The Pleasure Lists Q&A: Natasha Stagg

Pleasures, Curated by author Natasha Stagg

We’re back with another installment of

The Pleasure Lists

: Pleasures, Curated.

I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy getting to know members of the Pleasure Lists community and what makes their Pleasures tick.

Pleasures, Curated by Writer

Natasha Stagg

of

Selling Out

From

Natasha Stagg

: “I have published three books: a novel, Surveys (2016) and two story collections, Sleeveless (2019) and Artless (2023). Another novel will be out next year.

I write a newsletter that averages to about once-a-week posts, maybe more, called Selling Out. It takes the form of reviews, musings, or gossip, tending to focus on so-called culture industries, literary concerns, and love.

Other than that, for a living I write, edit, and consult for publications and brands (some big ones, some small).”

Location: Manhattan

Pleasures include:

- Swimming or simply sunning with a book at the free pool near my apartment daily during the summer. All electronics must be kept in lockers, so it’s a true work break when I go. I would say which pool it is if it wasn’t getting a little too popular lately.

- Finding vintage Sportmax (a Max Mara sub-brand, but specifically this one) clothes for much less than they should be. Each item has a tiny, baguette-shaped gem set somewhere near an invisible zipper, like a secret message to the wearer.

- Going to the Museum of Jurassic Technology every time I’m in LA, as a ritual. Not that I do, but I would. I have been many times, always with someone who has never been and who also becomes enamored with it.

- Rereading a short story at random from the interconnected collection Winesburg, Ohio (1919) by Sherwood Anderson about a fictional small town and some of the people that live there.

- The movie My Man Godfrey (1936), a truly witty class criticism in the guise of a screwball comedy. Watching it, maybe along with Easy Living (1937) should be a holiday tradition, replacing the hokey chore It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s in the public domain, so no rental necessary.

- Store-bought frozen blueberries in a bowl, with milk of any kind poured over. The milk freezes and coats the berries, making creamy clusters.

What does Pleasure mean to you?

Pleasure means the absence of pain.