Pinch-Me Moments.

Green.

It’s the color of the day today, March 17th. And it’s something I’ve been craving for months here in Missouri, where the washed-out grays and browns of a bleak February — the longest shortest month ever — threatened perpetual gloom.

But last week, when I returned from a trip to Baltimore, I was greeted by all sorts of green. In the front yard, the slender green stems of daffodils had burst their buds, creating bunches of brilliant yellow suns, bobbing on their stalks. Bright green grass peeked up through the dirt of my backyard. My lilac bushes were feathered with delicate light green leaves in advance of the blooms with which they’ll perfume my patio later this spring — both white and lavender varieties.

Green makes you happy to be alive, doesn’t it?

You’ll probably see a lot of green today, St. Patrick’s Day. Shamrocks. Beads. Even green beer. And many people, Irish or not, will don green t-shirts — some emblazoned with a request for a kiss — and participate in the uniquely American (and uniquely annoying) tradition of pinching any person not wearing green.

This can be traumatic in elementary or middle school if you forget. More than once I walked into home room on a March 17th only to be swarmed by classmates, checking for green and a chance to make me yelp, sometimes even leaving a mark. Yikes. It is my dearest hope that this custom has gone the way of dodgeball, Red Rover and musical chairs. Not everything was better back in the olden days!

But speaking of “pinch-me moments,” I’ve had a few of the best kind lately. I thought I would share a few in the interest of reading some feel-good stories in a news cycle full of anything but.

I’ll start with Baltimore. The first week of March, this city was host to a meeting of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP). More than 10,000 introverts descended upon this harbor city to attend panels on writing, publishing, teaching, social media, AI and more.

I sat in on some excellent sessions, including “No Pants? No Problem: Planners Share Their Outlining Processes” (very helpful for a “seat-of-the-pants” writer who tries so hard to outline but is typically taken off road by my characters!). Also “Beyond Platform: Growing a Writing Career without Relying on Social Media” and “Rewriting Stories that History Forgot” — a terrific session for those of us who look backwards to write our books. There was a ginormous book fair, where booths hosted author signings (so fun to see friends with new books out!) and offered all manner of freebies along with cool writing-related products for purchase.

But my favorite part was connection. One afternoon, I sat in a circle with other writers in the funky little harborside bookstore Vinyl & Pages and shared a paragraph from Journal of a Solitude by the novelist, poet and memoirist May Sarton that meant something to me. I had discovered the book just before the same milestone birthday that was looming for her when she wrote it in 1973; the right book at the right time. But mostly, I listened to what others found moving or vital: everything from a call-and-response version of Prince’s 1987 song “Starfish and Coffee” to “How to be a Poet” by Wendell Berry. It was powerful, that sharing. Intense. And the conversations afterwards were lovely, a result of that shared vulnerability that allowed us to skip the small talk and really engage.

A true “pinch-me moment.” Thanks, Somayeh.

How to Be a Poet

by Wendell Berry

(To remind myself)

i
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill -- more of each
than you have -- inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.

ii
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

iii
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

There were other terrific connections in Baltimore, too. I met up with mentors and friends from Warren Wilson College, where I got my MFA. Did some incredibly badass (or maybe just bad?) karaoke with writer pals old and new (“Short Skirt/Long Jacket” by Cake was the pinnacle for me). And celebrated good news over a delectable dinner of crab cakes and caesar salad (along with half-price bottles) with a writer bestie! Do you know that feeling when you are just so darn proud to be someone’s friend… and that person is truly happy for the good things going on in your life, too?

Pinch-me moment. Thanks, Katie. And also for making me eat crab cakes three nights in a row (tough, I know, but someone’s gotta do it).

After the conference, my husband Clay joined me and we headed to the Maryland countryside and the small town of Westminster, where a good friend from our Columbia days had relocated a few years ago with her new love. They recently got married and it was our first chance to meet her husband and experience her new life and surroundings.

What a treat! As I wrote her this morning: “Could it have been a more perfect visit?”

No, reader. It could not have been more fabulous or idyllic or satisfying. Superlatives fail. We met Bernie — funny! charming! smart! loves music and wine and food! — and walked the large, lovely yard that my friend has been shaping and reclaiming, bit by bit. We had lunch at her husband’s restaurant, the eclectic and charming JeannieBird Baking Company, visited several pairs of quirky artist neighbors and friends, gathered eggs, fed the sheep and soaked in the scenery: gentle hills, woods and pastures, tamed and fenced or wild at the edges.

Her two darling children, one of whom is our godchild while the other holds the title of “honorary godchild,” were there, too. They’re all grown up now and came to visit with their partners (also cool human beings). How delightful to meet these interesting young adults with passions that include sailing and making films and music and traveling. And then, after a memorable incident with a magnum of prosecco (!) and several wood-fired pizzas (made on their patio, of course), to stay up late, swapping stories, playing guitar and and singing old songs?

Pinch-me moment. Thanks, Elaine. And Bernie!

I may or may not wear green today if I venture out. But I will still be pinching myself.

Life is good.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. And enjoy the green, even as the frigid wind whips your face and snow flurries fly. You can see it: Spring is coming.

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What I’m reading:

• Skylark by Paula McLain. This is serious historical fiction, a dual-timeline novel set in Paris both in the 1660s and 1939-40. In 1664, a young woman is imprisoned in the horrific La Salpêtrière asylum for trying to protect her father, a master fabric dyer, and must find her way to physical and creative freedom. And a young Dutch psychiatrist befriends a Jewish family and risks his life and career to keep them safe during WW II. Both storylines involved the huge and largely unknown tunnel system beneath the city of Paris. The writing is beautiful, the stories compelling; but I sometimes found myself wishing for even a sliver of light or levity in this heavy tome.

• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I’m in love. That is all. No, but seriously, I am truly savoring this novel-in-letters written by or to the curmudgeonly Sybil Van Antwerp, a 70-year-old retired lawyer who is trying — and not always succeeding — to navigate strained relationships with her family members, a past trauma, current events and a health scare through the written word (a dying art!). She is witty, wry and wary of neighbors bearing caramels or roses and only occasionally shares her very tender heart with a younger friend. I love that this is a debut novel and that Virginia Evans wrote it in response to several novels that had failed to sell. May she enjoy every NYT best-selling minute!

• UPDATE ON THE MOONSHINE WOMEN… TWO WEEKS TIL PUB DAY!!

Update on THE MOONSHINE WOMEN: We are two weeks (14 days!) away from Pub Day on March 31, 2026! And there are several things that you can do to help me out if you are willing:

1. Preorder the book, if you haven’t already! Let’s show the publisher and bookselling community that you’ve got my back. Here are some favorite links:

Bookshop.org - Michelle Collins Anderson

Left Bank Books - St. Louis

Main Street Books - St. Charles MO

Neighborhood Reads - Washington MO

Skylark Bookshop - Columbia MO

2. Join THE MOONSHINE WOMEN Friends & Family Launch Team! It’s easy to show your support with social media shares and other means of boosting the book as publication day nears! Simply fill out this form Moonshine Friends & Family As a thank you for your help, you can request a digital download of the novel and start reading well ahead of pub day! LET’S DO THIS!!!

3. Attend an event in your area — and encourage others to join you. If you have friends in one of my book tour cities, please reach out to them and recommend they come out! I’d love to meet your friends and introduce them to my “Strong women.”

   • March 28, Saturday night at 7 p.m. An early sneak peek pre-launch event at The Moonshine Blues Bar in St. Charles. Get a book and a drink (or two drinks for a couple!). Conversation partner is Emily Bain Murphy, author of The Ivory City.

   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-michelle-collins-anderson-the-moonshine-women-tickets-1984413097995?aff=oddtdtcreator

   • March 31, Tuesday at 7 p.m. LAUNCH NIGHT! Join us at The Commons, the Novel Neighbor’s new event space at 5127 Delmar Blvd. Includes treats & yes, there WILL be moonshine!

   Register here (free!): https://anderson.paperform.co/

   • Thursday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Neighborhood Reads, Washington, MO.

   • Saturday, April 4 at 5 p.m. at Left Bank Books. Happy hour featuring a cocktail in honor of THE MOONSHINE WOMEN plus a Q&A. Free event, with drink donations going to Left Bank’s wonderful literacy foundation.

   Register here (free!): https://left-bank.com/event/2026-04-04/michelle-collins-anderson-moonshine-women

   

What I’m listening to:

• Dar Williams. She was at City Winery-St. Louis last week promoting her new album Hummingbird Highway and there are so many good songs! But she also played my favorite, “The Babysitter”… so my life is now complete. Front row in this cozy venue and the opener, Joy Clark, was fantastic.

What I’m watching:

• Sinners. THIS MOVIE, OMG. I love Michael B. Jordan — I’ve been a fan since The Wire and Friday Night Lights. He gives a mind-blowing performance (well, two, actually, as he plays twins Smoke and Stack). I knew going in it was some sort of horror flick, but nothing, NOTHING, prepared me for these creepy, bloodthirsty yet mannerly vampires. I thought it should have beaten out One Battle at a Time (a strange movie that I loved but was not on the scale of Sinners) at the Oscars Sunday night.