At The Table With: Taylor Sterling (+ a giveaway!)

3 questions for the creative director, writer, and children’s lit expert

Oct 18, 2023

A quick note: I’ve prescheduled these posts to go up while I am traveling, and as I’m writing this the world is experiencing a lot of pain and heartbreak. It feels ignorant to act like we aren’t witnessing a humanitarian crisis unfold, and while I hope for peace I can’t predict what will happen in the two weeks I’m away. If reading this newsletter doesn’t feel right for you right now, I totally understand if you’d rather skip it. I think Nicolette Mason said it well: “Never again is now. Never again means never again for everyone.” Take care of yourselves. x A

Many of us might remember the golden age of blogging, an era when we all tuned in to self-published editorial sites written by creatives from all over the world. It was the very beginning of personal branding as we know it—back then I checked Google Reader religiously (RIP; IYKYK.) I think the reason why so many of us are excited about Substack is that it nods back to a time when we’d read the things our favorite strangers were writing, not just consuming quickly devourable, algorithm-feeding content, but really getting to know about their lives and what they think about.

Taylor Sterling was one of these favorite strangers of mine; her website Glitter Guide was one that everyone turned to for book recs, home tours, style inspo, and more. Times have changed but Taylor has too: after closing up shop on the site a few years ago, she started a Substack called

MOONBOW

where she writes about children’s literature and the authors and illustrators behind it. Taylor’s love of reading, writing, and researching shines through in what she shares on Instagram, too—I often learn of the work of writers and artists I’ve never heard of by way of a book she’s posted about.

I met Taylor in person in 2018 on a trip to San Francisco and I quickly learned that she sees the world in a uniquely romantic, meaningful way. These days Taylor is a creative director and consultant, a role that allows her to lend her point of view to brands who could use it. I secretly hope Taylor opens a children's bookstore someday, though—she’s our modern day Kathleen Kelly!!!

I asked Taylor 3 questions:

Ali LaBelle: Imagine perfect happiness. What does it smell, taste, feel and sound like?

Taylor Sterling: It’s a crisp fall morning; the air is thick with fog—it’s eerily silent—as if everything is holding a collective breath because rain is about to fall. If you stepped outside, you’d smell the sweet, musty scent of wet concrete, and the misty air would send the ends of your hair up in twisted, frizzy curls. But you chose not to leave the comfort of your home. Instead, you light a candle—preferably Apotheke Charcoal, which smells of charred sandalwood and cedar after a heavy rain. It’s fragrant but not overpowering.

Next, you grab a good book—maybe something by Lauren Groff or a book of poetry by June Jordan or Sharon Olds—something a little weird and dark but ultimately comforting in its strangeness. Maybe, if you're in the mood, you put on an Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou record, but you keep it soft in the background. You’re alone, but not for long. Your partner or your children sit next to you with their own book. You sit next to each other, reading in silence. The moment isn’t long; it might even be fleeting, but it’s enough to give you a safe, cozy feeling you hold onto for the rest of the day.

AL: Give us a rec!

TS: Goodnight Moon, written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd.

I feel funny recommending a children’s book that pretty much everyone has heard of—that’s not typically my style. But despite its familiarity, Goodnight Moon is anything but typical, which makes it an interesting choice. It’s the ultimate in clarity and simplicity. With very few words, it’s able to transfix you. The rhythmic sound and repetition are incantatory, like a magic spell or hallucination. And the rich, bold illustrations transport you. You feel as if you’re in the ‘great green room.’ Also, the way it emulates the scary but thrilling feeling of falling asleep is remarkable. The more I read it, the more enamored with it I become. It’s truly a masterpiece.

AL: It’s a table for two and your dinner date can be anyone. Who do you invite and what are you eating?

TS: Oh man, that’s hard. I’m going to cheat and pick my top three. Margaret Wise Brown for obvious reasons, but also because I think she’d be a riot and would make me laugh. I’d love to sit and chat with my grandmother, Evelyn. She passed away in my late teens, so I knew her, but only when she was older and not her truest self—Alzheimer's has robbed her of her memories. I want to meet her as a 14-year-old, or maybe as a young mom—my age, in her early 40s. I want to know her desires and what scares her. What does she want to do with her life? I want to hear her laugh and smell her perfume. I want to see her hands, which look like mine, and I want to hold them. That would be amazing. I’d also love to have dinner with my dad, who, lucky enough, I get to eat with all the time. He’s my ultimate dinner and a movie date companion.

We’re eating something delicious but not too messy—maybe a light pasta in a butter sauce with peas and asparagus topped with a ton of parmesan cheese—served with thick, warm, crusty bread and a glass of crisp white wine.

Taylor, thank you for being here and letting us peek inside your brain a bit—I can’t wait for the day when I get to tag along on one of your bookstore adventures.

taylorsterling

A post shared by @taylorsterling

Before we go, I have a little surprise for you: A GIVEAWAY! I’ve curated a selection of my own favorite books—ones that I would read over and over—and I’m giving them away to one special reader of this newsletter. All you have to do is “like” this newsletter in the Substack app or site to be entered to win. You may be prompted to sign into Substack—make sure you do that for it to count. If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll automatically be entered an additional time!

Ali

At The Table With: Taylor Sterling (+ a giveaway!)

3 questions for the creative director, writer, and children’s lit expert

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