PicoBlog

I’m Jacqui Shine, & Well, Actually is a newsletter devoted to cultural criticism, historical deep dives, & flights of pop culture fancy—with footnotes. I have a PhD in US history from the University of California, Berkeley, where I studied the cultural construction of American policing; a certificate in documentary writing from the Salt Institute; and a propensity for delight. I’m no good at polemicism. My brain kind of looks like this: & I would love to talk about the mail.

Hi! I’m so happy you’re here! Think of this as my virtual front door where I’m standing, ready to give you a hug, and usher you into a room full of like-minded people to talk about books - and life. Good question. If you love to read, write, and connect, you’re in the right place. You might know me from all my work in the book world. I started a podcast called Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books back in 2018 which led to my (unexpectedly) building an entire media company (dubbed “the Zibby-verse” by the L.

A few quick updates! (Forgive me, it's unpolished.) Yesterday in my research, I realized that One Home Church, the Fairview church where Pastor Steve Berger happens to preach at as pastor emeritus these days… It's not just some new church that welcomed Steve when he left Gave Chapel, the church he founded in Franklin, Tennessee. I came across this article in The Tennessean: As it turns out, Grace Chapel in Franklin already had at least 900 people who were bussed into Franklin from Fairview to attend Grace Chapel.

“One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to show you a brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken. Then this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the jack of spades jump out of this brand-new deck of cards and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not accept this bet, because as sure as you stand there, you're going to wind up with an ear full of cider.

I’m not a Boomer, but this is me when it comes to the Grammys: I didn’t watch, but quickly heard about Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs, who teamed up to sing “Fast Car,” Chapman’s 1988 song that country singer Combs covered last year. I’d heard Combs’s version before—Spotify serves it up unprompted every so often, and I liked it because it had a real reverence for the original. And Chapman and Combs’s live performance is transcendent.

Keep scrolling for the latest BookTok controversy (that you might actually want to miss, tbh). This week’s edition of infinite scroll is brought to you by Coach Love, the new fruity, floral fragrance from Coach. To celebrate love in all its forms, Coach is hosting a consumer event in Sydney, where our readers can explore the fragrance, get their tarot cards read, and enjoy delicious canapes. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot (there are only 25!

Friends, I’m very excited about Acadia, the beautiful new Mediterranean Brasserie from Chef/Partner Ari Bokovza (Dagon) and Simon Oren of the Chef Driven Hospitality restaurant group ( Barbounia, Monterey, Marseille, Nice Matin, and Dagon) opening Wednesday December 13th in midtown. Acadia takes its name from the Acadian Empire, an ancient culture in Mesopotamia, and the French word Acadia which means “place of plenty.” The concept is Bokovza’s take on a modern day take on an open-air market.

Willy Suarez Maceo is charged with two counts of first-degree and one count of attempted murder. He has not been tried or convicted. As a result, the content provides a hypothetical account of the reported facts and possible motives leading to the current charges. He is innocent until proven guilty. Twenty-five-year-old Miami resident Willy Suarez Maceo was an upscale realtor and, based on his tweets and Instagram posts, a lover of women, money, and fancy cars.

It’s that time of year again. We are planning, plotting, and enjoying the last days of vacation. A reader wrote to me yesterday and asked if I had any suggestions for activities that build relationships. This was an excellent and timely suggestion for a post because creating classroom spaces that are safe and welcoming creative communities is what we all aim to create. What is Good Art? I often start new classes with this conversation-sparking activity.