At the National Museum of the American Indian

Writer and publisher Caroline Bock; books for the holidays

I’m learning a lot from Ned Blackhawk’s THE REDISCOVERY OF AMERICA: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of American History, an investigation of the peaceful, violent, and utilitarian relationships between European settlers and Native people in what is present day North America. No surprise—Native communities were sophisticated and socially complex long before Europeans showed up. No surprise again, the damage wrought by Europeans is incalculable.

Last weekend the National Museum of the American Indian hosted an art market with artists from around the continent.

National Museum of the American Indian.

It was a treat to see an array of gorgeously crafted objects—jewelry, rugs, baskets, beadwork, silkscreens, and more. I especially enjoyed talking with the makers/exhibitors.

Of course, I had to see the rest of the museum. Smithsonian museums cost nothing to visit and are beautifully cared for by people who work for the federal government. Consider the irony of “getting the government off our backs” if you ever have a chance to spend time at one of these incredible institutions.

Wixarika (Huichol) souvenir—miniature beaded violin in the Museum of the American Indian’s permanent collection.

Here are some terrific books written by writers in the DMV [DC, MD, & VA] that would make excellent presents for the readers in your life.

• Andrew Bertaina, THE BODY IS A TEMPORARY GATHERING PLACE [essays about the trials of young adulthood];

• Michelle Brafman, SWIMMING WITH GHOSTS [addiction and loss at a summer swim club];

• Tope Folarin, A PARTICULAR KIND OF BLACK MAN [from growing up in Utah and Texas as the son of Nigerian immigrants to landing in the world of books and ideas];

• Jeffrey Dale Lofton, RED CLAY SUZIE [coming up gay in rural Georgia];

• Diana Rojas, LITANY OF SAINTS: A Triptych [three novellas about immigrants and large, extended families];

• Laura Scalzo, AMERICAN ARCADIA [20-30 something life in 1985 NY amidst the burgeoning AIDS epidemic];

• Bernardine Watson, TRANSPLANT [trials of kidney disease against healthcare failures for Black Americans];

• Mary Kay Zuravleff, AMERICAN ENDING [Russian immigrants in Pennsylvania a century ago, living within folk culture and struggling with culture clashes].

For this year’s final interview, I am delighted to introduce you to writer and publisher Caroline Bock, a luminary in the Washington literary scene.

1. Please tell us about your writing.

I always wanted to be a writer. But I took a twenty year detour and worked as a cable television marketing and public relations executive with USA, Bravo, IFC, and IFC Films. In my forties, I returned to my first dream—to be a novelist (and raise my son and daughter). I’ve written two young adult novels– LIE and BEFORE MY EYES; a short story collection, CARRY HER HOME, winner of the Fiction Award from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House; and an adult novel, THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, a workplace love story [out in 2026], inspired, in part, by my work as a movie-loving cable television executive. Life comes full circle!

2. How did you get to that place?

Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. I wrote. I took classes. I went to readings. I received an MFA in Fiction from the City College of New York, taught creative writing (I still teach occasionally at the Writer’s Center and Politics & Prose bookstore). Most of all, I kept writing. THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE was sold directly to Regal House Publishing, a major independent literary publisher. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed other novels they’ve published, including Laura Scalzo’s AMERICAN ARCADIA and your THREE MUSES [thank you!]. I’m thrilled we are going to be press-mates [me too]!

3. What’s it like to be a publisher?

I’m the co-president at an unusual press—Washington Writers’ Publishing House, the longest continuously operating cooperative (all-volunteer) nonprofit literary small press in the United States. WWPH was established in 1975 by four hippie poets, including Grace Cavalieri, who, in her ninth decade, is still an active mentor to the press and to me. Our big project for 2025 is a 50th anniversary anthology, AMERICA’S FUTURE. I will edit the prose, and Jona Colson, my co-president, will edit the poetry. We are looking for 150 writers with some connection to the DMV area and creative thoughts on what’s next. How do we imagine tomorrow in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or even in a work of translation? We are open for submissions until December 31st (more details at www.washingtonwriters.org).

4. What sustains you?

Mugs of black Irish tea with milk. I chew through all my number #2 pencils. I also read widely. While working on this new novel, I’m reading short. So, I recently dove into Tara Campell’s short, weirdly wonderful speculative novel, CITY OF DANCING GARGOYLES, and some short story collections – I’m savoring Jess Walter’s THE ANGEL OF ROME. Most of all, what sustains my writing is writing.

Have a wonderful week!
Love, Martha

P.S. ICYMI, here’s last week’s newsletter: When Thanksgiving starts with a rotting chipmunk in the sofa.