6577F8ED27C8.JPG

february 2025

963E4240-296B-4E80-BE61-76BF1405BE43.JPG

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

​​

IMG_2571_VSCO.JPG
IMG_2585 2.jpg
6D5D90D9-637B-4D91-9956-6577F8ED27C8.JPG

january 2025

Owls & Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

C843BAB6-4722-4562-AC52-5C0766DFFAAC.jpg

Love & Love & Love Again, 

Ella (this is me when I wrote this)

963E4240-296B-4E80-BE61-76BF1405BE43.JPG

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.

IMG_1684_VSCO.JPG

january media

​​

film -

little women (2019) dir. greta gerwig

portrait of a lady on fire (2019) dir. céline sciamma

beauty & the beast (1991) dir.  gary trousdale

music -

baroque improvisation by gabriela montero

flower of the soul by liana flores

ella fitzgerald sings the harold arlen song book by ella fitzgerald

places -

mildred & gertrude / 2809 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

magers & guinn / 3038 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408

the corner beet / 1401 Ogden St, Denver, CO 80218

029A1066-E537-45E0-B85E-A1A6B3ACCF77.JPG
  • alt.text.label.Instagram
  • alt.text.label.YouTube
  • alt.text.label.SoundCloud
  • alt.text.label.Twitter
bottom of page