A comedian, a book talk, and more

For dog lovers and fans of strong women

Happy spring! While many of us were chasing our toddlers during spring break, some important things happened, so I’d like to catch you up.

• I live five minutes from the site where America’s first Black female stand-up comic was raised. Until recently, there was only a tiny plaque declaring it the former home of Jackie “Moms” Mabley, “well-known on stage, screen and television.” Mabley was a pioneer in many ways, both personal and professional. She skewered racism and sexism onstage during the height of the Jim Crow era, clearing a path for stars like Wanda Sykes and Whoopi Goldberg. After she died, in 1975, it took nearly 50 years for her hometown to erect a permanent memorial. Read more in my latest piece for the The Assembly magazine.

• My friend Tommy Tomlinson has a new book coming out at the end of this month. Dogland is about people who love dogs, and the weird world of dog shows, but it goes much deeper than that. It’s about what it takes to be happy. I’ll be chatting with Tommy—who is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, in addition to being a stand-up guy—when he visits Brevard, N.C. to promote the book on April 30. More details about the event here (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

• I recently had an email chat with the great Emily Oster, bestselling author of Expecting Better, about one of the essential questions concerning maternal health. Stay tuned for the details of that conversation.

Thank you, as always, for reading. I hope you get a chance to take a breath now that the kids are back in school.