Hi Everyone,
Hope you’re holding up in these times of crazy anxiety and potential doom. A lot of you know but maybe some of you don’t—four days each week I work at the O. Henry Museum in downtown Austin. I call this my mental health job. It is so wonderful to spend twenty hours each week hanging out in this little house, built in 1886, giving tours to visitors from around the world. I’m coming up on my two-year anniversary here and over this time I have really come to learn a lot about the history of Austin, particularly in the late 19th century.
For writing prompt #39, I invite you to imagine a future in which your house has been turned into a museum to commemorate what an awesome badass you were. (Past tense because we’re talking decades from now when we all will have gone on into the mystic.) Now imagine some future docent taking visitors on a tour of your house. What stories are they telling as they walk through the house and gesture at sundry objects and recount the meaning of these objects? (“Here is where Spike punched the wall when she found out Barton Springs was closed for three weeks.” “These are Spike’s five dining room tables—as you can see it’s a very big dining room. Funny thing though, she never at at the table. She only ever ate standing in a corner by the microwave, hunched over her porridge.”)
You can stick with a 100% factual accounting of this Museum of the Self, only include what is actually there and refer to what actually happened. Or, if you wish, have a field day and just make it all up. Whatever you want. Just have fun with it. And please, if you are inclined, share your writing in the comments.
I sure hope you’ll vote.
Thanks for being here.
Spike
NOTES:
If you haven’t yet signed up for a paid subscription, please consider that. It’s $8 per month and you can turn it off and on anytime. Your contributions really help me to keep this space going. Also, it’s a total bargain. So come on y’all—dig deep and help Uncle Spike out. Thank you.
Another way to help? Buy my new hilarious book which, in fact, is all about the O. Henry Museum and Austin in the 1890s and 1990s and the now. You can Venmo: @spike-gillespie. It’s $30 for a print copy (That includes postage) or $10 for an e-copy. If you want to buy multiple copies for your book club or gifts or whatever, there’s a discount—just email me for more info.