Love Lettering

November 18, 2019
This whimsical rom-com from Clayborn (Best of Luck) contrasts cute romance with cringe-worthy moments of embarrassment for the bumbling central couple. Meg Mackworth is a New York City calligraphy artist whose intricate hand-lettering is in high demand. No one but Meg was ever supposed to notice the secret messages she doodles into her designs to keep her work from becoming boring. When Meg’s former client Reid, a high-strung math genius, confronts her about spotting the word mistake hidden in the wedding programs Meg made for him and his now-ex, Meg admits to having picked up on the couple’s discontentment. Stalled out on her latest project and feeling guilty for embedding the subversive message in Reid’s wedding programs, Meg impulsively invites him to walk the city with her in search of inspiration in the form of signs both literal and figurative. This leads to a sweet, if frequently awkward, slow burn as the pair grows closer over the following weeks. Though Clayborn’s style occasionally verges on twee, her loving descriptions of New York are deeply appealing. This touching story is full of love and laughter. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.

Listeners will melt in response to this whimsical performance by Nicol Zanzarella. Meg, a calligrapher, used to live in Brooklyn with her best friend and roommate, taking commissions for wedding invitations. Now she's begun a new business, but she struggles with a chronic creative block and her best friend has moved out. So she decides to travel around New York City to look at signs for inspiration with a companion named Reid, a past customer who broke off his engagement and who despises the city. Zanzarella's unique narration is coupled with an equally original story. Meg is a very relatable character. Her self-doubting thoughts are hilariously enhanced by Zanzarella's playful delivery, which will elicit sympathy from any listener. Her truly masterful performance highlights this slice-of-life romance. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine