Hi dear friends,
Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Yesterday I had the privilege of sharing a panel at the Morristown Festival of Books with Lakota American writer David Heska Wanbli Weiden. His captivating crime and thriller novels center Lakota culture, legal battles for indigenous sovereignty, and the grave impacts of white supremacist institutional violence on Lakota people. As our moderator Carol Van Den Hende astutely pointed out, there were many parallels to be drawn between Livonia and Weiden’s new book, Wisdom Corner – and connections to be made between the experience of reservation residents and the experience of Brownsvillians, at least during Brownsville’s hardest years. (I only wish my Brownsville-born mentors and friends could have been there to share their reflections and connections.)
On a related note, last Monday I was lucky to participate in an extremely multicultural gathering of Indigenous, Black, Jewish, Asian, and Latinx New Yorkers at the Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park. Convened by The Price Institute at Rutgers Newark; the Public History Project; and Lunaape, Delaware Nation, and Mohawk organizers, the talking circle brought together activists, artists, writers and public historians who seek a pathway to healing from our region’s legacy of colonialism, racial capitalism and extraction.
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, let’s acknowledge not only that we live on Indigenous land, but that Indigenous communities are very much not extinct. They are here, and even as we condemn apartheid and genocidal violence in Palestine, we must listen to Indigenous organizers and elders as we collectively envision a decolonized America and a new relationship to land.
Upcoming Livonia Events!
TUESDAY OCT 13, 2026, 6 PM • MAR VISTA, LA – a private book party at the home of friends, in conversation with acclaimed LA writer and journalist Erin Aubry Kaplan, the author of Black Talk, Blue Thoughts, and Walking the Color Line. Email me at savitchlew@gmail.com for the address!
WEDNESDAY OCT 14, 2026, 7 PM • WEST HOLLYWOOD, LA – A reading at Book Soup in conversation with EMDASH, a writer of intoxicating poetry and prose (and a dear friend from my Rutgers MFA program).
**Note to LA friends and family! We’ll be eating in West Hollywood both before and after the Book Soup reading! Let me know if you’d like to join one or the other, and I’ll add you to the reservation!
FRIDAY OCT 16, 2026, 5:30 pm • SAN FRANCISCO CHINATOWN –A discussion at On Waverly with the visionary Akemi Kochiyama-Ladson, a scholar-activist, community builder, and the granddaughter of Yuri Kochiyama.
SATURDAY OCT 17, 2026, 2 pm • CONCORD, MA – Concord Festival of Authors Debut Author’s Panel: I’ll be in conversation with fellow writers Laura Garden and Meghana Mysore, on a panel moderated by writer-in-residence Danielle Bradley.
In Other News…
Livonia Chow Mein was chosen by the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office for this Brooklyn Book List! Curated with the assistance of Historian Asad Dandia, the list features “ten titles that capture the borough’s diverse communities, histories, and identities.”
I was honored to be chosen by Robin Luce Martin and Lisa Amico Kristel for their #YeahYouWrite reading series. The co-organizers are deep readers, and they created cocktails, mocktails, visual art, music, and all kinds of multimedia works inspired by our books! For me, this included a beautifully designed poster that captured the essence of the layered history of 78 Livonia Avenue, and a mocktail with ingredients like chocolate sauce (in honor of Lina’s love of Hershey’s), peanut and spices (in honor of Utica Avenue’s peanut punch) and a pinch of soy sauce. Hou Hiak – I drank two whole glasses!
I joined Sam Stein, brilliant author of Capital City and A Right to Housing? for an event at Hunter College. With the help of Hunter Urban Policy & Planning Professor Laura Wolf-Powers, who devised a unique structure for the event, we teased out the manifold connections between Sam’s nonfiction book and Livonia Chow Mein.
And before I sign off: at my day job at New Economy Project, we and our coalition partners are going all out to pass the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA). This critical legislation will curb real estate speculation and expand the supply of permanently affordable, community controlled homes. It’s on the brink of passage; please call your council member and Speaker Julie Menin and tell them to PASS COPA now!
‘Till later. And sorry this looks weird on desktop.
❤
Abby
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