Hello, writers!
One of the most moving things I’ve ever read related to giving thanks is the Haudenosaunees’ Thanksgiving Address. Robin Wall Kimmerer dedicates a chapter to it in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass. Sometimes also called “The Words That Come Before All Else,” the address has been used for centuries to greet the day or kick off meetings or complex negotiations.
One of the reasons this address is so brilliant is that when used for negotiation, it establishes common ground with admirable effectiveness. It’s a list of things to be thankful for, and it starts with items you could not possibly disagree with: life, earth, water, fish. It ends with stars, teachers (!), and finally the Great Spirit.
I love this because I’m a teacher. But also because it’s such a successful piece of consensus-building. It's inspired our writing prompt for this month, whether you're preparing to feast with your loved ones or planning to elude the festivities altogether.
Writing Prompt: The Words that Come Before All Else
Inspired by the Haudenosaunee, write a list of all the things you are a friend of. Items big and small, that you secretly love or publicly admire. Concrete things, like newly sharpened pencils, but also abstract things, like the idea that imagination may be the highest achievement of human consciousness (thanks, Dean Young). Keep going until you get to the point you think there’s nothing more to possibly add to this list. Then push yourself to write more.
Embrace the sap. Embrace the absurd.
Things We're Reading
Some essays have the power to return like comets every few years. I’ve recently found myself recommending “Writers, Protect Your Inner Life” by Samantha Lan Chang to friends faced with the inevitable ups and downs of publishing. Sam urges us to hold onto our inner lives, despite society’s insistence that a glossy outer life is all that matters.
Writer Elif Batuman turned to AI to help her track down a quote from Marcel Proust. The Guardian published the conversation that ensued, which is surprisingly funny, dark at times, moving at others, and generally made me grateful to be human.
Wow!!! Florence Hazrat at The Millions looks at why we’re allergic to the exclamation mark, and how writers can recuperate its power.