#Palestinian Magical Realism

[kosmic-kraft]

"June 21 2022 We transitioned in what we surmised to be near Gaza City in the mid 1800s. This was ottoman Palestine. Wali noticed it right away. " — Tom

" Thus it began... The possibility of being able to escape gaza permanently without moving. There was something deeply, profoundly attractive about this option.

On one hand, the desire to escape the bitter and violent perpetual occupation was strong, and the fact that in essence they were not really leaving Gaza seemed to offer a possible solution to the quandary of feeling that one must stay, that somehow one could never live with oneself, having left people behind, That one had failed to stay and stand up for palestine. " — Narrator

Gaza City Mid 1800s from " The Journeys of Tom and Nancy " (2024) by Will Eizlini 12 " x 9 " Acrylic, Posca, and Sharpie on kraft paper.

The Journeys of Tom and Nancy will be performed in Montreal at the Galerie du Viaduc, October 26, 2024, on the final day of the Exhibition "Hidden in Plain Sight" featuring works of Will Eizlini and Serene Daoud.

[zeinobia]

From the river to the sea, #Palestine will be free

"Dreams of Tomorrow" by legendary Palestinian painter Ismail Shammout. It is considered one of his last works.

It features the corpse of a Palestinian woman, in the shape of the map of Palestine, with red needlework on her dress representing the Dome of the Rock in #Jerusalem and spelling the words "love, good, patience, tomorrow…" and names of Palestinian cities "#Nablus, #Jaffa, #Jerusalem, #Nazareth…"

[queer-book-society]

Despite working at a bookstore I always support my local library, here's an amazing find from today!

Title: The Skin and Its Girl

Author(s): Sarah Cypher

Description: In a Pacific Northwest hospital far from the Rummani family’s ancestral home in Palestine, the heart of a stillborn baby begins to beat and her skin turns a vibrant, permanent cobalt blue. On the same day, the Rummanis’ centuries-old soap factory in Nablus is destroyed in an air strike. The family matriarch and keeper of all Rummani lore, Aunt Nuha, believes that the blue girl embodies their sacred history, harkening to a time when the Rummanis were among the wealthiest soap-makers and their blue soap was a symbol of a legendary love. Decades later, Betty returns to her Aunt Nuha’s gravestone, faced with a difficult decision: Should she stay in the only country she’s every known or should she follow her heart for the woman she loves, perpetuating her family’s cycle of exile? Betty finds her answer in partially translated notebooks that reveal her aunt’s complex life and struggle with her own sexuality, which Nuha hid to help the family emigrate to the U.S. But as Betty soon discovers, her aunt hid much more than that.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Skin and Its Girl

literary fiction with a little magical realism

follows a queer Palestinian American woman born with blue skin, recounting her childhood, to the great-aunt who helped raise her, and piecing together her great-aunt’s secrets

family, identity, and stories

[manuscripts-dontburn]

The Silence Factory

Author: Bridget Collins

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★☆☆

What a stunning cover! While The Silence Factory is not AS good and enchanting as Collins´ previous two books, it is still a pretty solid Gothic historical fiction. It is not, though, a magical realism book, which I imagine lets some people down, because it was advertised as one. I also admit I expected the story to be a little more twisty and bendy because it is quite straightforward and the atmosphere and the plot had strength to hold...well...more.

Franklin's Flying Bookshop

Author: Jen Campbell

First published: 2017

Rating:  ★★★★☆

I was happy to find this book at a school fair and immediately snatched it for a baby girl in our family. Of course, first, I had to read it myself! It is a sweet, short story about the love of stories and books and how that love can bring people closer. I read the Czech translation and I imagine some of the verses were smoother in English. The illustrations are extremely cute, generously large and colourful.

Company of Liars

Author: Karen Maitland

First published: 2008

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Not great, not terrible. Or rather: it kept me entertained well enough throughout the whole thing and sometimes that is all you need from a book.

The Lights of Prague

Author: Nicole Jarvis

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I reached for this book mostly because I am always curious about how foreigners present my country. As a debut, this is not bad. You can really tell there is talent in the use of language, creating the atmosphere. Where it limps quite badly is the depth of the characters, their gradual development and especially the relationships. Some of the names and words chosen (never ever have I heard anyone call a vampire "pijavice" - literally a leech) sounded strange to a Czech, but I have seen and read so much worse before that I waved this away. The plot was very straightforward and the ending bored me, unfortunately.

My Salty Mary

Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

After the last instalment that was really just "mid", My Salty Mary returns with the easy wit, fluffy characters and some really funny (really well-timed) jokes. Perfect if you want to clear your head.

Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom

Author: Norman Finkelstein

First published: 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

An extremely important book, now more than ever. Norman Finkelstein simply slaps you in the face with fact after fact, there is nothing sentimental or pleading here, just bare and naked reality, meticulously backed by sources. Finkelstein focuses on the Israeli violence against the people of Gaza between the years 2002 and 2014, and you can see that everything that is being used by Israeli (And US) propaganda has already been used multiple times and, just like today, with no evidence to back it up. Most importantly it is clear now that every operation undertaken in the past twenty years has only been a dress rehearsal for the currently ongoing genocide of the Palestinians AND the attacks against Lebanon. Every page of this book made me feel sheer fury. Mostly because when you read it now you already know that the worst is yet to come for the Palestinian people.

The Lady and the Unicorn

Author: Tracy Chevalier

First published: 2004

Rating: ★★★★☆

Though at first I disliked pretty much all of the characters and did not understand the point of the story, it eventually grew on me to the point where I was looking forward to spending time within the pages of this book. You get to see the souls of the characters and love at least one (Ailienor, though I may have spelled that wrong), you learn something about the making of tapestries (which was surprisingly interesting) and see how our lives resemble tapestries with many threads that get pulled, with parts that need to be re-done and the fact that when we are gone, our meanings and intentions may not be clearly interpreted by the future. If the future should ever notice us at all. That all probably sounds terribly complicated, but that is the feeling I am leaving with.

The Shape of Darkness

Author: Laura Purcell

First published: 2021

Rating:  ★★★★★

The book has a slow start but when it grabs you, it is really difficult to put it down. Laura Purcell is brilliant in walking the tight rope between the supernatural and the real. Just when you think you have it all figured out, she is able to throw something at you that again makes you doubt your conclusions. She is also very skilful in creating a dark, Gothic atmosphere. Last but not least I appreciate her ability to tell the background story in pieces and insinuations rather than laying it all out for you at once. So yeah, this was good.

Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives

Author: Alice Loxton

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

A wonderful non-fiction book for a young reader. By creating short and very readable cameos of actual historical figures, Alice Loxton had offered an entertaining yet educational and even inspirational album of fascinating live stories. And thought focused on the young, it can be enjoyed by the old as well :D

Songbirds

Author: Christy Lefteri

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★★☆

I really, really like Christy Lefteri´s writing style. Much like her previous book, Songbirds is more of an exploration of souls and relationships than a thrilling adventure. Indeed the plot is very simple: a domestic worker goes missing and those around her are left to both try to look for her as well as to realize who exactly the woman was and what are their own lives without her presence in it. There are also musings on motherhood and what we are willing to do to better our existence, as well as commentary on social hierarchy and prevalent racism many migrants keep experiencing. I wished for a little more mystery when it came to Nisha´s disappearance, but perhaps the sad banality of it was necessary as a reminder of reality.

Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain

Author: Amy Jeffs

First published: 2022

Rating:  ★★★★★

This was such a curious book. Part mythology/legend retelling, part memoir and non-fiction to explain context and details, and if you listen to it on audio, also quite a banging folk music album. Gorgeously written, no matter which kind of genre it chooses to be at a given moment, I was surprised by how rich it felt, considering this is quite a thin volume.

A Dowry of Blood

Author: S.T. Gibson

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I´m not mad about this book, just kind of... disappointed. Great idea with some pretty good writing, but I felt that the characters never evolved, staying the same no matter how many centuries they have gone through. They also never seemed to be doing anything interesting besides a bisexual woohoo a few times. And I felt that the possibility of showing the immortals reacting to the ever-changing world around them was not explored at all, though that is one of my favourite things about vampires. Furthermore, these vampires felt altogether too human.

Garlic and the Vampire

Author: Bree Paulsen

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★★★

I needed something soft and sweet and uncomplicated to close off October. This was a perfect pick for me. Also, I always knew celery was the lesser vegetable.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Hope Ablaze Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD What books by POC have you read so far this year OR is there one on your radar? ❓

🦇 First, I just want to point out the irony that this SMP book approaches everything the executives at SMP still have not: Islamophobia and colonization. I'm not going to let the boycott keep me from praising this book, but I'd be remise not to mention the company's continuous silence.

[ Find my review below. ]

🦇 Though Nida's uncle was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror for his "radical" poetry, Nida has always found comfort in the written world. After a Senatorial candidate has her illegally frisked (her hijab torn off in the process), she writes a scathing poem in response; a poem she didn't intend for a mass audience, only for it to win first place in a national contest. When the poem in mentioned on the news, Nida must struggle with the aftermath, all while trying to demonstrate pride in her Islamic faith and Pakistani culture in a world of Islamophobia and racism.

💜 What a dazzling, thought-provoking, raw debut. As a Muslim who grew up in a post-911 world, I understand and empathize with Nida's fears and applaud her courage. Sarah Mughal Rana does a beautiful job at capturing so many familiar experiences; the power of a supportive community, the struggles of the immigrant experience, the conflict between wanting to hold onto your roots and culture only to be punished for what other people don't even want to understand. Hope Ablaze is a reminder that we must fight to find our voices, even when they're drowned out by oppressive, ignorantly righteous rallies of racism. Many of the layered themes in Nida's story reflect not only Palestinian experiences in America, but I'm sure similar experiences of other Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian immigrant families. While Nida is still a high schooler, this is a story many adults can benefit from reading. Nida's emotions BOUND off the page, not only through exposition or dialogue, but strongly through her poetry. I adored the use of poetry to describe scenes we didn't need full chapters of, giving us insight into Nida's emotions and thought process while keeping the pacing from stalling.

🦇 If you've read even a handful of my reviews, you know I thrive off experiencing other cultures through food, not because I'm a foodie, but because I think it's the easiest way for people to relate to one another. Nida's mother owns a catering business, so there's no end to Pakistani delicacies in this book. However, even with a modest understanding of Arabic (I can write it and pronounce it but not translate it, which is SO helpful), and a vast familiarity of Islam, I had to look up a few words. I'm worried that those unfamiliar with the religion or culture will have a difficult time relating to the story, even on a surface level. The magical realism feels a bit misplaced--was it the overactive imagination of a creative mind, or the ancestral magic of Nida's power over spoken word? Some sentences lacked context clues that would have helped. There are a few segments that felt repetitious--this novel would have benefited from an extra round of edits--but otherwise, a strong debut.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Internment, The Poet X, and All My Rage.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🖋️ Thought-Provoking Debut 🖊️ Teen Muslim FMC ✒️ Magical Realism 📜 Poetry Letters 🖊️ Racism & Islamaphobia 🖋️ Immigrant Experience

🦇 Major thanks to the author @sarahmughal769 for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley @netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Quotes ❝ The sharpest sword is the tongue. ❞ ❝ They cry, These are our human rights, but the right is just a pretty way of saying, We prefer the shade of white. ❞ ❝ "Mr. Daniels, it’s racist to think, a girl can’t have the right to her own beliefs, in a country that applauds itself on diversity, and multicultural plurality. Last time I checked, this is a free country, so let the Muslim girl wear her hijab and sweatpants in peace.” ❞ ❝ To write is to show the world your heart before letting them stomp all over it. That kind of permission was dangerous, because consent didn’t matter for our art when we never had ownership to begin with. ❞

[loverslibraries]

So I've been trying to read more Palestinian books recently and boy let me tell you, this middle grade time travelling urban fantasy / magical realism triology set in palestine which also approaches occupation in a very child friendly and organic way is remarkably difficult to get my hands on!! let's talk about it:

Thunderbird by Sonia Nimr first came on my radar from this tweet of Palestinian book recommendations. I did a search on my library database for my county and there was zilch. I searched the authors name, aaaaaand, Nope.

So I decided to see if I could take out an interlibrary loan from another public library in Florida. Here the thing about that: In the entire state of Florida, there is only TWO copies of the first book of this trilogy, and ZERO for the second book (The third book has not been published yet, but according to this twitter user, the book will *allegedly* come out sometime in September 2024. Twitter user did not cite proof so I am unsure if that date will be impacted by the genocide in Gaza or whatever the case may be. I have replied to this tweet asking for a source, and if I get a response, I'll post an update and link to it here. Screenshot in case tweet gets deleted).

My nature will not allow me to let petty stuff like this go, so rather than starting this book, I decided to try and figure out where I can purchase the second book, seeing as I definitely cannot borrow it from the library.

My first thought is Amazon. This isn't very pro-library and independent bookstore of me but I figured if the library doesn't have it, my indie bookstore definitely won't have it in their purchasing database (foreshadowing 😈). I figured if anyone was going to have this godforsaken book, Amazon would.

You would be wrong. Temporarily out of stock???? I want my book and I want it NOW Jeffrey!!! Put it in stock!!!!

"But Alexis! Amazon has it available as an ebook! Why don't you read it like that?" Well dear reader, two reasons:

I'm actually considering it so maybe you should mind your own fucking business (/j) and

If there's a $3.51 difference between reading this book on my water damaged, glass-screen-protector-so-cracked-I-don't-think-I-can-take-it-off-and-replace-it-even-if-I-really-really-wanted-to and holding the book physically, I want to read the book physically.

Down on my luck, I decide to ask my indie bookstore about it during book club, and long story short, she ordered books one and two and I am such a fucking moron for not asking there first.

Nonetheless, now that you, the little internet people in my phone, know my plight to read this book, you will be forced to endure my updates about it. Enjoy.

[arisawati]

Revealing the meaning behind Denny Ja's selected work to 50: "Don't Cry Palestine"

In the 50th celebration of Denny JA's chosen work entitled "Don't Cry Palestine", hidden deep and stunning meanings. This work has been in the spotlight among literary and historical fans, with the emotional wealth offered by the author. In this paper, we will reveal the meaning behind this work and reveal why "don't cry Palestine" so important and influential. This work presents a strong picture of Palestine and conflict that continues to rage there. In Denny JA's view, Palestine is a symbol of endless suffering and misery. He uses sentences full of empathy and concern to explore this theme very deeply. In "Don't Cry Palestine", Denny Ja brings us into the story of Palestinian individuals who live in the midst of conflict and uncertainty. He described their daily lives in a very emotional way, inspiring sympathy and courage in the reader. One interesting aspect of this work is the way Denny JA combines realism with fantastic elements. He created a real world, but at the same time, he presented a magical and mysterious moment. The nature of this duality enriches the story and gives a deep feeling to the reader. Denny JA also uses this work as a medium to express his views on the struggle for human rights. He reflects the injustice that occurred in Palestine, describing how the people there struggled to live with self -esteem and intact dignity. In "Don't Cry Palestine", Denny Ja bravely explores various social and political issues related to Palestinian conflicts. He highlighted the inequality of power, refugees, and oppression experienced by the Palestinian people. This work is a call to pay attention and empathize with their fate. Denny Ja's work also showed his expertise in stringing words and expressing emotions beautifully. He uses simple but strong language, producing sentences full of meaning and strength. Every word and phrase is chosen carefully, creating a charming rhythm in his writing. Not only that, "Don't Cry Palestine" also invites the reader to look deeper and question what really happened behind news and media reports about Palestinian conflict. Denny JA encourages us to find a more comprehensive understanding and explore different perspectives. This work also provides inspiration and hope to the reader. By highlighting the extraordinary struggle of the Palestinian people, Denny JA showed human strength to survive and fight in the most difficult situations. He invites us to keep fighting and not give up in facing life challenges. In his conclusion, "Don't Cry Palestine" is a stunning and meaningful work. Denny Ja managed to present a strong story and arouse the emotions of the reader. He invited us to question, understand, and empathize with the struggle that occurred in Palestine. This work is a call to seek justice and peace in the world full of injustice.

Check in full: Uncover the meaning behind the 50th chosen work of Denny JA: "Don't Cry Palestine"

[writer59january13]

Mideast Peace: Oxymoron

Though descendent of Jews, I feel boggled at the brutal, nasty and wanton war between Israelis and Palestinians. Many innocent victims bred to know and hate their enemy impossible mission to reconcile one Semitic group of peoples from another. The bloody English begat and fomented debacle between Israelis and Palestinians. little more than a century ago, particularly usurping territory courtesy aggressive premise might makes right. The human species hell bent on making war reprisals rank as a bitch, and can never even the score I harken back to childhood, when our family lived at Lantern Lane, and the Dailey's (who threw rocks at Georgie our Dalmation/Boxer) rightfully earned before their time the title fear thy neighbor an altercation such as aforementioned above, would easily earn a spot on Investigation Discovery though deadly crimes violently hardcore reenacted minus the explicit killing fields not healthy for children and other living things, nevertheless even the most pious and peace loving exhibit fervent bloody ardour if kith and kin held at gunpoint. The annals of civilization since time immemorial replete with chronicles of battlefield bravura touting (with laurels of profuse praise) for ultimate sacrifice unnaturally, unstintingly, and unwaveringly bravely giving oneself to father/mother land. Beneath the surface of the skin we all bleed;

mortal kombat inked in Mesolithic Europe likewise dates to circa 10,000 years ago,

and episodes of warfare appear

to remain "localized

and temporarily restricted"

during the Late Mesolithic

to Early Neolithic period in Europe. Idyllic as the fantastical utopian yen, I feel pessimistic patriarchal wheelman who steer autocratic leviathan of state (witness Tiananmen Square student-led demonstrations known in Beijing, China

as the June Fourth Incident

lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989) cuz twentieth century ruthless demagogues

wanted to squelch

pro-democracy movement, and not only stole demonstrators thunder but forcefully co-opted with lightning force their toys such as: sophisticated erector set and playpen

for dolls loving buoys Barbie and ken

the former coming to life

as a miniature equestrienne

experiencing magical realism.

[flooding-my-heart]

Madonna of the oranges Ismail Shammout; 1997 Oil on Canvas

[nolabballgirl]

Eid 2022: Muslim Books Wrap-up and Review Part i

we've almost made it through ramadan, so with eid coming up, i figure i'd list out some of the recently published books (2017 to present) with muslim main characters i've read over the year with spoiler-free reviews. young adult and lgbtq muslim fiction reviewed in part ii!

these books represent a wide spectrum of the muslim experience. from practicing, non-practicing, or questioning one's faith to spanning cultures, nationalities, and ethnic origins from across the globe. and we're only scratching the surface. some thoughts:

contemporary fiction/poetry:

bless the daughter raised by a voice in her head (2022/warsan shire) - this poetry collection by ms. shire (somali-british) was so moving and gripping. poems about womanhood, trauma, racism, migration. all told through the backdrop of this somali muslim family. *chef's kiss*

home fire (2017/kamila shamsie) - winner of the women's prize and a longlist for the man booker prize. yes, i know it touches upon themes of terrorism but stay with me here. reimagined greek classics are all the rage nowadays, so here we have a re-telling of antigone but from the perspective of a group of young south asian/pakistani muslims in the uk.

exit west (2017/mohsin hamed) - a shortlister for the man booker prize. such a unique take on migration and refugees with elements of magical realism. this speculative fiction novella follows a couple from an unnamed city escaping war and moving from country to country. a quick read with beautiful imagery/writing.

a burning (2020/megha majumdar) - an indian muslim teenager makes an offhand comment on facebook and gets swept up in a govt investigation following the aftermath of a terrorist attack. this one stays with you. super relevant given modi/bjp’s india.

a woman is no man (2019/etaf rum *tw domestic violence) - oh the woes of generational trauma and how hard it can be to break free. this novel is told from the pov of three generations of palestinian women from the same family, diving into themes of a woman's place in society, abuse, trauma, and shame. enjoyed it, but i do wish we got a little more perspective from fareeda (the grandmother).

the beauty of your face (2020/sahar mustafah *tw: school shooting, gun violence) - this novel takes place during a shooting at an islamic girls school in the chicago area. but it's interspersed with the story of the principal, a palestinian american woman and her family growing up as immigrants in the us. i actually found her life story to be a lot more compelling than the actual school shooting chapters, which felt reductive.

the stationary shop (2019/marjan kamali) - just a lovely little story about a persian woman and her lost love, spanning the course of 60 years in both iran and the us. partly told through prose and partly told through letters, this bittersweet tale stuck with me til the very end.

fantasy/dystopian:

the city of brass (2017/sa chakraborty) - book 1 of the daevabad trilogy. super enjoyable read, fantastic world building with various elements from cultures across the muslim world. and of one the main leads is an unabashed, practicing muslim too? sign me up!

the bird king (2019/g. willow wilson) - gww of ms. marvel fame sets up this beautifully vivid world of moorish spain during the inquisition and combines it with mythological creatures from the region (think jinns and more!) the novel does drag in the middle but otherwise it's an immersive experience.

i hope you get this message (2019/farah naz rishi) - the world is about to end (think aliens!) and these three teens need to get their respective acts together before that happens. i ended up really invested in certain characters (adeem - pakistani muslim boy and his friendship with cate) and them navigating complex family dynamics. not exactly dystopian but more of a contemporary novel feel. wish there was a stronger ending but enjoyed the journey.

we hunt the flame (2019/hafsah faizal) - so we're not treading new ground in terms of fantasy tropes and story here, but the setting and characters are worth the read for exploring the mythology and lore of the arab world. the story follows a young huntress disguised as a man and the forces/friends/loves she meets on the way. a solid first effort.

graphic novels:

huda f are you (2021/huda fahmy) - such a cute coming of age, graphic novel about a egyptian american girl trying to fit in high school in dearborn, michigan. very clever and wholesome. (it's from the same creator as the "yes, i'm hot in this" webcomic. she also has a short graphic novel on marriage called "that can be arranged.")

[kosmic-kraft]

NANCY

We saw buildings with beautiful golden

and while domes, with an enormous

floating city off the coast, with

floating gardens and vines of flowers

that would ring in the wind. Flowers

that ring in the wind

TOM

It's impossible to describe the sound

those flowers make. The "fresh"

feeling was the strongest ever, as

though we were somehow "home". As

group we were galvanized into action.

Flowers that Ring in the Wind (2024) Will Eizlini 9x12” Acrylic and Posca markers on Kraft paperboard.

The journeys of Tom and Nancy will be performed live the last day of the exhibition “Hidden in Plain Sight” featuring works of Will Eizlini and Serene Daoud, October 22-26 2024 at the Galerie du Viaduc, in Montreal.

[bookish-thinking]

Another long list of new releases for February 2021. Let’s get started with February 2nd: “Four Hundred Souls” edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, a collection of essays about 400 years of African American history. “Land of Big Numbers” by Te-Ping Chen is a debut-collection of short stories about the diversity of China. “A History of What Comes Next” by Sylvain Neuvel, a satirical sci-fi historical fiction about the space race.

“Fake Accounts” by Lauren Oyler explores the internet and fake news, our personalities there and online communities. “The Removed” by Brandon Hobson talks about family trauma through Cherokee folklore. The psychological thriller “Girl A” by Abigail Dean revolves around a set of siblings facing their deeply traumatic past. And “City of a Thousand Gates” by Rebecca Sacks is a kaleidoscopic novel about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Still on February 2nd, “The Bad Muslim Discount” by Syed M. Masood explores different ways of living as a Muslim immigrant in the United States. “The Kindest Lie” by Nancy Johnson combines the racial divide and questions about motherhood into one narrative. On February 9th, “The Absolute Book” by Elizabeth Knox will be released, a magical realism tale about libraries, stories and morals. 

[yegarts]

2021 Grants for Individuals & Collectives Recipients: Streams 1 and 2

Back in August of 2020, the Edmonton Arts Council announced a significant change to the way we fund artists and collectives. Focusing on fostering experimentation, supporting artists from Equity-seeking groups, and professional development and mentorship (addressing the Aims and Actions found in Connections & Exchanges: A Ten-Year Plan To Transform Arts & Heritage in Edmonton in Book 4, on page 8), we introduced Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives. This re-vamped program is split into three streams, with different funding levels and application requirements, to help support a broader range of artistic exploration, development, and creation.

Stream 1 of the Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives focuses on exploration and experimentation. This stream supports artists to work on current solo creation, experimentation or research activities. Grant amount were fixed at 5,000 to support subsistence while the artist takes the time to work.

We are excited to announce the 28 artists and projects that have been funded following the February deadline in the Exploration and Experimentation stream (stream 1). Congratulations!

Kyle Beal is expanding on his existing practice, experimenting with traditional mirroring techniques on glass, and working to incorporate colour into a charcoal-based drawing practice.

Stuart Beatch is developing a chamber opera based on the one-act play The 3 AM Subtext by Edmonton writer Matthew Stepanic.

Crandall Buffalo is researching and writing his first feature length script.  

Semin (Jay) Chun plans to explore creating LGBTQIA+ centered virtual circus magic shows that focuses on general accessibility.

Sylvia Douglas is writing the second draft of a feature length screenplay.

Trevor Duffy plans to research and develop a pre-school puppet screenplay to teach children how to identify and express their feelings.

Cynthia Fuhrer is creating a series of portrait paintings responding to COVID-19, experimenting with realism and abstraction while incorporating multimedia.

Hannah Gelderman will explore ways to apply her graduate research on solutions-oriented climate art to her solo art practice.

Wendy Gervais is developing a series of visual art assemblages, inspired by improvisational-based dances.

Ryan Hemphill is creating a series of music boxes with hand-built ceramic vessels and will create the musical composition for these boxes.  

Dana Holst will experiment with stone lithography.

Karen Klassen is exploring the technical challenges and the expressive possibilities of working with large-scale rock sculptures.

Jonathan Luckhurst is researching and developing ideas for participation in the Vancouver Biennale's Big Ideas and We Are Ocean projects.

Kelsey McMillan will distill written and recorded material into a collection of songs exploring vulnerability and emotional risk.

Susie Moloney plans to write a series of short stories in a new genre.

Hayley Moorhouse will write the second draft of the play Beatrice Again and Again.

Lyndal Osborne will research and create a large-scale installation inspired the occupants at Obed Lake, Alberta over 100 years ago.

Anahi Palomec is gathering traditional beadwork stories and methods under an established Albertian artist.

Christian Peres Gibaut will explore the idea of the dematerialization of mosaic.

Emily Rault is writing and refining songs for a future full-length recording.

Emily Riddle is researching a full-length historical novel examining the role of Indigenous women during the fur trade.

Sean Sedgwick plans to develop content for a future recording.

Angie Sotiropoulos is developing the interactive elements in an ongoing zine series.

Farren Timoteo will conduct the research, exploration, and experimentation of a new musical solo-play that explores the damaging impact of toxic masculinity in media entitled, Bad Boy.

Conor Wharton is investing time in songwriting and producing, as well as researching online marketing and branding.

Marlene Wurfel will experiment with joke-writing methodology to craft 500 jokes for middle-grade readers.

Laura Zhu is researching and experimenting with the dimensions of Chinese paper cutting.

Stream 2 of the Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives focuses on skills and career development. This stream supports professional development and mentorship-based projects for artists and arts professionals. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on actual or projected project expenses, including artist subsistence. In this round, eight artists were supported in this stream.  

As a professional dancer experienced in ballet, contemporary, and Ukrainian dance, Audrey Boccara is embarking on a mentorship with mentors to learn aerial dance (specifically aerial hoop, known as lyra), and how to meld aerial dance and high-level ballet.

Hemali Boorada will engage with mentors in Indian classical dance.

Fatme Elkadry is embarking on an apprenticeship to gain a deep understanding of weaving theory and practice so she can learn to weave the Kaffiyah -- a traditional scarf that is an important symbol of Palestinian identity. This project is symbolic of Fatme’s elusive journey to recognize and reclaim her Palestinian identity and will take steps towards reviving cultural textile heritage.  

Jonathan Kawchuk is engaging in mentorships with well-known sound engineers known primarily for their work in location sound, with the training carried out both online and physically distanced over the course of six months.

Wei Li will be participating in the Golden Artist Residency in New York.

Matthew O'Connor is looking to broaden his abilities as both a composer and sound designer for video games by learning Wwise software. Wwise communicates with video game engines on how to implement audio files into a game.

Cayley Thomas is pursuing a songwriting and audio engineering mentorship and self-directed residency.

Sheiny Satanove is working with mentor producer, arts leader and creative producer Owais Lightwala, for 24 sessions from May to July, 2021.

Stream 3 focuses on major artist-driven projects. Stay tuned for an announcement regarding Stream 3 recipients next week!

[ggmarvelous]

10 INDIE COMICS YOU NEED TO READ

Not only of giant publishing houses lives the comic and for that reason I made this list of the best of the independent comics. Because they are there even if we don't see them and we know they deserve our time, with themes beyond the common super hero, and characters that are marked in our memory. (In this list I will not include Vertigo since it is a subsidiary of DC so it does not make sense, in addition i will make a list of those vertigo comics that you can not miss)

10. PALESTINE by Joe Sacco (Fantagraphics)

Palestine is a graphic novel that highlights the experiences of its author at the Gaza Strip in the early 90s, focusing on the history and personality of the Palestinian people. The story is highly contextual to the temporal period, but it usually makes some flashbacks to inform the reader about the reason of the situations that occur. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO READ IT?: Palestine is without a doubt a political content, but its intention is not to dig into that, but to make the cut of the human story and the details of the people who have to pay the price for the actions from third parties that live far above them. At the same time, the author is part of the work not only as an impartial observer, but as a human being who is affected by the situation.

9. BLACKHOLE by Charles Burns (Kitchen Sink)

Is the story of a small town in the middle of the United States at the 70s, we follow the lives of some teenagers who run away from their homes to live in the forest, after being infected with a disease that produces horrible deformations. Without authority to guide them or a prospect of life, they relax between drugs and debauchery, in addition to being used as "the Bogeyman" for normal adolescents to behave. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO READ IT?: Black Hole is a deep analysis of life in general, but focused on adolescence, diving into the problems of socialization, self-discovery and perception of the reality that surrounds those who are in that moment of life, represented from a fictional, dark and melancholic angle, but no less concrete and real.

8. LOVE & ROCKETS: PALOMAR by Gilbert, Jaime and Mario Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

Love & Rockets is a cartoon of the eighties, which moves within the genre of magical realism and is developed in a world that seduces between Latin and punk, with a twist of science fiction. Palomar, specifically, is a series of stories within this world located in a Latin American city, where its people develop their daily life until they are confronted with extraordinary events. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO READ IT?: Love & Rockets is not only one of the raiders in the independent comic movement, but in addition to its captivating stories, the technique with which they are developed is unique in terms of time management. Fans of superheroes may feel out of place at first, but it does not take long until you end up identifying

7. GHOST WORLD by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)

Ghost World tells the story of two friends recently graduated from high school, who mired in the stupor of a small American town, spend their days wandering, analyzing popular culture, judging the people of their city and theorizing about their future, as the arrival of it distances them. WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE TO READ IT?: The darkness and mild bitterness of this story makes it stand out from others of the genre, thanks to his analysis of adolescence.

6. SEX CRIMINALS by Matt Fraction (Image Comics)

It is a comic cataloged as a sex comedy, starring a couple who stops time qhenever they reach an orgasm (more precisely during the refractory period, but that is very well explained in the story), and take advantage of this to commit thefts Sex and crimes, as the title of the collection indicates. WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT? who introduces Suzie (the protagonist) is herself speaking to the readers, playing to break the fourth wall and declaring from the beginning that this series will alter and take advantage of the possibilities offered by this medium as much as the authors can with their creativity. With this not only get the attention of the reader, but also achieve some pages with excellent composition, ways to narrate different from the traditional but used in a useful and not capricious ... and more.

5. SECONDS by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Ballantine Books)

Katie, a 29-year-old girl who is about to take that important step of taking charge of her life now that things are going well: she is a beloved chef at the Seconds restaurant and everything goes according to plan to have her own restaurant called Katie's But a word leads to a gesture, a gesture to a moment and that moment throws you in the opposite direction towards your dreams. WHY SOULD YOU READ IT? Bryan Lee O'Malley gets a comic suitable for all audiences because despite its youthful appearance gives full on topics which sooner or later we will weigh and is to accept our mistakes and try, somehow to move forward.

4. I KILL GIANTS by Joe Kelly (Image Comics)

Barbara is a pretty headstrong young high school girl who loves Dungeons and Dragons, dislikes school, isn't interested in friends or other people, and is obsessed with giants - more accurately, killing giants. But in our everyday world, is Barbara just a weird kid because we all know giants aren't real. Aren't they... WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT?  This coming of age story is also about friendship, courage, bullies, allies, family, and the power of the imagination, this is a wonderful, touching story that should not be missed.

3. PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi (L'Association)

Is the autobiographical story of the Iranian Marjane Satrapi, the story of how she grew up in an Islamic fundamentalist regime that would eventually lead her to leave her country. The comic begins in 1979, when Marjane is ten years old and from her childhood perspective she witnesses a social and political change that ends more than fifty years of the reign of the Shah of Persia in Iran and gives way to an Islamic Republic. WHY SHOUL YOU READ IT? With this work, Marjane Strapi has managed to show at a stroke that the comic is capable as can be literature or cinema to reflect with crudeness the less sweet episodes of History. Persepolis is a complaint of religious fanaticism and more specifically of the repression exercised by fundamentalists against Iranian women.

2.FROM HELL by Alan Moore (Eddie Campbell Comics/Top Shelf Productions)

From hell tells in his own way the story of Jack the Ripper. It focuses on the figure of William Gull, a magnificent doctor, first assistant of the English Royal Family. He is a doctor who is certainly respected and professional. On the other hand, it belongs to the well-regarded by the sect of The Masons. With the passage of time and the events that are spinning in their environment, something inside William breaks down. WHY SHOUL YOU READ IT? A story in which fiction and reality can not be better mixed. There are no dividing lines here. Very few people today would know how to differentiate what was truly true in everything that happened. Moore was commissioned with From Hell to provide us with his version of events. Who knows if we are not facing the best illustrations of a tragic event that marked a whole era.

1. MAUS by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon Books)

The son of a holocaust survivor in World War II, interviews his father in order to make a story that relates his father's struggle to support his family and his sanity at the same time. Likewise, the mere fact of remembering all these events, cause father and son to be involved in so many moments of reunion and family tension. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO READ IT? Maus is not just a post-modernism clinic in comics but also must be the most accurate, sensitive and coherent human story that has ever been made in cartoon format, even after his successful decision telling everything with anthropomorphic animals, in order to alleviate a little the historical tension. At the same time, the accuracy of the historical recapitulation of the hand of a survivor and the metanarrative of the author describing the process of creating the same comic, generates this impeccable hint that won the Pulitzer Prize.

BONUS: Because there is a lot out there you should check those too. they are a good mix of art and narrative

SAGA (Is a must read)

REVIVAL

THE INCAL

BERLIN

HABIBI

[thesnhuup]

Pop Picks – September 7, 2018

What I’m listening to:

With a cover pointing back to the Beastie Boys’ 1986 Licensed to Ill, Eminem’s quietly released Kamikaze is not my usual taste, but I’ve always admired him for his “all out there” willingness to be personal, to call people out, and his sheer genius with language. I thought Daveed Diggs could rap fast, but Eminem is supersonic at moments, and still finds room for melody. Love that he includes Joyner Lucas, whose “I’m Not Racist” gets added to the growing list of simply amazing music videos commenting on race in America. There are endless reasons why I am the least likely Eminem fan, but when no one is around to make fun of me, I’ll put it on again.

What I’m reading:

Lesley Blume’s Everyone Behaves Badly, which is the story behind Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and his time in 1920s Paris (oh, what a time – see Midnight in Paris if you haven’t already). Of course, Blume disabuses my romantic ideas of that time and place and everyone is sort of (or profoundly so) a jerk, especially…no spoiler here…Hemingway. That said, it is a compelling read and coming off the Henry James inspired prose of Mrs. Osmond, it made me appreciate more how groundbreaking was Hemingway’s modern prose style. Like his contemporary Picasso, he reinvented the art and it can be easy to forget, these decades later, how profound was the change and its impact. And it has bullfights.

What I’m watching:

Chloé Zhao’s The Rider is just exceptional. It’s filmed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, which provides a stunning landscape, and it feels like a classic western reinvented for our times. The main characters are played by the real-life people who inspired this narrative (but feels like a documentary) film. Brady Jandreau, playing himself really, owns the screen. It’s about manhood, honor codes, loss, and resilience – rendered in sensitive, nuanced, and heartfelt ways. It feels like it could be about large swaths of America today. Really powerful.

  Archive

August 16, 2018

What I’m listening to:

In my Spotify Daily Mix was Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman, one of the world’s greatest love songs. Go online and read the story of how the song was discovered and recorded. There are competing accounts, but Sledge said he improvised it after a bad breakup. It has that kind of aching spontaneity. It is another hit from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, one of the GREAT music hotbeds, along with Detroit, Nashville, and Memphis. Our February Board meeting is in Alabama and I may finally have to do the pilgrimage road trip to Muscle Shoals and then Memphis, dropping in for Sunday services at the church where Rev. Al Green still preaches and sings. If the music is all like this, I will be saved.

What I’m reading:

John Banville’s Mrs. Osmond, his homage to literary idol Henry James and an imagined sequel to James’ 1881 masterpiece Portrait of a Lady. Go online and read the first paragraph of Chapter 25. He is…profoundly good. Makes me want to never write again, since anything I attempt will feel like some other, lowly activity in comparison to his mastery of language, image, syntax. This is slow reading, every sentence to be savored.

What I’m watching:

I’ve always respected Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but we just watched the documentary RGB. It is over-the-top great and she is now one of my heroes. A superwoman in many ways and the documentary is really well done. There are lots of scenes of her speaking to crowds and the way young women, especially law students, look at her is touching.  And you can’t help but fall in love with her now late husband Marty. See this movie and be reminded of how important is the Law.

July 23, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spotify’s Summer Acoustic playlist has been on repeat quite a lot. What a fun way to listen to artists new to me, including The Paper Kites, Hollow Coves, and Fleet Foxes, as well as old favorites like Leon Bridges and Jose Gonzalez. Pretty chill when dialing back to a summer pace, dining on the screen porch or reading a book.

What I’m reading:

Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson tells of the racial injustice (and the war on the poor our judicial system perpetuates as well) that he discovered as a young graduate from Harvard Law School and his fight to address it. It is in turn heartbreaking, enraging, and inspiring. It is also about mercy and empathy and justice that reads like a novel. Brilliant.

What I’m watching:

Fauda. We watched season one of this Israeli thriller. It was much discussed in Israel because while it focuses on an ex-special agent who comes out of retirement to track down a Palestinian terrorist, it was willing to reveal the complexity, richness, and emotions of Palestinian lives. And the occasional brutality of the Israelis. Pretty controversial stuff in Israel. Lior Raz plays Doron, the main character, and is compelling and tough and often hard to like. He’s a mess. As is the world in which he has to operate. We really liked it, and also felt guilty because while it may have been brave in its treatment of Palestinians within the Israeli context, it falls back into some tired tropes and ultimately falls short on this front.

    June 11, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Like everyone else, I’m listening to Pusha T drop the mic on Drake. Okay, not really, but do I get some points for even knowing that? We all walk around with songs that immediately bring us back to a time or a place. Songs are time machines. We are coming up on Father’s Day. My own dad passed away on Father’s Day back in 1994 and I remembering dutifully getting through the wake and funeral and being strong throughout. Then, sitting alone in our kitchen, Don Henley’s The End of the Innocence came on and I lost it. When you lose a parent for the first time (most of us have two after all) we lose our innocence and in that passage, we suddenly feel adult in a new way (no matter how old we are), a longing for our own childhood, and a need to forgive and be forgiven. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand. As Wordsworth reminds us in In Memoriam, there are seasons to our grief and, all these years later, this song no longer hits me in the gut, but does transport me back with loving memories of my father. I’ll play it Father’s Day.

What I’m reading:

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin. I am not a reader of fantasy or sci-fi, though I understand they can be powerful vehicles for addressing the very real challenges of the world in which we actually live. I’m not sure I know of a more vivid and gripping illustration of that fact than N. K. Jemisin’s Hugo Award winning novel The Fifth Season, first in her Broken Earth trilogy. It is astounding. It is the fantasy parallel to The Underground Railroad, my favorite recent read, a depiction of subjugation, power, casual violence, and a broken world in which our hero(s) struggle, suffer mightily, and still, somehow, give us hope. It is a tour de force book. How can someone be this good a writer? The first 30 pages pained me (always with this genre, one must learn a new, constructed world, and all of its operating physics and systems of order), and then I could not put it down. I panicked as I neared the end, not wanting to finish the book, and quickly ordered the Obelisk Gate, the second novel in the trilogy, and I can tell you now that I’ll be spending some goodly portion of my weekend in Jemisin’s other world.

What I’m watching:

The NBA Finals and perhaps the best basketball player of this generation. I’ve come to deeply respect LeBron James as a person, a force for social good, and now as an extraordinary player at the peak of his powers. His superhuman play during the NBA playoffs now ranks with the all-time greats, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, MJ, Kobe, and the demi-god that was Bill Russell. That his Cavs lost in a 4-game sweep is no surprise. It was a mediocre team being carried on the wide shoulders of James (and matched against one of the greatest teams ever, the Warriors, and the Harry Potter of basketball, Steph Curry) and, in some strange way, his greatness is amplified by the contrast with the rest of his team. It was a great run.

May 24, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I’ve always liked Alicia Keys and admired her social activism, but I am hooked on her last album Here. This feels like an album finally commensurate with her anger, activism, hope, and grit. More R&B and Hip Hop than is typical for her, I think this album moves into an echelon inhabited by a Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On or Beyonce’s Formation. Social activism and outrage rarely make great novels, but they often fuel great popular music. Here is a terrific example.

What I’m reading:

Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad may be close to a flawless novel. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer, it chronicles the lives of two runaway slaves, Cora and Caeser, as they try to escape the hell of plantation life in Georgia.  It is an often searing novel and Cora is one of the great heroes of American literature. I would make this mandatory reading in every high school in America, especially in light of the absurd revisionist narratives of “happy and well cared for” slaves. This is a genuinely great novel, one of the best I’ve read, the magical realism and conflating of time periods lifts it to another realm of social commentary, relevance, and a blazing indictment of America’s Original Sin, for which we remain unabsolved.

What I’m watching:

I thought I knew about The Pentagon Papers, but The Post, a real-life political thriller from Steven Spielberg taught me a lot, features some of our greatest actors, and is so timely given the assault on our democratic institutions and with a presidency out of control. It is a reminder that a free and fearless press is a powerful part of our democracy, always among the first targets of despots everywhere. The story revolves around the legendary Post owner and D.C. doyenne, Katharine Graham. I had the opportunity to see her son, Don Graham, right after he saw the film, and he raved about Meryl Streep’s portrayal of his mother. Liked it a lot more than I expected.

April 27, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I mentioned John Prine in a recent post and then on the heels of that mention, he has released a new album, The Tree of Forgiveness, his first new album in ten years. Prine is beloved by other singer songwriters and often praised by the inscrutable God that is Bob Dylan.  Indeed, Prine was frequently said to be the “next Bob Dylan” in the early part of his career, though he instead carved out his own respectable career and voice, if never with the dizzying success of Dylan. The new album reflects a man in his 70s, a cancer survivor, who reflects on life and its end, but with the good humor and empathy that are hallmarks of Prine’s music. “When I Get To Heaven” is a rollicking, fun vision of what comes next and a pure delight. A charming, warm, and often terrific album.

What I’m reading:

I recently read Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, on many people’s Top Ten lists for last year and for good reason. It is sprawling, multi-generational, and based in the world of Japanese occupied Korea and then in the Korean immigrant’s world of Oaska, so our key characters become “tweeners,” accepted in neither world. It’s often unspeakably sad, and yet there is resiliency and love. There is also intimacy, despite the time and geographic span of the novel. It’s breathtakingly good and like all good novels, transporting.

What I’m watching:

I adore Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth, and while I’m not sure his Shape of Water is better, it is a worthy follow up to the earlier masterpiece (and more of a commercial success). Lots of critics dislike the film, but I’m okay with a simple retelling of a Beauty and the Beast love story, as predictable as it might be. The acting is terrific, it is visually stunning, and there are layers of pain as well as social and political commentary (the setting is the US during the Cold War) and, no real spoiler here, the real monsters are humans, the military officer who sees over the captured aquatic creature. It is hauntingly beautiful and its depiction of hatred to those who are different or “other” is painfully resonant with the time in which we live. Put this on your “must see” list.

March 18, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Sitting on a plane for hours (and many more to go; geez, Australia is far away) is a great opportunity to listen to new music and to revisit old favorites. This time, it is Lucy Dacus and her album Historians, the new sophomore release from a 22-year old indie artist that writes with relatable, real-life lyrics. Just on a second listen and while she insists this isn’t a break up record (as we know, 50% of all great songs are break up songs), it is full of loss and pain. Worth the listen so far. For the way back machine, it’s John Prine and In Spite of Ourselves (that title track is one of the great love songs of all time), a collection of duets with some of his “favorite girl singers” as he once described them. I have a crush on Iris Dement (for a really righteously angry song try her Wasteland of the Free), but there is also EmmyLou Harris, the incomparable Dolores Keane, and Lucinda Williams. Very different albums, both wonderful.

What I’m reading:

Jane Mayer’s New Yorker piece on Christopher Steele presents little that is new, but she pulls it together in a terrific and coherent whole that is illuminating and troubling at the same time. Not only for what is happening, but for the complicity of the far right in trying to discredit that which should be setting off alarm bells everywhere. Bob Mueller may be the most important defender of the democracy at this time. A must read.

What I’m watching:

Homeland is killing it this season and is prescient, hauntingly so. Russian election interference, a Bannon-style hate radio demagogue, alienated and gun toting militia types, and a president out of control. It’s fabulous, even if it feels awfully close to the evening news. 

March 8, 2018

What I’m listening to:

We have a family challenge to compile our Top 100 songs. It is painful. Only 100? No more than three songs by one artist? Wait, why is M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” on my list? Should it just be The Clash from whom she samples? Can I admit to guilty pleasure songs? Hey, it’s my list and I can put anything I want on it. So I’m listening to the list while I work and the song playing right now is Tom Petty’s “The Wild One, Forever,” a B-side single that was never a hit and that remains my favorite Petty song. Also, “Evangeline” by Los Lobos. It evokes a night many years ago, with friends at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA, when everyone danced well past 1AM in a hot, sweaty, packed club and the band was a revelation. Maybe the best music night of our lives and a reminder that one’s 100 Favorite Songs list is as much about what you were doing and where you were in your life when those songs were playing as it is about the music. It’s not a list. It’s a soundtrack for this journey.

What I’m reading:

Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy was in the NY Times top ten books of 2017 list and it is easy to see why. Lockwood brings remarkable and often surprising imagery, metaphor, and language to her prose memoir and it actually threw me off at first. It then all became clear when someone told me she is a poet. The book is laugh aloud funny, which masks (or makes safer anyway) some pretty dark territory. Anyone who grew up Catholic, whether lapsed or not, will resonate with her story. She can’t resist a bawdy anecdote and her family provides some of the most memorable characters possible, especially her father, her sister, and her mother, who I came to adore. Best thing I’ve read in ages.

What I’m watching:

The Florida Project, a profoundly good movie on so many levels. Start with the central character, six-year old (at the time of the filming) Brooklynn Prince, who owns – I mean really owns – the screen. This is pure acting genius and at that age? Astounding. Almost as astounding is Bria Vinaite, who plays her mother. She was discovered on Instagram and had never acted before this role, which she did with just three weeks of acting lessons. She is utterly convincing and the tension between the child’s absolute wonder and joy in the world with her mother’s struggle to provide, to be a mother, is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Willem Dafoe rightly received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role. This is a terrific movie.

February 12, 2018

What I’m listening to:

So, I have a lot of friends of age (I know you’re thinking 40s, but I just turned 60) who are frozen in whatever era of music they enjoyed in college or maybe even in their thirties. There are lots of times when I reach back into the catalog, since music is one of those really powerful and transporting senses that can take you through time (smell is the other one, though often underappreciated for that power). Hell, I just bought a turntable and now spending time in vintage vinyl shops. But I’m trying to take a lesson from Pat, who revels in new music and can as easily talk about North African rap music and the latest National album as Meet the Beatles, her first ever album. So, I’ve been listening to Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy winning Damn. While it may not be the first thing I’ll reach for on a winter night in Maine, by the fire, I was taken with it. It’s layered, political, and weirdly sensitive and misogynist at the same time, and it feels fresh and authentic and smart at the same time, with music that often pulled me from what I was doing. In short, everything music should do. I’m not a bit cooler for listening to Damn, but when I followed it with Steely Dan, I felt like I was listening to Lawrence Welk. A good sign, I think.

What I’m reading:

I am reading Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Leonardo da Vinci. I’m not usually a reader of biographies, but I’ve always been taken with Leonardo. Isaacson does not disappoint (does he ever?), and his subject is at once more human and accessible and more awe-inspiring in Isaacson’s capable hands. Gay, left-handed, vegetarian, incapable of finishing things, a wonderful conversationalist, kind, and perhaps the most relentlessly curious human being who has ever lived. Like his biographies of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, Isaacson’s project here is to show that genius lives at the intersection of science and art, of rationality and creativity. Highly recommend it.

What I’m watching:

We watched the This Is Us post-Super Bowl episode, the one where Jack finally buys the farm. I really want to hate this show. It is melodramatic and manipulative, with characters that mostly never change or grow, and it hooks me every damn time we watch it. The episode last Sunday was a tear jerker, a double whammy intended to render into a blubbering, tissue-crumbling pathetic mess anyone who has lost a parent or who is a parent. Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones, the surprising Mandy Moore, and Milo Ventimiglia are hard not to love and last season’s episode that had only Brown and Cephas going to Memphis was the show at its best (they are by far the two best actors). Last week was the show at its best worst. In other words, I want to hate it, but I love it. If you haven’t seen it, don’t binge watch it. You’ll need therapy and insulin.

January 15, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Drive-By Truckers. Chris Stapleton has me on an unusual (for me) country theme and I discovered these guys to my great delight. They’ve been around, with some 11 albums, but the newest one is fascinating. It’s a deep dive into Southern alienation and the white working-class world often associated with our current president. I admire the willingness to lay bare, in kick ass rock songs, the complexities and pain at work among people we too quickly place into overly simple categories. These guys are brave, bold, and thoughtful as hell, while producing songs I didn’t expect to like, but that I keep playing. And they are coming to NH.

What I’m reading:

A textual analog to Drive-By Truckers by Chris Stapleton in many ways is Tony Horowitz’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning Confederates in the Attic. Ostensibly about the Civil War and the South’s ongoing attachment to it, it is prescient and speaks eloquently to the times in which we live (where every southern state but Virginia voted for President Trump). Often hilarious, it too surfaces complexities and nuance that escape a more recent, and widely acclaimed, book like Hillbilly Elegy. As a Civil War fan, it was also astonishing in many instances, especially when it blows apart long-held “truths” about the war, such as the degree to which Sherman burned down the south (he did not). Like D-B Truckers, Horowitz loves the South and the people he encounters, even as he grapples with its myths of victimhood and exceptionalism (and racism, which may be no more than the racism in the north, but of a different kind). Everyone should read this book and I’m embarrassed I’m so late to it.

What I’m watching:

David Letterman has a new Netflix show called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” and we watched the first episode, in which Letterman interviewed Barack Obama. It was extraordinary (if you don’t have Netflix, get it just to watch this show); not only because we were reminded of Obama’s smarts, grace, and humanity (and humor), but because we saw a side of Letterman we didn’t know existed. His personal reflections on Selma were raw and powerful, almost painful. He will do five more episodes with “extraordinary individuals” and if they are anything like the first, this might be the very best work of his career and one of the best things on television.

December 22, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished Sunjeev Sahota’s Year of the Runaways, a painful inside look at the plight of illegal Indian immigrant workers in Britain. It was shortlisted for 2015 Man Booker Prize and its transporting, often to a dark and painful universe, and it is impossible not to think about the American version of this story and the terrible way we treat the undocumented in our own country, especially now.

What I’m watching:

Season II of The Crown is even better than Season I. Elizabeth’s character is becoming more three-dimensional, the modern world is catching up with tradition-bound Britain, and Cold War politics offer more context and tension than we saw in Season I. Claire Foy, in her last season, is just terrific – one arched eye brow can send a message.

What I’m listening to:

A lot of Christmas music, but needing a break from the schmaltz, I’ve discovered Over the Rhine and their Christmas album, Snow Angels. God, these guys are good.

  November 14, 2017

What I’m watching:

Guiltily, I watch the Patriots play every weekend, often building my schedule and plans around seeing the game. Why the guilt? I don’t know how morally defensible is football anymore, as we now know the severe damage it does to the players. We can’t pretend it’s all okay anymore. Is this our version of late decadent Rome, watching mostly young Black men take a terrible toll on each other for our mere entertainment?

What I’m reading:

Recently finished J.G. Ballard’s 2000 novel Super-Cannes, a powerful depiction of a corporate-tech ex-pat community taken over by a kind of psychopathology, in which all social norms and responsibilities are surrendered to residents of the new world community. Kept thinking about Silicon Valley when reading it. Pretty dark, dystopian view of the modern world and centered around a mass killing, troublingly prescient.

What I’m listening to:

Was never really a Lorde fan, only knowing her catchy (and smarter than you might first guess) pop hit “Royals” from her debut album. But her new album, Melodrama, is terrific and it doesn’t feel quite right to call this “pop.” There is something way more substantial going on with Lorde and I can see why many critics put this album at the top of their Best in 2017 list. Count me in as a huge fan.

  November 3, 2017

What I’m reading: Just finished Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, her breathtakingly good second novel. How is someone so young so wise? Her writing is near perfection and I read the book in two days, setting my alarm for 4:30AM so I could finish it before work.

What I’m watching: We just binge watched season two of Stranger Things and it was worth it just to watch Millie Bobbie Brown, the transcendent young actor who plays Eleven. The series is a delightful mash up of every great eighties horror genre you can imagine and while pretty dark, an absolute joy to watch.

What I’m listening to: I’m not a lover of country music (to say the least), but I love Chris Stapleton. His “The Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning” is heartbreakingly good and reminds me of the old school country that played in my house as a kid. He has a new album and I can’t wait, but his From A Room: Volume 1 is on repeat for now.

  September 26, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished George Saunder’s Lincoln in the Bardo. It took me a while to accept its cadence and sheer weirdness, but loved it in the end. A painful meditation on loss and grief, and a genuinely beautiful exploration of the intersection of life and death, the difficulty of letting go of what was, good and bad, and what never came to be.

What I’m watching:

HBO’s The Deuce. Times Square and the beginning of the porn industry in the 1970s, the setting made me wonder if this was really something I’d want to see. But David Simon is the writer and I’d read a menu if he wrote it. It does not disappoint so far and there is nothing prurient about it.

What I’m listening to:

The National’s new album Sleep Well Beast. I love this band. The opening piano notes of the first song, “Nobody Else Will Be There,” seize me & I’m reminded that no one else in music today matches their arrangement & musicianship. I’m adding “Born to Beg,” “Slow Show,” “I Need My Girl,” and “Runaway” to my list of favorite love songs.

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