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National Genealogical Society Quarterly Praise

Image shows the January 2025 cover of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly

I was surprised and delighted to discover a generous review of Ancestor Trouble by Deanna Korte in the latest issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Here’s an excerpt:

Maud Newton, in a fascinating author debut, shows readers that our ‘obsession with ancestors opens up new ways of seeing ourselves.’ Newton… takes the reader on a journey of genealogical exploration, historical research, and introspection that will remind professional genealogists and hobbyists why this field is so captivating….

Newton’s book is engaging precisely because each reader will find something to relate to — be it a thorough study of one’s family tree, later-in-life discoveries of shared ancestral health maladies, or the energy emanating from strong forebears. Ancestor Trouble is a fun, relatable foray into the meandering paths that professional genealogists sometimes set aside as “rabbit holes.” However, as Newton reminds us, “By some reckonings, [genealogy is] the oldest form of logic” (p. 20). Perhaps those meandering paths are worth strolling.



New short story, Rapture Basement

“Rapture Basement,” the first short story I’ve written in well over a decade, is out from Narrative Magazine today. It arrived in a great rush this summer, and I think of it as a kind of fictional fraternal twin to my Baffler essay, “Taking T for Jesus.”

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Texas Monthly and I agree on y’all

I was tickled to be cited favorably in Texas Monthly for my letter of recommendation for “y’all,” the most inclusive pronoun. But Dan Solomon’s article on “y’all” as a perfect word is worth a read for more reasons than that. As a fifth-generation Texan who’s not really a Texan because I grew up in Miami and have lived in New . . .

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Cities are also nature, Earth reminds us

In a recent newsletter, I wrote about (what I see as) the necessity of moving away from the idea of cities as “not nature” or “the opposite of nature.” I connect this binary, for many of us at least, to the far-ranging effects of fundamentalist conceptions of the Earth as a waiting room for heaven. Here’s part of what I . . .

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Staying connected and present in these times

In my latest newsletter: my mom and stepdad finally have their power back in Asheville after a scary couple of weeks, and in celebration I shared this photo of the two of them from 1983. Also: writing election postcards; some tried-and-true soup recipes; audiobook recommendations; gathering in (remote) community on Sunday nights for Sebene Selassie’s Making Sacred Space; cultivating attuned . . .

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