Dear Bread Fans,
Well, I did not make it to Maine for the Kneading Conference! I was very sad to stay home, but I got shingles (again) and needed to rest.
I missed all the bread fun and community, and I also missed a drive through Mexico and Rumford, adjacent mill towns described in a book by Kerri Arsenault, Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains.
The book is wonderful and so is the writer. Kerri was one of my teachers at the Summer Community of Writers, part of Chatham University’s MFA program. She led us through close readings of book and story sections, guiding our attention to words, phrasing, structure, style, tone — everything. Kerri reminded me that all reading is research, and I need to pay attention to how other writers make reading such an engaging event.
Mill Town is an indictment of the paper industry, a portrait of a community of workers, and the author’s family. I knew about Maine Acadians because I ate ployes, buckwheat cakes at an earlier Kneading Conference, but I didn’t know about the British expulsion and genocide of Acadians during the French and Indian War. Please read this book — there’s some luscious, lyrical passages weaving together her exploration of the cancer-causing legacy of paper making. And remember, I believe that listening to books is reading too — Kerri reads the audiobook, so you’ll get to hear her voice.
In addition to the content and quality of the writing, I loved the multiple pages thanking all the people who helped her write the book. Chunky paragraphs name early readers, late readers, and everyone who put their eyes to the book before it found hardback covers. She thanks her sources and the funding that let her write. Seeing the community effort that surrounds the isolated effort of writing is not common. Much of publishing is shrouded in the lone wolf narrative, and promotes the idea that writers are toiling away solo, typing words and revising them by ourselves.
In reality, writing is a group act. It is hard, really hard, to get words on pages, and we need cheerleaders and peers to read and listen to our work. You, dear readers, are part of my book process, so thank you in advance!
Now, back to the baking:
I’m happily distracted by baking research — right now I’m stuck in the history of American baking, especially the 1910s, reviewing the bakers’ bread vs. mother’s bread battle I outlined in an article for Wordloaf. I can’t stop visiting the 1920s, either. I found Bread Facts, a book the Ward Baking Company printed for professionals in 1920, and boy did I learn a lot!
I’m baking sandwich loaves, having revived my starter after a month’s refrigerated rest. Seeing those bubbles burst open burst open my heart. It was like my heart took a breath. FYI I’m using a Sourhouse jar & like the smooth sides. Once it gets chilly around here I’ll try the container that regulates the temp.
The rhubarb plant is going gangbusters, so I made a crisp, and some ketchup that came out more as a chutney. No complaints!
I’m gearing up for local projects. One is an exploration of corn with Ellie Markovitch — it will be online and here in Troy. The other is a storytelling station to get people thinking about how food institutions, like farmers’ markets, big bakeries, and beloved restaurants, create personal memories. These events will all be in September and I’ll send exact dates soon, in case anyone would like to join.
I hope you all are well, and finding moments of ordinary magic.
Amy
Hi Amy Thanks for the history lesson about the Acadians. I ordered a few jars for my sourdough. Sorry to hear about your illness. I had Bells Palsy which is also a nerve disease. Your beet juice bread is fun. I sometimes add brewed ☕ as my liquid to my bread dough. Nice column.
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We missed you at Bread Camp this year. I hope you’re feeling much better.
Thanks for the excellent review of Mill Town. When I saw the headline I thought you were going to write about a flour mill but was pleasantly surprised to see a book review. She really captured what mill towns all over Maine are/were like. I live in Madison, Maine and our mill closed in 2016.
See you next year!