Can You Believe I Have a One-Year-Old?
Cheers to Wine and Pine’s first chapter
Like all good ideas, it started with an absurd text message: Okay have you ever been locked in a subtweet war
My friend Steph (the bride from last week’s column) sent me this note in October 2021. Since meeting at Columbia, we’ve always bonded over two things: books, and our uncanny abilities to dwell in the ridiculous. The night before, we’d attended a launch party at KGB Bar for a collection about kink culture. Naturally, Steph now wondered if her desire to engage in cryptic messages with an ex was also a form of kink.
Do you have anyone in your life who you just can’t scrub? she asked me. Like shit is done but they live on somehow in alternative universes? (Or are you sane). I assured her this was very normal; to have an obsession you couldn’t shake even if it felt ridiculous. I had at least seven. Then, Steph replied with this.
I loved the idea of having an outlet for weird longings and a place to build a sense of community. I’ve attended readings throughout the city for years, including Miss Manhattan Non-Fiction at Niagara, Sob Sisters at 11th Street Bar, and Endless Blue at the Bowery Poetry Club. They’re the places where I discovered some of my favorite writers and made the most interesting friends. I wanted to help others do the same, to reclaim the power of shared space after the pandemic pushed folks apart.
Steph and I spent weeks sending each other books, songs, memes, and other assorted ephemera in line with the “w(hine) and pine” image. But then life got the best of us. Steph moved back to Canada. I fell into an endless work spiral. The world went on as the idea lingered on a shelf in the back of my brain.
It came to the forefront again last spring after I hosted an anniversary party for my literary journal The Rational Creature (on hiatus for now because #money). I remembered how much positive energy I felt curating spaces for writers to share their work, how I always left those evenings with more inspiration than I entered and loved hearing from others who experienced the same. I wanted to do it on a regular cadence. Launching Wine and Pine as a reading series was the answer. So, with Steph’s blessing, I began researching possibilities to make our texting conversation a reality.
A few things were clear in my mind from the beginning. I wanted a unique Manhattan venue—one that wasn’t already hosting readings—that would be open to serving drink specials and snacks. I envisioned highly stylized artwork advertising the series. And of course there had to be homemade baked goods, a signature at every party I’ve ever had thanks to my mom.
It took a couple months of scouting (and tasting) before I discovered Ten Degrees, a petite bar on St. Marks Place with a wide selection of wines, small plates, and cocktails. I set up a meeting with the owner, Aaron. I tried to have no expectations, but as soon as I stepped into the backroom and saw the leather couches, funky mirrors, and hand-painted mural, my heart fluttered in a way it hadn’t anywhere else. I knew instantly I was standing in Wine and Pine’s home. Luckily, Aaron and his team agreed, happy for me to host every third Monday night.
I worked with designer Atika Chadha to finalize the logo. We spent hours thinking about fonts, colors, and styles. The vibe had to be playful but sophisticated, warm and a little sexy. The phrase I kept using was “French wine bar style with an adult slumber party sensibility.” When Atika sent me the first poster featuring an illustration of nail-art clad hands snacking on red wine and guacamole, I knew we’d understood the assignment.
Aaron and I decided August was best to launch. I spent my summer getting everything else in line. The Instagram account debuted. Coasters and pins were ordered featuring the fabulous new logo. A few beloved writers agreed to read. Everything came together.
Since I’m a real glutton for punishment, I left my job of four years and my apartment of eight during this time. All in the same week.
In addition to obviously being a reading series, Wine and Pine was a way for me to take back creative time in my life, to reprioritize what I cared about most. My heart erupted with joy that first Monday night as Ada Calhoun, Maisie Card, and Taylor Zhang read for a packed house before discussing the ways in which their writing explored desire. It’s continued to do so at each subsequent reading.
Wine and Pine hasn’t been without some challenges. Tech issues, last minute cancellations, and weather have taken turns dampening the mood. But I’m proud to say the series has really started to grow. So far, it’s featured 33 writers across genres and career stages, designed 10 custom cocktails, and gave away more than a dozen raffle prizes. Plus, I’ve developed a partnership with Hive Mind Books, a great traveling indie bookstore. It’s becoming exactly the community I pictured with nearly 200 mailing list sign-ups, over 400 Instagram followers, and some very loyal monthly attendees.
I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who’s made Wine and Pine possible: most especially my parents and partner for their unwavering support. I’m also thankful for the readers, from whom I’ve learned a ton from their readings and from their discussions about desire, process, genre, and how to balance a life outside of writing. It’s no exaggeration to say Wine and Pine is the best decision I’ve made this year, and that every iteration is undoubtedly the greatest day of the month; the one where I always feel like the truest version of myself. That means more than anything.
So let’s raise a glass to one whole year of Wine and Pine. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Rachel’s Weekly Recs:
I’m not very fussy when it comes to make-up, but I do love classic red lipstick. No7’s Age Defying product is a pretty good bang for your buck. I’ve been wearing the Soft Cherry shade to the many weddings this summer and it has yet to disappoint.
If you’re an Alice in Wonderland fan in New York, you need to stop by Oscar Wilde. Their summer décor is truly a trip down the rabbit hole into the world of Lewis Carole’s most famous book. Stop by for afternoon tea with the White Rabbit or grab drinks alongside the Cheshire Cat. But don’t be late: the decorations come down in early September.
The new season of Emily in Paris has dropped and it has everything: Lavish parties! Questionable decisions! Bad Frenglish! It’s also got some super crazy costumes. I love this Forbes interview with the costume designer breaking down the looks for us fashionistas hoping to add something trés chic to our wardrobes.