Ep. 50 Break Ups with Erica Weiner

Image taken from my friend Vanessa’s substack because it felt too perfect

Somebody cue the Eminem cause guess who’s back? Back again! Don’t even care how dated that reference is.

I knew immediately that I wanted my first solo episode to be about break-ups. Not to be salacious, not to troll Nina (I troll her via text daily like all good friendships) but because it felt like the perfect time to do so.

It felt right in my mind, body and gut like most strongly intuitive decisions do even if a lot of people are like uh 👀. Would Henri Cartier Bresson be happy I’m essentially using his “decisive moment” in podcasting or rolling in his grave? Who can say! He’s long dead so I am free to do what I like.

I’ve also been marinating on the decisive moment since I was approximately 16 years old and discovered his work and then decided to go to art school. It’s evolved into a kind of language, more than just a way to take great photographs. A moment when it all lines up and you capture the essence of something.

To capture the essence of a break up I knew there was one lady I was interested in talking to.

Nothing like when you feel a bit vulnerable in general to reach out to someone and be like HI BIG ASK but alas we must be brave. I reminded myself nothing ventured nothing gained, fired off an email to Erica Weiner and asked her if she would tell one of the wildest stories I’ve heard someone share freely with breathtaking equanimity.

Thanks to her being a genuinely very cool and gracious person she was happy to not just share her story but allow me to record it and put it out into the world.

Gotta add brave to the list of adjectives describing her besides talented, smart, funny, gracious, and generous. She’s THE BEST please buy her jewelry or at the very least sign up for her newsletter which is very fun and fascinating.

It’s weird to be on my own, but thrilling to be back. Hope you stick around for this next edition and more importantly listen to it.

xx. A

Interested in being a guest? Lemme know, slide into my substack DM’s or email me at Annatoonk@gmail.com and tell me what you’re interested in talking about.

Of course I mentioned kintsugi in this episode. I think it’s illegal to make content around heartbreak and not include a kintsugi reference. How cool is this embroidery version?

What Erica’s into right now:

Listening to the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs because it makes me feel like it's Y2K in NYC again.

Also liking Remi Wolf

My old therapist's podcast is great: his name is Luis Mojica and the pod is Holistic Life Navigation.

Reading "How to be a Tudor" by Ruth Goodman to accompany the Tudor exhibit catalog from the Met museum's new show.

Also just read Sea of Tranquility

Eating at Lil' Deb's Oasis in Hudson and it's soooooo good. (Co-sign this Lil Deb’s is so so so so (so) good)

I'm reading Yolo Journal!  you told me about it and I love it! (Yes I left her giving credit to me, I am above nothing)

Also Christene Barberich's "A Tiny Apartment", one of the founders of Refinery29’s substack