What Happens When We Connect with Each Other

For one thing, 'Parks and Rec.' Also: 'Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat,' the Peabody Awards, and how to support my new book.

The TL;DR here is that my book, Parks and Rec, is out today! Buy it here, join me in NYC with The New Yorker’s Emily Nussbaum tonight at the 92Y, and for more ways to help spread the word, scroll down.

When I’m not writing books or Ministry of Pop Culture, I’m working for the Peabody Awards, a prestigious and unique program honoring a mix of media—documentaries, children’s programming, entertainment, news, and podcasts. I write the newsletter and work on the podcast, but as part of that, I get to sit in on the annual deliberations, which are breathtakingly inspiring (not to mention just a media nerd’s dream). The 18 jurors—critics, media scholars, and people in the business—actually sit in a conference room together over several days to pick through the finalists (culled by screening committees), emerging with 60 nominees and 30 winners, all of which are chosen unanimously through discussion and negotiation. While other awards bodies vote from their own homes, the Peabody jurors literally hand-pick their winners, fighting with each other for their favorites.

It’s not just that they find ways to argue with each other, sometimes passionately, but then to come to consensus in the end. It’s also the way that this very process results in a touching bond among them all, so that by the final day when the list is chosen and everyone gets to say their thank yous and goodbyes, tears are flowing freely.

One of the jurors mentioned that a “no assholes policy” is clearly in play when our executive director, Jeffrey Jones, chooses jurors. I had been thinking the same thing, because this comes up in my book Parks and Rec, as perhaps the main secret to the show’s success. Co-creator Mike Schur had the same mindset when hiring actors, writers, and crew, and their love for working with each other shines onscreen. It feels like a good thing to be a part of, even when you’re watching at home.

At the same time, I was watching the new season of Jury Duty (that is, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat) to prepare for an upcoming episode of the Peabody podcast, and once again, there it was: the power of being good, of connecting with others, of community. I was lucky enough to watch to the end with advance screeners, and I cannot recommend this season highly enough. It is the perfect combination of cringe comedy and heart-soaring heroism. Just beautiful. In my opinion, this season outdoes the previous one in terms of setting its “hero” up for a stellar moment. I cried.

Parks and Rec is out today, and nothing will give you an appreciation for the power of community like putting a book out into the world. Writing a book is a solitary endeavor, but it doesn’t mean much if no one reads it. As it heads toward publication, it amasses a team—agent, editors, designers, publicists, marketing folks—and as it goes out into the world it seeks the support of family, friends, and readers. I appreciate everyone who reads this newsletter as part of my community of support as I share this beautiful story of a good group of people working together to do good.

Here are a few things you can do to help me get the word out:

1. Buy the book, online or from your local bookstore.

2. Can’t afford a purchase? Get it from your library, and if it’s not there, request it. This helps authors, too!

3. Forward this to a friend who might enjoy the book.

4. Join me for one of my upcoming events, which are in New York City, Chicago, Upstate New York, and California, but a few of them have online options as well. Tonight, I’ll be at the 92nd Street Y with The New Yorker critic and Pulitzer Prize winner Emily Nussbaum. You can still get tickets here (there is also an online option).

5. Go around singing “5,000 Candles in the Wind,” and when anyone asks you why you’re doing that, tell them about the book.

Meanwhile, here are some other Parks and Rec-related things I’ve done recently:

• How ‘Parks and Rec’ Became the Perfect Comfort Rewatch, for the Peabody Awards newsletter.

• The Best TV Casts of the 21st Century, for Ministry of Pop Culture. Parks and Rec actually inspired this project when we noticed how successful the cast had been after the show, and wondered how they’d stack up against the likes of The Wire and Mad Men. Answer: pretty good.

• Why We’re Still Watching ‘Parks and Rec’ in 2026, an interview with Erin Carlson for You’ve Got Mail.

• Leslie Knope and a Forgotten Hope, an interview with WAMC Northeast Public Radio.