When I first got the idea for this newsletter, I had no idea that books would play such a major part in its development. I’m not sure why though, because, for as long as I’ve known me, I’ve always read for pleasure.
My mom likes to joke about how I would get a stack of books from the library or bookstore and be ready for a new stack to read in just about a week. In a lot of ways, creating Fluff has been very healing for my inner-child, so of course books are a major part in bringing that pleasure, I felt between the pages, to life here.
The following books have scribbles of ideas for Fluff in their margin. They jogged my mind in ways that will show up in this newsletter.
Black Vintage Glamour by Nichelle Gainer
Nichelle Gainer unlocked something in me, giving me language for a project I didn’t even know was in me at the time. Her work archiving glamorous Black women is so important. I read the Rosalind Cash quote and from there Fluff really started to take shape. I have the word tattooed on the inside of my right wrist. I don’t play favorites because I love who I was when I got each of my tattoos but Fluff really is my favorite.
Beautiful Experiments, Wayward Lives by Saidiya Hartman
I started reading historical fiction with Addy Walker. I was 7. Hartman blended history and Black women in search of fluff in a way made me devour her words like I did the American Girl and Dear America books. I can’t wait to try my own hand at historical fiction romance in a future letter.
D.V. by Diana Vreeland
Now, I resonate a lot with former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland’s over-the-top persona but what really endeared me to her was how much she loved reading, and how vocal she was in her memoir about the books that shaped her as a woman. On page 82, Vreeland asks “where would fashion be without literature?” and I like to think my love of reading, also equipped me with an innovative imagination.
How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell
The minute I cracked open infamous beauty editor Cat Marnell’s memoir, and read “(….) I had a chic lavender pedicure — Versace Heat Nail Lacquer V2008 — and I smelled obscure and expensive, like Susane Lang Midnight Orchid and Colette Black Musk Oil,” I was hooked. This is a fast read for those of us who grew up devouring print media with just the right mix of nostalgic pop culture references and old-school magazine editor gossip. This is the book that launched Fluff in my mind, long before it was Fluff.
In and Out of Vogue by Grace Mirabella
Reading this particular former Vogue editor-in-chief’s memoir really helped me reimagine what fashion journalism could feel like, and its purpose, and how I wanted that sort of writing to feel in these letters to you.
Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday with William Dufty
You can say Billie Holiday is Fluff’s patron saint. Reading Billie tell her own story was beautifully haunting. She was clear about not being a victim, so funny, and really, just wanted a little bit of fluff. This autobiography, along with Marnell’s memoir, are truly the beginning of Fluff.
The Ex-Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Two journalists for a public broadcast radio station pretend to be exes for content, and obviously fall in love, but the use of audio storytelling stuck with me. My senses felt so engaged. So if it feels like sometimes I’m pretending Fluff is a public access tv show, this book is why.
Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn
As a writer who “wishes to live in the frivolous,” who also loves the idea of having a signature scent, often turning to Reddit for decanted scents and new indie brands to discover, Perfume and Pain’s main character spoke to my senses. I finished the book with a list of lesbian pulp books to read, perfumes to smell and Alice Coltrane songs to like on Spotify. It’s so delightful when books open up a new world for me to indulge.
(Plus, I love the cover, the font, and the way the pages smelled. Perfect reading experience.)
