April MB Musts
In honor of our innovation issue, we’re sharing some classic and new reads to spark inspiration
We’re Loving:
This book is our personal go-to when we’re in a creative rut or feeling bullied by the internal critic. A Bible for the sensitive, overthinking creative types, Gilbert provides both deep camaraderie and practical mentorship by sharing her own writing experiences. We dare you to read a chapter and not feel inspired to keep on your creative path.
By Eve Rodsky
In her acclaimed New York Times bestseller Fair Play, Rodsky urged women to rebalance their domestic responsibilities and reclaim time for themselves. While her book started a national conversation around greater equality on the home front, this was just the beginning. In Unicorn Space, Rodsky provides an inspirational guide on what to focus on with that newly reclaimed time. Specifically, she addresses how to set new personal goals, find your passion and cultivate creativity in an already too-busy life. Using mix of practical advice and big picture thinking, Rodsky wants women to find their unicorn space, a magical nook necessary for a creative and fulfilling life.
By Anne Lamott
If you’ve taken any college writing classes, you’ve likely read Bird By Bird, a beloved gem of writers old and new. Lamott provides readers with a simple but also strong and unique guide on not only how to write but also how to live and manage emotions as a writer. A fan of “shitty first drafts” and “writing what you know,” Lamott is funny, honest and and provides the refreshing clarity that so many creatives face when attempting to tell their stories.
While not about creativity, we had to mention Lamott’s new book out this month. Somehow — her twentieth (!!) book — explores the transformative experience of love and what it can look like in our lives. In each chapter, Lamott reflects on various forms of love, from love for a child who disappoints to unexpected love found later in life, offering a celebration of love in all its versions.
While this empowering memoir might not specifically be about creativity, it bravely explores living an authentic life — an experience that started for Mullen as she worked on a memoir with a writing coach and accepted she was in love with her female best friend of 20 years. Through candid vignettes, Mullen traces the events leading to her midlife coming out—and her decision to leave her marriage, choosing “desire over safety.” It’s more than a story about coming out — it’s also a story of coming back to oneself.