Dear Listeners,

I write to you from my home office (which is...my only office) here in Maine. It's mid-morning on a Monday; a candle is burning; the remnants of yesterday's weird slush storm are dripping down the side of the house; and I already have my desk light on because the day is gloomy.

But despite the gray, today is exciting. It's release day for episode 20 of Is This a Thing?, the last episode of Season 1. I wish I were writing this letter to you by hand. (Well, I guess I am technically using my hands to type this, but...you get what I'm saying.) I wish my hand were curled around my favorite pen, and the nib was digging into the paper, and that in a few days, you were pulling this letter out of a wax-sealed envelope. But alas, here I am, clickity clacking away. And that's probably for the best, because it would be hard to add a "Listen Now" button to a paper letter.

In today's episode, we talk about HANDWRITTEN NOTES. Are they still a thing? Do people still write and send notes, or are they becoming a thing of the past?

We hope you enjoy today's episode. And if you really want to write us a letter...we wouldn't say no. We'll see you soon for Season 2. Keep your eyes on your (virtual) mailbox!

All my love,

Abby (and Alli, too, of course)

P.S. As per usual, here are links to everything we mentioned in the episode:

• Checkered Fish Ceramics
• Blackwell's
• In Her Defense by Phillipa Malicka
• The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland by Rachael Herron

The usual links:

• ITAT on Instagram
• Alli on Instagram
• Abby on Instagram
• ITAT on Substack
• Order Alli’s book!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get in losers, we're going shopping. Beep beep! Or actually, maybe we're not. Because Alli is driving (which she likes) but the parking situation is uncertain, and that makes her nervous, and so...maybe we'll just stay at home and shop from our laptops instead? In case it's not obvious, today we're talking about PARKING ANXIETY.

We also chat about:

• Lingering coughs, and how coughing is annoying
• The tempting tendency to pathologize people
• Alli's fascinating and fervent disdain of Rob from Traitors
• Why this season of Traitors doesn't feel as good as last season
• ...and more!

The usual links:

• ITAT on Instagram
• Alli on Instagram
• Abby on Instagram
• ITAT on Substack
• Pre-order Alli’s book!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week we talked about “hate listening” to podcasts. This week, we’re talking about media consumption again—but this time, we’re talking about comfort TV. But there’s one more twist: Abby wants to know if high-stress shows like The Pitt and ER can be comfort shows (because they definitely are for her).

We also chat about:

• Going on a cross-country road trip and the roles each of us would play
• How it feels for Alli to hold THE FIRST COPIES of her debut novel!
• The current and future state of hardcover books
• ...and more!

And, of course, here are links to things we mentioned in the episode:

• LITTLE ONE by Olivia Muenter
• The Pitt
• HEART THE LOVER by Lily King
• GLOSSY by Marisa Seltzer

The usual links:

• ITAT on Instagram
• Alli on Instagram
• Abby on Instagram
• ITAT on Substack
• Pre-order Alli’s book!

Advocacy corner:

The state of the country (and world) is weighing heavily on us right now. As such, we wanted to provide some suggestions of how to stay involved. Every little thing counts.

• Call your representatives using 5 Calls (there’s also a great mobile app)
• Donate to mutual aid orgs. Here are some suggestions:
• Food For All
• Immigrant Defense Network
• List of mutual aid orgs in Minnesota
• Project Relief Maine
• Stay in the know by following these creators:
• Emily Amick of Emily In Your Phone
• Aaron Parnas

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.