Paint Jobs and Poster Children.

My apartment building is getting a fresh coat of paint, which is nice. However, I have been living behind this shroud of black netting for so long that I’m beginning to feel like an Edwardian widow.

Ten days into the painting, the air in my small apartment is stale from having to keep my windows closed, and the light that is able to pass through the dust and widow’s weeds gives me the feeling of being in perpetual twilight.

In spite of this depression-inducing atmosphere, I am hardly in mourning. Quite the opposite. In fact, I rather feel like celebrating. It’s Spring, after all. There are fragrant blossoms and paint fumes all around. Happiness is there for the huffing.

And for the reading.

The Chicago Tribune recently published this piece on seven food writers to watch. In their mystifying, benevolent wisdom, I have been included in that group.

It’s very gratifying to be noticed. Even more so to be in such good company. And lord knows I’m used to being watched these days, namely by housepainters who get an eyeful each morning as they scrape and hammer and brush away outside my living room window. For the people watching me through the lens of The Chicago Tribune, however, I hereby promise to wear pants.

The other six writers profiled (in alphabetical order) are: Monica Bhide, David Bridges, Leela Punyaratabandhu, Jess Thomson, Michael W. Twitty, and Virginia Willis. The Chicago (Tribune) Seven. It almost makes me feel like a food writing  Abbie Hoffman.

Here’s is a pdf file of the article written by Bill Daley.

All of us will be on Twitter this Thursday (tomorrow), April 5th at 10 am Pacific Time. Here’s a link with the full details on how to participate in the conversation. Please join us and ask us all sorts of questions. I’d love to hear from you. Also joining the conversation will be one of my favorite people in the universe, David Leite, and culinary literature agent Lisa Ekus.

I’ll be back to regular posting just as soon as the light allows. I’ve got some very interesting posts in progress.

Cheers,

Michael