“Journalist Misses His Deadline on Manson Article. By 20 Years.” New York Times, July 28. I’m listening to Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill and Dan Piepenbring, and am enjoying it so far. It seems a little gossip-y and dramatic, but who doesn’t like a story like that? This article contains what O’Neill says is some of the more surprising tidbits he uncovered while researching the book. It’s also nice to know I’m not alone in having a multi-decade research/writing project.

Teaching a creative nonfiction class at The Loft. It’s pretty great to have two hours each week to discuss the form of creative nonfiction with intelligent practitioners who want to know more. Last week we debated “truth” in creative nonfiction and how to write about close friends and family. This is a workshop class so each student is submitting a piece of writing. I love seeing all the different approaches people take toward creative nonfiction. Students are writing a variety of nonfiction — memoir, essay, and narrative nonfiction. It’s a great way for students to be exposed to the different forms.

Au revoir, 2019 Tour de France. Since I’ve made watching this great bicycle race a summer routine since 2009, I’ve seen good years and boring years. This year was definitely the former, with the winner decided only in the last couple of days of racing.