A Few Things | September 30

Our first parenting book event, pitch to speak at Alt Summit, a link list, and more.

Announcing: Our First Parenting Book Event!

We’re just over two weeks out from the publish date (October 15th), so our parenting book, The Kids Are All Right, is at the top of our mind at the moment. The latest updates? We have actual copies in hand! If you’d like, you can watch me and Ben Blair unboxing the books for the first time.

And! We get to announce our first official book event! It’s a virtual event and you’re all invited. Ben and I are coming to Talk Shop Live this Friday, October 4th at 6pm ET. We’ll be hosting a Q&A where you can ask us anything — about the book, about parenting, or whatever’s on your mind. Plus, you can order an autographed copy of the book!

Speaking of which, have you pre-ordered a copy of The Kids Are All Right? Preorders are so important for things like reviews, bestseller lists, and book shops deciding to carry your book. Preorders are basically the number one thing you can do to support an author. So if you get a chance, I would appreciate it so much if you could pre-order. Here are helpful links:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Bookshop.org — Bookshop sources from independent booksellers
Get AUTOGRAPHED COPIES via Talk Shop Live!

Are there pre-order bonuses?

YES! So keep your receipt and I will be announcing the bonuses soon. Anyone who has pre-ordered (even if it was weeks or months ago) will be eligible for the pro-order bonuses.

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Alt Summit Open Call For Presenters

It’s time to pitch! The next Alt Summit is happening March 14-17, 2025 in Palm Springs, and the 2025 Open Call For Presenters is happening now!

Alt Summit is not just looking for stand-alone speakers, the programming team is also looking for roundtable discussion leaders, topic experts for Q&A desks, workshop instructors, panelists, moderators, craft teachers, and artists. If you need a refresher, take a look at the session overview. Basically, if you’ve got something to share that will resonate with the Alt Summit audience, the Alt team would LOVE to hear from you!

Here’s what you’ll need to submit your pitch:
•A short bio (650 characters max)
•A headshot (1000 px wide, filename must include your first and last name)
•Pitch Title (85 characters max)
•Pitch Description (500 characters max)

Find all the info on the Alt Summit website and submit your pitch here.

Not sure why I’m writing about Alt Summit? I own and run this amazing event! Fun fact: this March will be the 20th Alt Summit conference. Follow Alt Summit on Instagram for news and updates.

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A Few Things

Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:

-In the Washington Post — The devastation from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina is so heartbreaking. Whole towns simply gone, wiped off the face of the earth. Try Convoy of Hope if you are feeling compelled to help.

-From the New York Times (gift link) — Trump Divides Arizona’s Crucial Mormon Vote. I’m (obviously) very curious to see how Mormons vote this year. Interesting connection: the home photographed in the article is the same home that hosted my book tour event for Ejaculate Responsibly.

-From Threads — Mandy Patinkin asked people to write haikus about why they think Tim Walz is great. So enjoyable to read the comments.

-From The Atlantic — A powerfully important piece on the horrendous consequences of Trump’s abortion bans for patients and doctors. We must fight for abortion access before this becomes a reality nationwide.

-From Netflix — I binge watched Nobody Wants This over the weekend, and then told Maude about it and she binge-watched it too. It stars Adam Brody and Kristen Bell. I knew nothing about it when I decided to give it a try, but I like both of the stars and figured it was low risk. And then, I couldn’t stop watching! More feel good rom-coms please. Have you seen it?

-From NPR (warning this is very disturbing) — A student used a box cutter to carve the N-word across their teammate's chest.

-From Scientific American — Woah! Black holes the size of an atom… that contain the mass of an asteroid… may fly through the inner solar system about once a decade… and could explain dark matter!

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Shopping

Don’t miss the spooky John Derian for Target collection! It’s the perfect way to welcome October to your home. John Derian is one of my favorite designers, and his shop in NYC is the coolest (and also pricey!), so his Target collections are a wonderful way to bring some John Derian into your home in a very affordable way. Here are three of my favorites from the collection:

Horned Owl Pillow — $20

Skull and Cross Bones Serving Platter — $15

Midnight Dreary Black Bird Glasses, Set of 4 — $15

Click to check out the whole John Derian for Target line.

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Lately on Design Mom

Dowager Countess Quote Napkins
I was so saddended to hear about Maggie Smith’s passing. The first time I became aware of Maggie Smith was when I watched Hook as a junior in high school. She was so compelling and unforgettable. I just loved her and have followed her work ever since. To mark her passing, I republished this project where we use her character’s quotes from Downton Abbey to make dinner napkins.

Easy Beef Stroganoff
This is the kind of simple comfort food I crave as the temperature drops. And there’s a funny little memory from my childhood in the post too.

Image Transfer Postcards
Do you know you can transfer images to wood? Such a cool project! It’s feels like magic. This would be fun to do to create some artwork for your home using vintage photographs or illustrations from the public domain.

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I think that’s it for now. Feel free to comment on anything above, or whatever is on your mind. I hope you are having a happy start to your week. And thank you so much for pre-ordering The Kids Are All Right.

kisses,
Gabrielle