May 9, 2025, 1:59pm
The theme of the week is tiny beauty. The force is in the details, as they say. So we at Lit Hub are looking closer and looking around.
Drew Broussard recommends Colin Dickey’s “Glacial Errata,” a newsletter dedicated to “oddities” in one way, shape, or form. Each week, Dickey picks five things that seem simple at first glance, but on investigation yield great returns.
In Drew’s words, “there’s something very old-internet” about this newsletter. “[It’s] weird, fun, short, charming, and best of all interesting.” Recent finds include old taxidermy manuals, the history of German “notgeld” (or, emergency money), and the Mandela Effect.
Molly Odintz enjoyed the stained glass ceiling on the Lazarus Brewery in Austin. Which I think speaks for itself.
The stained glass ceiling covering the Lazarus Brewery’s patio.
James Folta is a fan of cryptic crosswords. This week, he’s been digging Minute Cryptic’s daily clues, which make for tiny one-stop puzzles that really tickle your brain. “This site’s also a great way to learn about cryptics,” says James, “and I’m always trying to convert more folks to the team.”
My nice thing of the week is at once an identity, a lifestyle, and a surreal privilege. I call it: Being An Aunt. I spent some time running after my (very fast!) eighteen month old nephew this week, and after experiencing the dopamine rush that always attends watching a tiny little person discover the borders of their body, I got to thinking about the aunt’s unique position in life and culture.
Other than my own actual aunts, my personal Apex Aunt (#AuntGoals?) is probably Rosalind Russell’s Auntie Mame, a dramatic dilettante inspired by Patrick Dennis’ comic heroine, Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade. I’ve Roz’s aunt-spiration to thank for this constantly updating wishlist of fancy turbans, anyway.
For similar fashion and real estate reasons, I look to Aunt Jet and Aunt Frances in Griffin Dunne’s Practical Magic. What all three women have in common is a flair for making the mundane miraculous. They encourage self-indulgence and nurture heedless joy in their young ward(s). Eat candy for breakfast, says the Apex Aunt. Or, Sure! Follow that grocer to the farmer’s market! You’ve got one life, kid. And your mom’s not here, so!
This is a mandate—no, a way of life—that I’m really finding meaning in.
If you are in New York and also looking to tap into or consider afresh your auntly calling, I can recommend a happily insane new play to get you through next week. A(U)NTS! by Zoe Geltman is running at The Brick Theatre in Brooklyn through the end of May. It’s about three aunts who work at a dentist’s office. And, several literal ants.
Wishing you a weekend of unexpected oddities, brain candy, and classy headware.