It's the start of a new year. We're less than one weekend, but maybe far enough in to realize

that our intentions for total reinvention or reset might be a little much. Let me offer something

quite achievable. And if you have a library card, free. Reading more fiction.

I landed in this habit accidentally midway through last year of reading books for fun,

and it does make life better.

My most concrete New Year's intention, in fact, is to start each morning with either book reading or walking

outside while listening before I open up the onslaught of headlines and emails and notifications.

In a weekend, I have held myself to this. I've been helped along by Sharon Mishie, who's been my guide through

her audio project 30 days to rediscover your creativity, which I'm listening to on Audible.

I talked to Sharon in a Slate Plus episode at the end of the year, and if you missed it,

there's a link to it in our show notes. It was a really great conversation.

And talking to Sharon and being prompted to do things like have breakfast like an artist,

which is your assignment on day three, it's got me thinking about how to bring more art making

and art appreciating into my life because it's nourishing, truly nourished,

which is also how I felt when last month I teamed up again with selected shorts,

the long-running show at Symphony Space, where actors get on stage and read us short stories. We gathered in a dark room in upper Manhattan.

There was a vase of beautiful flowers on stage and two music stands. I read from one, as I

introduced some of New York's premier theater talent, and then they walked to the center of the stage and performed a short story.

Stories about death, sex, and money that were funny and also each had a line or two that has stuck with me since.

It felt like we were sitting around a campfire with other people appreciating

new and classic writers. So to start this year, I wanted to share some of those stories

with you. Get ready to cuddle up and enjoy.

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