POETS & WRITERS &&

April 19, 2018 Leesa Cross-Smith

Exciting! I wrote an essay called IN PRAISE OF QUIET BOOKS for the May/June issue of Poets & Writers Magazine. It's avail only in print! And you can read my convo w/Silas House (one of my v fave writers) online here! You can also listen to me read the opening section of my essay on the Ampersand podcast!

I also wrote abt finding inspiration in period pieces and pretty dresses for WRITERS RECOMMEND!

And so many lovely and kind bookstagrammers have been taking the prettiest pics of WHISKEY & RIBBONS! You can follow me in IG @leesacrosssmith and I try to keep up w/posting them bc they're beautiful and I love seeing them!

Dig the EVENTS page for where I'll be for the rest of April and May! SOKY book fest, Arkansas Lit Fest, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Quail Ridge and Flyleaf and Greensboro Bound in NC! If y're in or around these places, come say Hi! <3

EMOTIONAL RESCUE @ LENNY LETTER

February 20, 2018 Leesa Cross-Smith

I wrote abt my crush on Matthias Schoenaerts and crushes in gen over @ Lenny Letter. Such a beautiful illustration by Chrissy Curtin! And thank you to Jessica Grose and Jack Jones Literary Arts and Hub City Press and my super-agent, Kerry D'Agostino for making magic happen! <3

Though I was blown away by Cotillard’s performance, in truth, I only watched Rust and Bone originally because of Matthias Schoenaerts, the actor who works alongside her. I have a crush on him. My celebrity crushes are emotional rescue when the world is too much. Like a security blanket or a warm mug of tea, they serve a right, proper, selfish purpose — one piece of the puzzle to your girl’s chill, emotional well-being.

THE GLIMMERING HUSH

February 16, 2018 Leesa Cross-Smith

The first installment of my column THE GLITTERING HUSH is live @ Oxford American as part of their The By and By series! It's abt finding quiet in a loud world and comes complete w/mixtape tracklist!

I think often of escaping from noise. Wherever I am, I like to sit by windows, doors. I like knowing how to get away when I need to get away. I’m easily startled and I hate loud sounds. I don’t mind natural loud noises like thunder or rain or wind; I love the deep rattle of a summer storm, the drip and birdsongs afterward in rainbow light. There is a cocky rooster a couple houses down from us and I love hearing him—that’s a Kentucky, country kind of quiet I love. Can I find the away-from-the-city, Kentucky quiet I’m used to when I’m in a busy urban area like Atlanta? Virginia? North Carolina? South Carolina? Arkansas? Tennessee? Anywhere? Everywhere?

JACK JONES LITERARY ARTS & GERMAN TRANSLATION OF WHISKEY & RIBBONS

November 10, 2017 Leesa Cross-Smith

SO STOKED to be working w/Kima Jones and her team @ JACK JONES LITERARY ARTS re: Whiskey & Ribbons. !! Read more abt the beautiful books in the current campaign and more abt Kima & Allison &&!

AND! Also stoked to announce that W&R will be translated into German (print and audio) and published by Bastei Lübbe, the largest indie publisher in Germany. And both of these things are dreams come true for me! EXCITINGGGG! <3

TO LOOK FOR AMERICA: A ROAD TRIP, A SOUNDTRACK

November 7, 2017 Leesa Cross-Smith

I wrote TO LOOK FOR AMERICA: A ROAD TRIP, A SOUNDTRACK over @ The Rumpus abt driving cross country w/my fam this summer!

South Dakota severe thunderstorm warnings and Culver’s. Minnesota car snacks and coffees. Wisconsin cheeses and my Green Bay Packers shirt. Arizona heat, the Milky Way and billions of stars above the Grand Canyon, one of the treasured “dark skies” in the country. The Pacific Coast Highway, California mornings, perfect Utah nights, Rocky Mountain Colorado, my favorite pungent Nevada sage, and lakes. Chicago traffic, etc. Miles and miles and miles. Train whistles and church bells. America.