'Eat Joy': Top Authors Serve Up Recipes That Gave Them Comfort In Dark Times
In a new book of essays, writers such as Claire Messud and Edwidge Danticat share stories of surviving dark times and the foods entwined with those memories. Think of it as a cathartic dinner party.
Natalie Eve Garrett isn't sure exactly which shelf at a bookstore her new book would belong on. She says it "probably wouldn't be at home among cookbooks," although it does contain recipes. Maybe memoir? Self-help? Literary essays?
Garrett's new collection, Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers, is a multi-genre, illustrated work of food writing. Literary luminaries like Claire Messud, Colum McCann and Lev Grossman share personal essays and an associated recipe. In that sense, the book takes a page from Garrett's 2016 anthology, The Artists' and Writers' Cookbook: A Collection of Stories with Recipes, which paired writing and recipes from big names in the world of arts and letters.
