Text at upper left: Mid-Monthly Musings; image from the film FAME when the students dance in the street outside the school, stopping traffic; text at lower right: What does it mean to be famous?

What does it mean to be famous?

This post is taken from Mid-Monthly Musings for November 2025. Full newsletter is archived here. To receive Mid-Monthly Musings directly in your inbox, subscribe here. I’ve been asked about that word, “famous,” more than usual recently. It’s part of my podcast premise: I chat with famous people about the geek-outs, hobbies, or interests they’re not necessarily famous for. Which is …

Doing the Work: Part 2

Back in October, I did an interview with author Jo-Ann Carson, as part of her Blood, Sweat and Words podcast, which she entitled “Marginalization of Minorities in Genre Fiction.” Listen to the interview, which went live Nov. 20th. Read my thoughts on originally agreeing to be interviewed for this topic here. You know when your mind’s already full of something, you tend …

Doing the Work: Part 1

Why oh why would I agree to do a podcast interview on the “Marginalization of Minorities in Genre Fiction”? After years of avoiding being roped into that conversation—you know, the one you see at “Diversity Panels,” the one attended by many a (/n often cis-het abled) white writer searching for absolution for their culturally appropriative mindset and practices, the one …