Bildungsroman Blitz-heads: this one’s for you.
For more than a year, I have had the pleasure of curating this newsletter for a small but loyal audience. That audience includes family and friends, as well as former and current work colleagues. Responses have been positive, albeit with my mother occasionally chiming in to say that she does not understand anything I have written about Pokemon. I have gotten to tackle diverse topics and diverse formats, as befits a Sarah Lawrence grad. I (hopefully) compelled some of you to consider the artistry of pop star Olivia Rodrigo with the same rigor as you would a play or a cult television series. I asked you to weigh in on whether actor Matthew Lillard stole my coat in 2009. Most recently, I started to write longer pieces that I am very proud of, and reflect the direction that I want to take the newsletter.
Here comes the bad news. As I tried to plan ahead for the rest of 2022, outlining the topics I was most interested in tackling for Bildungsroman Blitz, I realized I was creating a fantasy schedule where I had infinite hours in a day. Long story short: I have a lot of goals right now and trying to do them all at once is ensuring that none of them actually happen. While the newsletter is far and away the project I get the most joy out of, there are time-sensitive projects I need to finish first. I am pressing pause…for now.
There is a world where I could still drop occasional recommendations in strict listicle format, but to quote Stew’s Passing Strange (possibly my favorite coming of age story): “Don’t promise; you never know.”
However, I will leave you with something like that in this (temporary) farewell address. A mix of recommendations and hints at future topics:
I started listening to the podcast Welcome to Night Vale again.
What will the new season of cult 90s sketch show Kids in the Hall be like?
If my own plug for Hulu’s miniseries The Dropout isn’t enough for you, please read why Ashley Ray crowns it the best of the recent Scammer Shows:
I am almost done with my first watch of musical tv dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Mom, please do not cancel Netflix before I finish.
Speaking of musicals, while it’s too late for my Bay Area audience to catch Passing Strange at Shotgun Players, I implore everyone else to Google “passing strange productions near me” and see what’s out there. Also, watch the Spike Lee film of the Broadway production.
I went to a film noir festival last month and it was very cool! I saw two Edward Dmytryk bangers: Crossfire (1947) and The Sniper (1952).
Thank you all so much. And until we meet again, feel free to follow me on Twitter.