October Love Letters
Love Letter
Hi everyone, welcome to October’s edition of Love Letters! We’re so glad you’re here.
It’s fall. The weather is finally cooling down, and it is finally time to layer up and get ready for our favorite time of year: spooky season. To celebrate, we have curated some uplifting news, positive affirmations, and seasonal favorites.
With love ❤
Anna, Atreyi, Anita, Kate, Paige, and Caroline
To our Coven:
I hate to admit it, but I’ve always been one to keep up with star signs, and we’ve just walked out of the final Mercury Retrograde of 2021. The entirety of retrograde demanded that we re-evaluate the relationships that we have with those close to us, but something I realize now is that as I dedicated all of this energy and thought to my relationships with other people, I have forgotten about myself. In the wake of all of this work, we wanted to take this month to focus on self-love.
If you have a minute, join me for the following:
Sit down and get comfortable, and just ask yourself how you’re doing right now. No matter what the answer is, take a minute and just let yourself sit in those feelings. Our minds aren’t hardwired to stay still, but if you sense judgements or negative thoughts arising, push them away. It’s not relevant right now. Take several deep breaths, simply acknowledging where you’re at right now. And to close, remember this--you are worthy of love and compassion.
Coven Member Highlight - Emma Bittner
“I’ve seen my writing inside and outside of Coven influence so many, and it’s shown me how powerful writing can be. Whether at the Capitol or on the page, we have power, and that bit of “I wanna save the world” in us is making waves.
When I first started writing for Coven in the summer of 2020, I viewed it as just something to pad my resume. I didn’t think I would fall in love with writing again or be welcomed into such a loving and supporting community. I didn’t know I would have the freedom to write about whatever came to mind and what I was genuinely passionate about. Since that summer, my tagline for articles has been, “Rom-Com fanatic and coffee connoisseur with a little bit of “I wanna save the world” in me.” It remains true. I rarely branch out from my staple rom-coms, and it’s a bad day if I haven’t had at least two cups of coffee. Yet, I have a lot more of “I wanna save the world” in me.
Coven is more than media. It is a community that binds so many together, and it gives us a place to be ourselves.”
Food & Drink Recipes
Ever heard that one super cheesy line about cooking? Baking is a science, while cooking is like jazz. Baking is all about precise measurements and exact ingredients, while cooking gives the musician the flexibility to adjust, riff off of certain items and run with it.
That said, there are days that I am stressed with work and need to eat because it’s getting late and there are a million other things to do before the late-night sleepies kick in.
Enter: the leftover.
I’ve never understood why leftovers are so contentious. They’re perfect for lunch the next day or quick dinner. Plus some things (read: chilis, stews, eggplant parm, and, hello, cold pizza) are simply better after they’ve had some time to chill out and marinate. Loving a soup moment for these rainier autumn days.
Tuscan Farro Soup with Parmesan
I snagged this particular recipe from Mark Bittman’s Tuscan Farro Soup on NYT Cooking, made a huge batch and never turned back.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup farro
2 cups canned white beans
2 cups chopped tomatoes or 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (save the liquid!)
6 cups vegetable stock or water
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan
Preparation
Add oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
Bring to a boil, then simmer steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, and add more stock/water as necessary. Stir in parsley and cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with hella Parmesan.
* I’ve also served this with mushrooms sauteed with butter and salt...chefs kiss. Adds a bit of savory flavor to the dish (and some welcome change after you’ve been eating it for a few days).
Easiest Tomato Soup
Serving this with a hot, melty, buttery, crispy grilled cheese is not mandatory, but highly recommended. Adapted from Eric Kim’s “Quick Tomato Soup” in NYT Cooking (sensing a theme, here?).
Ingredients
1 (28-ounce) canned tomatoes (whole peeled or diced)
¾ cup vegetable broth
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Salt and black pepper
Preparation
Pour the canned tomatoes and all liquid into a medium pot. If using whole peeled, use your hands or a wooden spoon to break tomatoes into coarse chunks.
Pour veggie broth into the can, swish around, then add to the pot.
Stir in onion, butter, oregano and sugar and season generously with salt and pepper.
Turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and the tomatoes have broken down, 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour everything into a blender and purée until smooth.
Season with more salt and pepper to taste when serving!
End scene.
Music, Movies, & Podcast Recs
For October, the height of all things fall, I’ve been loving these classic podcasts to prepare you for spooky season:
Lore - Aaron Mahnke
Lore explores the intersections between the frightening truth and fiction of our world. Each episode masterfully investigates mysterious creatures, tragic events, and unusual events throughout our history. One of my favorite spooky episodes has to be Episode 37: Passing Notes. Mahnke brilliantly explores the mysteries of seances and their cultural impact during the Victorian Era.
Haunted Road - Amy Bruni
Amy Bruni, cast member of the popular shows Kindred Spirits and Ghost Hunters, takes listeners on a journey through some of America’s most haunted spaces with guidance from paranormal experts. I found her first episode “Slay Utterly” to be quite horrifyingly intriguing. The debut podcast traces the origins and history of a famous axe murder in Iowa as well as a man and his family’s attempt to confront the ghost of the past.
This month has felt slow in terms of new music releases, however here are a few tracks and albums that debuted this month. Let us know your favorites (listed or not)!
OPTIMIST - Finneas (album)
= - Ed Sheeran (album)
Juno - Remi Wolf (album)
Arcadia - Lana Del Rey (single)
Sante - Stromae (single)
Ready for the High - The Wombats (single)
As the world transitions from movie theaters to streaming platforms, a small number of movies have been released in October – namely, Dune, starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. Dune follows the story of a young man’s journey of self-discovery and growth as he attempts to protect a city under attack.
Another large feature film to hit the theaters this month is part of the James Bond franchise, No Time to Die. This movie arrived at the beginning of the month with mixed reviews. When Bond is called away from his peaceful life of retirement by an old friend, he must stop a new enemy with dangerous new technology threatening existing peace.
And last but not least, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch hit theaters earlier this month. A comedic romance with a hint of drama, Anderson’s film follows the different story lines centering around a French news bureau in Kansas.
Book Recommendations
With autumn officially upon us and the leaves beginning to turn, there’s no better time than Fall to turn your lengthy TBR stack’s attention to all things spooky. Whether you’re looking for a light-hearted, magical read, a bone-chilling thriller or a good ol’ horror classic, here are our must-read books of the season.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Calling all slasher fans! Whether your favorite is Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream, or Nightmare on Elm Street, there’s something in this book for every film buff. A fast-paced, compulsively readable horror/thriller about five famous “Final Girls” whose therapeutic support group takes a turn for the worse when one of them winds up dead, this is the book everyone is talking about this Halloween.
The Ex Hex
If the terrifying and horrific isn’t your game, The Ex Hex will be. The adult romance debut of New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing here under the pen name Erin Sterling, any good Coven girl needs her hands on this witchy read ASAP. When Rhys Penhallow returns to the town of Graves Glen, Vivienne Jones discovers that her silly little curse on her ex-boyfriend may not have been so “silly” after all. As destruction ensues, Vivienne and Rhys must find a way to hold the town together and break the curse—if they can control the sparks between them first.
This book flew off the shelves so quickly that even Amazon ran out of copies.
Frankenstein
What better time than now to finally make your way to that classic novel you swore you’d read one day? And Frankenstein hardly requires an introduction. One of the landmark Gothic horror stories from a true pioneer in women’s writing, Mary Shelley, the real story of Frankenstein may surprise you. Forget your notions of bolts in the neck and green skin, and find yourself enthralled by all this novel has to offer about the brain, the body, morality, and what it really means to be human.
House of Leaves
For the truly committed, let us introduce you to the most unique book you’ll ever hear of. Unavailable in e-book format thanks to its unconventional layout and a book that defies all rating scales, House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski’s cult classic debut novel, starts with a very simple premise: one day, a young family discovers something terrible—their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. From there, prepare to be swept into the most engrossing and psychologically thrilling, disturbing, and moving horror novel you’ll ever meet.
The Shining
What would a spooky reads list be without at least one Stephen King novel? Skip the movie night and the popcorn this year and instead, dive deep into the pages that crafted some of the most iconic horror film imagery of all time. You may just leave more spooked than if you saw this story on screen.
The Only Good Indians
Called the “Jordan Peele of horror literature,” Stephen Graham Jones’s The Only Good Indians is not to be missed if you’re looking for a creepy, crawly novel this autumn. Steeped in folklore and tradition, the novel follows four American Indian men who find themselves haunted by a tragic event from their youth—and maybe on the hunt from a vengeful entity, too.
Positive Affirmations & Good News from October
I am loved just for being who I am, just for existing.
I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.
I forgive those who have harmed me in my past and peacefully detach from them.
Positive News:
Editor’s Question: What’s your favorite candy?
Anna: Reese’s ! Kit Kats ! Herseys ! Crunch bars ! Krackle (?) !
Atreyi: Cadbury Mini Eggs for some reason haha!
Anita: Twix!
Caroline: Rogue - but I was always the kid that looked for the Dots boxes in the Halloween mix
Kate: I always loved Skittles (but pre-green apple obviously - lime was superior)