Lydia McOscar of the Brookline Booksmith, a booklover's paradise that has called Brookline home since the 1950s, teamed up with Grub to curate a series of personal essays from debut authors connected to our fair city of Boston. In this edition, Katie Bayerl, author of A Psalm for Lost Girls, writes about her turbulent relationship with Boston and the beginning of her writing journey

Twice a month, we feature our favorite literary links. As ever, we promise: You’ll laugh. You'll ponder. You won’t get any writing done.

Bradley Babendir reviews Grub instructor Annie Hartnett's debut novel, Rabbit Cake.  

"On Grieving and What Comes Next"

In the lead up to last year's Muse and the Marketplace conference, we produced a series that explored the experience of working in a dominantly white industry as a person of color

GrubStreet runs on coffee, printer ink, and community. This series features just some of the Grubbies who make our community strong. In this edition, meet our first ever Emerging Writer Fellowship recipient Shawnna Thomas. The Fellowship aims to develop new, exciting voices by providing one writer per year tuition-free access to Grub classes and the Muse conference. Shawnna was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts

By Katrin Schumann

Do you ever really struggle to find just the right book to fit your mood? When I’m deeply embroiled in my own writing, I get particularly fussy about my reading material. I want to be inspired and energized—I really don’t want to think: How the hell did THIS get published?

So when I find a book that grabs me and won’t let go, I’m filled with pure delight and gratitude