#it was 2010 and I was taking a shakespeare class in college

[jewishraypalmer]

Had a 5 dollar Amazon digital credit that was going to expire so I bought the David Tennant Hamlet because might as well ride this wave bby!!

[lyndonriggall]

Why I’m Performing in The Pillowman in Five Days

Time moves quickly. I think it was only a moment ago that we had months ahead of us to rehearse, and yet that expanse of time has receded as swiftly as waves on the shore. Somehow, I have very quickly reached a point where I have only five days before I will be acting on-stage at Launceston’s Earl Arts Centre, for the first time in fifteen years. I am playing the part of Katurian the writer (originated by David Tennant in the 2003 premiere of the play, and most recently in 2023 by Lily Allen) in Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, directed by Mitchell Langley for the Launceston Players, which also stars Travis Hennessy as Tupolski, Lauchy Hansen as Ariel, Jesse Apted as Michal, and Renee Bakker, Michael Mason and Eva Cetti in various roles. As the play begins, my character is dragged in for questioning by the police. He writes powerful—but very disturbing—short stories, and it seems that someone is bringing those short stories to life.

Wouldn’t it make sense that he has something to do with it?

It all sounds pretty grim (and in many ways it is), but if you are at all familiar with McDonagh’s writing then you’ll know that he can be relied upon to strike an electrifying balance between horror and comedy. His works include The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001), A Behanding in Spokane (2010) and Hangmen (2015) for the stage, while more recently he has made his name as the Academy Award-winning writer and director of In Bruges (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). While The Pillowman is undoubtedly one of the darkest plays I’ve ever come across, it is also one of the funniest.

A year ago, I probably would have considered it unlikely that I would find myself here. In fact, I find it pretty unlikely even now, just days away from opening night. So why did I want to be part of The Pillowman? Aside from the obvious strengths of the team behind the project (who have taught me so much, whilst also giving me the delightful and terrifying challenge of trying to prove my right to share the same stage as them), this is a play that is very close to my heart. In 2008, in my Year 12 Theatre class, my teacher Nicole assigned me Tupolski’s famous railroad tracks monologue as my assessment piece, which I also later performed at a college academic awards night.  Ambitious creature that I was, I wouldn’t dare perform something like that without first having its context in the whole work. She lent me a copy of the play—the first time I had seen one of those strange slim paperbacks with no picture on the cover (this one was orange, as is the copy I am learning my lines from now). I went home and read it. I was laughing, I was shocked, and I was moved, all in equal measure. Oh, of course there’s something special about a work of literature that finds you on the cusp of a new phase of life, and most of my favourite books are books that I found (or that found me) that year. But aside from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (which I also discovered just before finishing school, and found myself falling into, and have since found it very hard to clamber back out of), The Pillowman swiftly became my favourite play, and Martin McDonagh my favourite living playwright. There have been a number of times on this blog where I have talked about the challenge of balance, how we prioritise and choose what to spend our precious limited time and our creative resources on. For me, the only thing worse than having the burden of auditioning for The Pillowman, being offered a part in it, and rehearsing and performing it, was the horrifying thought that someone else might get to do it in my place.

And so, here I am.

In my teaching of English, one of the most important concepts that I discuss with students is that of an “invited reading.” What I mean by this is not merely what the author (or even a character) says, but what the audience is supposed to take away as its meaning. Bad things happen in literature, but the existence of evil as a narrative element is not necessarily an endorsement of it, even if it might be tempting and easy to think so. In our inattentive world of click-bait headlines, out-of-context soundbites and addiction to outrage, it can be very easy to mistake a single puzzle piece for the whole picture, and while it happens constantly, it happens at our own peril. This is the very essence of what The Pillowman is asking us to consider: what stories are we allowed to tell? How do we shape the audience’s understanding of what we are trying to say? Can we shape the audience’s understanding of what we are trying to say? Should we be expected to? In the end, is it even fair to say that stories mean anything at all?

In a prescient update relating to the show’s themes, on World Poetry Day last month, PEN International released “War, Censorship, and Persecution,” an international case list for 2023/2024, highlighting the latest challenges for writers in global conflicts and emphasising the need to safeguard freedom of expression, especially in war-torn regions. The report documents 122 cases of writers facing harassment, arrest, violence and death worldwide. This is why the tale of Katurian still matters: because we do not yet live in a world where you can be sure that a story will not cost you your life.

A few days out from opening night, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was a little scared. There is never a moment where I am not on-stage in the play. Playing Katurian as a return to performance is the theatrical equivalent of “having another go at swimming” by throwing myself into the churning waters of the Atlantic.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? I’m scared. Oh yes, I’m scared. But I have a story that needs telling.

The Launceston Players Production of The Pillowman, directed by Mitchell Langley, is on-stage at the Earl Arts Centre Wednesday 24th April at 7:30pm, Thursday 25th April at 4:30pm, Friday 26th April at 7:30pm, and Saturday 27th April at 2:00pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are still available at Theatre North.

[purplesurveys]

1131

survey by lilprincess

Approx. Time you began this survey: 6:46 on a Wednesday evening.

Describe your mood right now: Erm, a bit exhausted because I just ended a work shift; but content for the same reason. Right now I’m simply looking forward to dinner and crashing on the couch or my bed, wherever I feel like sleeping tonight.

Spell your first name without vowels: Rbn. Let’s just also remove y for this one.

Age you will be on your next birthday: 23.

Zodiac Sign: Taurus.

Do you believe what your horoscope says about your sign? I do not believe in astrology whatsoever.

What state/region do you live in? Somewhere in the Philippines somewhere close to Metro Manila.

Height: Like 5′1″ ish. I had a massive growth spurt in 4th grade that also ended in 4th grade, which will always be a funny story to tell people lmao. I went from being placed at the back of the class line to the front really quickly.

Do you smoke? Super occasionally. My last cigarette was like...all the way back in February last year. It was easier to hide the smell around my family before, but because my parents and siblings have mostly been staying at home in the last year it would be so easy to weed out the smell. I never feel like smoking anyway since I vape, so there’s been no reason to seek it out.

Do you drink? Yeah, sometimes socially and sometimes on my own if I wanna unwind and feel a lil buzz come through.

What's your ethnic background? Southeast Asian, specifically Filipino.

What's your religious background? Technically my ~background~ would be Catholic since I was born and baptized in that faith, but I’ve long let go of this. Excluding one very brief period in high school, religion was something I never held much belief and faith in, even if I've been taken to literally every Sunday mass for the last 23 years and even if I was enrolled in Catholic school from preschool to high school.

What's your natural hair color? Black.

What;s your natural eye color? Dark brown, almost black.

Do you have any bad habits you want to break? I do overtime work a lot but used to seldom file it on our company shift log sheet because I get shy that they must think I’m doing it just to be paid more, lol. I’m starting to file them every time I do OT though because fuck it, pay me.

Name a few of your positive habits. I like that I always find a way to meet deadlines. I like that I’m selfless, even though some would see it as a flaw. I’d rather do too much than say I never did anything at all.

Have you ever lived in a foreign country? No, the most I’ve done was travel to one for a week.

Did you vote in the Nov. 6 2012 presidential election? No because I am not American -___- The last election that took place before I was eligible was in 2010, and had I been able to vote then, I would’ve given mine to Gibo Teodoro, who I believe was the most qualified at the time.

Are you even eligible to vote? Yeah, I’ve been for the last 5 years. I’ve voted twice - once for the presidential elections back in 2016, and the next was for the senatorial elections in 2019.

Are you right handed or left handed? Right-handed.

When you write, is your penmanship usually neat or do you tend to scribble? It starts off neat for the most part, but it gradually gets messy and becomes more like a scribble if we’re talking about writing several essays in one sitting, which was usually the case in my exams in college.

Have you ever experienced an accident? (of any type): Sure, I’ve been in car accidents before. I’ve also been shocked once.

Do you have/want children? They would be nice to have, yeah. 

Are you environmentally conscious? For the most part, yeah. But there are some things that can’t be helped, like me driving. Unless the government does something about the shitty public transport system that we have and have had for decades, I refuse to take it.

What's your favorite mode of transportation? Like I said, my own car. If I’m traveling, by plane.

Do you prefer 80's - 90's music compared to today's music? Eh, not at all. I prefer music produced these days.

Are you more of an introvert (quiet/shy), or extrovert (social butterfly)? I’ve been more of an extrovert in the last few years but I will always be shy at first upon meeting new people, like that will never change. I warm up a lot quickly now, though.

What's your favorite emoticon? :)

Do you miss the good old days of hand-written letters? I caught the super super super last part of this era, so I didn’t even get to experience it. I know snail mail was still kind of a thing when I was a kid, but at the same time that was happening my mom was also already using email to keep in touch with my dad, so.

Nowadays, though, when I do write letters to loved ones, I will still prefer to make handwritten ones, especially for a significant other or best friend. I don’t think I’ve ever sent out a computerized long letter.

Do you enjoy receiving or giving more? Giving, but it’s nice to be treated too sometimes.

Are you good at keeping secrets? Sure.

Do you take or give advice more often? I don’t usually get into situations wherein I’d have to do either, but I think I’ve been asking for advice more, especially over the last few months.

Do you have your driver's license? “I got my driver’s license last week, just like we always talked about...” Haha this question made me sing a bit. Anyway, yeah, I got it shortly after I turned 18 since I needed to quickly learn before college started.

Would you rather be poor & happy or rich but miserable? Rich but miserable. Soz but I’d solve 4854983594857 of my problems if I never had to worry about money.

Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? Never.

Have you ever blocked someone on Facebook? Probably not blocked, but I’ve unfollowed some current Facebook friends and unfriended others entirely.

Do you think recreational marijuana should be nationally legalized? Idk much about the topic since it’s taboo enough where I live, but sure, I guess?I haven’t heard one bad word about the effects of marijuana.

Describe your perfect first date. I’ve never really had a first date, but I imagine an ideal one would be pretty lowkey, just a stroll around a nice city and maybe have fancyish dinner somewhere.

Have you ever been high? Nope.

Have you ever watched a NC-17 rated film? Sure. A good handful of Kubrick films pass for NC-17, right? I’d be surprised if they weren’t, lol. I’ve been scarred by some of them for sure.

If you ever become reincarnated as an animal, what would you want it to be? A dog.

Do you remember where you were/what you were doing on September 11, 2001? No; I was 2 years old. I did ask my parents where they were in those moments, and my mom understandably missed most of it since the entire thing unfolded in the late evening in the Philippines. The only thing she can recall was being insanely worried for my dad, who had just started to work in the US back then.

Do you ever wish you were of a different nationality/religion? Yeah, to a certain extent, just because the political and socioeconomic situation here is very messy and it doesn’t really give us the nicest reputation in front of the world. I’m proud of my Filipino culture and heritage though.

Are you more of a junk food addict or health nut? Health nut is the last thing anyone should be calling me. But I’m not so much a junk food addict either? I do like spoiling myself with food, but I still monitor my intake.

Do you believe Antarctica should be considered the 7th world continent? Isn’t it already though?? We’ve always been taught there were 7 continents and Antarctica is one of them lol.

Describe your own sense of humor in 1 word: Gen-Z, if that counts as one word.

Have you ever quoted the Bible (or any other Holy Book)? If I ever did it was probably meant to be sarcasm.

Have you ever completed a Sudoku puzzle? No. Never figured out how to play it either.

Would you rather be a nuclear physicist or marine biologist? Marine biologist. That’s one step closer to one of my loves, biology. Plus I was never any good with physics, so.

Do you have a deep, dark secret you're hiding from every one? I guess.

Would you rather be able to soar like an eagle or swim like a dolphin? I’d make my childhood self happy and go with flight.

If you wanted to learn a foreign language, what would it be? Korean so I can finally stop reading subs, hahah.

Are you bi-curious? No.

Did you watch the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon more as a kid? The Nickelodeon cartoons were far more interesting to me. I think I only got into Disney when I got a little bit older, once I was able to appreciate the more mature content in shows like The Suite Life, That’s So Raven, etc. But for the most part our TV was always tuned into Nick Jr., Spongebob, Jimmy Neutron and the other Nick shows.

Name 5 films that were made the year you were born: American History X (great watch), The Truman Show, Mulan, La Vita e Bella if I’m not mistaken (one of my faves, no matter how gut-wrenching it is), and Shakespeare in Love.

Did you have a lot of friends in high school? Yes, eventually I did.

Do you rely more on the newspaper, Internet or TV as your news source? Social media these days since I find that online writers are far more discerning in their reporting than TV anchors, who stay neutral at best.

True or false: Bigger is better. Very vaguely put, but not always, I guess.

Do you think religion is the primary cause of war? No? There’ve been plenty other reasons for war.

What's your favorite pizza topping? ...Cheese.

Think of your wardrobe. What color do you wear the most? It’s still black, I think.

Have you ever been to a planetarium? Just once, on a middle school field trip. I’d love to come back, though.

Do you feel like you connect more with animals or other people? I don’t get to be with animals a lot other than my dogs, so I’ll go with people.

Do you feel like sometimes you have to lie in order to protect yourself? Wow so dramatically put haha but yeah, I suppose it does feel that way sometimes.

How often do you exercise? Literally never. I’ve stopped working out this year since I didn’t see the point, and I’ve stopped feeling like I had to ‘get back’ at my ex just by getting a more toned figure. I’m totally at peace with how my body looks, plus I never want to give up on my favorite foods and snacks lol so there’s that.

Can you swear in a different language? Putangina mong bobo kang gago ka. That’s three for ya.

Do you think teachers/doctors deserve to get paid more than pro athletes? Everyone deserves to be paid fairly to the point that no comparison should be necessary, period.

From a scale of 1- 5, you would rate this survey: Erm, a 4.5. I had to delete some questions I didn’t feel comfortable answering or that I found a little meh, but the rest I fairly enjoyed.

Do you think most of these questions were more original or more ordinary? It’s a bit in between.

Approx. time you completed this survey: Hahahahah 10:38 PM. I took a million breaks.

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide: Chapter 4

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

The Willard (75): A luxury hotel just down the street from the White House, where rooms can cost up to $8,000 per night. It hosts the turkeys to be pardoned by the president.

Cornbread and Stuffing (75): Traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Pardoning turkeys are commonly named after foods associated with Thanksgiving, recently including Bread, Butter, Cheese, and Apple.

Pennsylvania Avenue (75): The street that the White House and Willard are on.

Until I pardon them (75): The pardoning of the turkeys is an actual American tradition. Americans began sending turkeys to the president around the same time we started celebrating Thanksgiving, and the tradition of pardoning them began with Clinton in 1999. Only one turkey is officially pardoned, but there is always a backup turkey, and you can read their names here. 

En suite (76): A bathroom directly connected to a bedroom.

CNN (76): Cable News Network, a liberal news station.

Republican primary debate (76): A debate between candidates for the Republican (conservative) party, held before the party decides who they will nominate for the presidential race.

Summer home in Majorca (79): Majorca is an island in the Mediterranean, just off the coast of Spain.

Jurassic Park* (79): A movie in which dinosaurs escape from their cages and the main characters have to escape them.

Autoerotic asphyxiation (80): “erotic asphyxiation” is essentially sexual choking; if it’s “autoerotic” it would be Alex doing it to himself.

Silk pillow over my face (80): This may be a reference to the Shakespeare play Othello where (spoilers, though it’s been out for like 500 years) the title character smothers his wife with a pillow after rumors that she’s cheating on him.

Jaffa cakes (80): A British snack with a sponge cake base, a layer of orange jam, and topped with chocolate.

Jabba (81): Jabba the Hutt, a Star Wars character.

Great British Bake Off (81): A famously wholesome baking show that is technically a competition between home bakers from around the UK, though it is far from competitive.

Scandinavian skin care (81): Many luxury skincare brands have come from Scandinavian countries in the past few years.

Chopped (82): An incredibly competitive American cooking show.

The Manson tapes (82): A series of tapes revealing the dealings of the Manson Cult, which was responsible for nine murders in 1969.

David Bowie (82): A famously bisexual British actor and musician known for his bold presentation and stagecraft. He was admitted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. (listen here and here)

Seinfeld (82): An American sitcom from the 1990s. Wayne Knight, who played Dennis Nedry and had a very bad time in Jurassic Park, was also in Seinfeld.

Jeff Goldblum (82): An American actor (and force of chaos) known for his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, a scientist who sees from the very beginning that maybe breeding massive predators is a bad idea.

The Post (84): The Washington Post

Oval Office (84): The president’s office in the White House

Lincoln Bedroom (85): A guest bedroom that is part of the Lincoln Suite in the White House, named after President Lincoln, who used to room as an office.

Chocolate shop on the first floor (85): According to the White House Museum online, there is a chocolate shop on the bottom floor of the White House that prepares the chocolates served in the White house.

The Atlantic (85): An American editorial magazine that covers news, politics, education, science, and more. It targets serious readers and “thought leaders”. (More)

Truman Balcony (85): A balcony overlooking the White House’s South Lawn (in the “back” of the White House).

Mijo (85): For those who haven’t read my fic “Speaking My Language” here, “mijo” is Spanish term of endearment that translates directly to “my son” (Mi hijo)

Washington monument (86): A tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, DC, dedicated to George Washington.

Eisenhower Building (86): The Eisenhower Executive Offices Building is a building that houses the executive Office of the President, including the Vice President’s office.

Los Bastardos (86): Spanish for “The bastards”.

Caldillo (86): a spicy Mexican beef stew.

Masa (86): A corn/maize dough used for making corn tortillas, tamales, and other Mexican/Latin American dishes.

Valedictorian (87): A student who ranks the highest in their graduating class in high school.

New Orleans (87): A city in Louisiana known for its vibrant blend of French and Creole culture, its jazz scene, and its Mardi Gras celebration. It is also Casey McQuinston’s hometown.

AP classes (90): Advanced placement classes are high school classes taught at a college level; at the end of the year, students take a test to determine whether or not they will get college credit for it.

Hanukkah (90): A Jewish celebration honoring the second rededicating of the temple in Jerusalem. It is not traditionally a major Jewish holiday, but it has become one of the best-known due to the fact that it occurs near Christmas every year. 

“Good King Wenceslas” (91): A traditional Christmas song about a king who braves the cold to give alms to a poor peasant on Christmas.

Jim-jams (91): Pajamas.

Tiger sharks over a baby seal (91): According to my roommate, who loves sharks, tiger sharks are one of the most vicious types of sharks. They’re bottom feeders, so they wouldn’t necessarily get seals too often, but if they got one, they would be all over it.

Bougie (95): Fancy or upper class (from the French “bourgeoisie”).

Real Housewife (95): The Real Housewives of [City] are a string of semi-popular American reality TV shows.

East Room (95): An event and reception room in the White House.

Tramp stamp (96): A tattoo on the lower back, associated with less savory activities and a general air of trashiness.

Zac Posen (97): A gay, Jewish fashion designer from New York, known for his glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses.

Middle-shelf whiskey (97): A “middle shelf” alcohol is one step up from the cheapest option; a whiskey is a dark alcohol associated with Texas/the West.

“American Girl” (98): A 1976 rock song that has become a rock classic. (Listen here)

Center for American Progress (98): A liberal public policy research and advocacy organization.

Pez (candy) (99): A type of small, sweet pieces of candy that come from fancy, collectable Pez dispensers.

Sky writers (99): Sky writers use the trails of their airplanes to write things in the sky. It costs at least $3,500 for a single message.

“Get Low” (101): Despite its incredibly raunchy lyrics, this song was a common one at school dances in the early 2010s. I was in middle school in roughly 2010-2012, and I have vivid memories of people being into this song.

The Kid ‘n Play (102): A dance move pioneered by the hip-hop duo of the same name, loosely based on the Charleston. (see it here)

Vato (102): Mexican slang for “friend”, “person”, or “dude”. 

Moët & Chandon (102): A luxury French champagne.

New Year’s Kiss (103): At least in the US, it’s traditionally considered good luck to kiss someone at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s.

Peach schnapps (103): Schnapps is a sweet, inexpensive, and very alcoholic drink.

Rookie NFL running back (103): A running back is a football position responsible for running with the ball. Most are either short and quick to avoid tackles or big and stocky to power through them.

Yacht kid (104): Someone rich.

Orion**(105): A winter northern hemisphere constellation of a hunter/warrior. According to Greek mythology, Orion was the only man (or person) the goddess Artemis ever loved, but she refused to give up her life with her huntresses for him. He began burning/destroying her forest in retribution, and she is forced to kill him.

America’s golden boy (105): A “golden boy” is a boy who is favored or put upon a pedestal. 

Tequila (106): A type of alcohol that originates from central Mexico.

Bloke (106): British slang for a “regular dude” or everyday man.

Teen Vogue (106): An American magazine aimed at teenagers that used to focus on fashion and celebrity news, but has more recently shifted to dealing with serious social issues.

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*This movie is especially known for its special effects, which are incredible because they actually built animatronic dinosaurs and also got real scientists on the project to help them figure out how dinosaurs would move/act. After it came out, earth and environmental science departments around the world got a ton of funding to see if they could find any dinosaur DNA in fossils, as that’s a central part of the movie’s plot.

**According to a nerd astronomy class I took in like 4th grade, every culture who could see Orion saw a warrior, which is just... really cool to me. That so many people for so long saw the same thing in a set of stars.

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If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it! A massive thanks to @lyanna-wilson for the ko-fis the other day; they meant a ton!

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Chapter 1 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 5 

[bookcub]

My Decade in Books

@aliteraryprincess @the-forest-library @lizziethereader all tagged me!!! 

2010- So this was when I was sixth to seventh grade for me. I was a small child, I tracked my books on a Word Doc, where I used weird fonts and colors. I did one of my favorite plays in sixth grade (Lady Pirates of the Caribbean), which we performed the day after The Last Olympian came out, which I read the day after, and then proceeded to lend it to three other people. I actually forgot that I read The Name of the Wind this year (gasp!!), but my school librarian handed it to me, and I slowly fell in love. I think this is the year I read Cassandra Clare’s books, which was big for me because I was able to talk about it with friends. (I think it was The Mortal Instruments I binged at one). I must have read Mockingjay. . . 

2011- I got my Goodreads account in April!!! So I have access to me tracking my books. I don’t think I got really vigilant with it until later, but I put the important ones down!!! This was the year I got into ereaders!!! I borrowed one from the library (same librarian who got me to use ereaders got me to read kkc, so she’s the best as you can see). I read Warped on it, which made me love Nooks, and inspired my parents to get me one. This was also the year I started WAITING. I read The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and Pegasus by Robin McKinley. I have not gotten a sequel for either. I am being very, very patient, and I feel like waiting is a very important part of my development as human being. And a reader. And also, a good lesson because closure is not something you always obtain quickly, and sometimes never at all.  

2012- I read Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers this year and couldn’t stop crying. One of the most emotional books I’ve read. I also was in the middle of the Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer, which I read a new one of every year. I think I discovered Sarah Rees Brennan the year before, but didn’t record her books until this year. She is one of my favorite authors, so it’s very notable. This was the year of huge cliffhangers (at least, I’m pretty sure) as I read The Mark of Athena and Beautiful Chaos this year (seriously people were falling off of things and their fate was left uncertain and it sucked). (oh God, this was the year I read 8 House of Night books) (on the bright side, I read Soulless by Gail Carriger) (and Howls’ Moving Castle!!!!)

2013- Looks like I actually tracked all my books this year!! 103 books, so it was a good year for books. I read the Worst Book Ever (tm) this year (ie Taking Chances by Molly McAdams) and will forever be haunted, but at least now I know whatever I write in the future will be better than this. I also read the entirety of Vampire Academy and the first half of Bloodlines by Richelle Mead in like 3 weeks. I read Hushed by Kelley York, which was super dark and honestly simply amazing and possibly the beginning of my obsession with fictional serial killers. I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor as well as The Duff by Kody Keplinger, which were influential books for me as well. Anyways, it was a good year for books.

2014- The year I made by book blog!!! I was only doing reviews every now and then and really didn’t get the community yet (it was also in like, October). I read 99 books this years (apparently my goal was 100, I’m a little confused at me). I read a lot of Shakespeare this year, including The Tempest, which I got to star in years later, and The Taming of the Shrew, which I later directed. I think I started a book club this year as well at my high school. I read a bunch of parts of series I love (including Rebel Belle, The Lynburn Legacy, The Lunar Chronicles, Bloodlines, The Mortal Instruments). I finished Heroes of Olympus and it sucked. Pride and Prejudice was amazing because, Jane Austen!!!  The Slow Regard of Silent Things came out and it was the most lovely thing ever. 

2015- I graduated high school and I started college this year!!! I also realized I was ace this year. Idk some notable things that happened. I read my favorite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. I read The Turn of the Story by Sarah Rees Brennan, which is like, the first draft of In Other Lands. It was amazing even then. I read my first and only book in another language, Le Petit Prince. I took a children’s lit class, and it was awesome, but I didn’t like most of the books. I read the Seven Realms in like, a month, which was cool. But it wasn’t a great year for books. That being said, August is when I made my first Denna essay on my blog. Which was the very small start to my book blog becoming something I actually put time into. It was still a while, but it was very important to me. 

2016- The first book I read this year was the most memorable. The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis. It rips your heart out and just stays with you. One of the best books, hands down. I took a fantasy class, and that was tons of fun, and read alot of classic fantasy and new fantasy. I read The Martian, which actually lived up to the hype for once. I read two of the most popular tumblr books, Six of Crows and The Raven Cycle. I did a lot of rereading. I read Quicksilver by RJ Anderson and Every Heart a  Doorway by Seannan McGuire, my first ace books!! This is also the year my book blog started to pick up. I started writing more meta and some fanfic for Kingkiller and the occasional meta and meme for other fandoms. I also started @incorrectkingkillerquotes. 

2017- One of the first books I read this year was The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, which continues to be a book that I just have . . .very complicated feelings about, even to this day. I read it for a class, which was decent enough. I found one of my new favorite fantasy novels, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, which I adore and covered so many amazing themes as well. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman is one of the few true adult fantasy novels I love, where there aren’t young protagonists. I read Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee this year and it just was the most me book I have ever found. I read Trickster’s Queen by Tamora Pierce, which had been on my tbr since 2011, so that was a big win for me. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francis Zappia and Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Macekzie Lee came out this year and I devoured them both almost consecutively??? They both resonated with me and were completely consuming. I read the PUBLISHED version of In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan and then proceeded to obsess about it. I think I started making even more Book Discussions this year and making more posts about being ace on here. 

2018- I reread sooooo much. And I reread a lot. But I was in another country, and I needed them for comfort. I’m a little talked out by now but here are some notable titles fromt hat year:  Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann, The Poppy War by RF Kuang, Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery, Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

2019- I mean, I just lived that,,, y’all were here. I am Tired(tm), and I’m also sorry.

Red White and Royal Blue, Ari and Dante, HRH, Starflight, The Gilded Wolves, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, started listening to audiobooks more, stared more romance novels, graduated college this year, good year. 

[therealprincesszeanah]

My Decade in Books

I was tagged by @the-forest-library to outline my decade in books! It will be rough because I have been very hit or miss in tracking my reading throughout the years, but I will do my best. I can't remember how to make this a read more, so I apologize in advace for mobile users. If anyone reads through this bless you.

2010: A year of great highs and some serious lows. I was still in high school so I was plagued by the books from required reading lists, such as The Alchemist, Of Mice and Men, and Lord of the Flies. I also read The Lovely Bones at the behest of a friend, which I still regret because it was so awful and weird. But 2010 was also the year I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Pride and Prejudice for the first time! If I recall though, I did not actually finish Pride and Prejudice at this time because I was reading it for a book report and there wasn't time to read the last 40 pages or so and get the assignment done. I still loved it though. A Thousand Splendid Suns was an instant favorite and if I recall was my go-to response to "What's your favorite book" for the next couple of years. I also spent a summer reading Sarah Dessen books which is an eternal mood.

2011: Still in high school and still being required to read books that just Aren't Good, like The Scarlett Letter and The Dante Club. BUT this year the required reading had some great treasures! I read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time, as well as Night by Elie Wiesel. In the summer I picked up one of the more "popular" books that came out that year from the library called Heart of the Matter by Emily Griffith and it was so dumb that I was pretty much turned off of contemporary adult lit for a good bit. I read a couple more duds that summer at the recommendation of a friend (The Penny by Joyce Meyer and Love Walked In by Maria Des Los Santos). This was also the year I read The Epic of Gilgamesh out loud to my brother (his choice 🤷🏼‍♀️) on our annual roadtrip to North Carolina.

2012: The year I devoured the entirety of The Hunger Games. I remeber borrowing them all from various friends at school and reading them late into the night each time, taking like 2 or 3 days total on each. The required high school reading list this year was still terrible, with The Awakening and As I Lay Dying making an appearance. This was the year I read Macbeth though and to this day that is still my favorite Shakespeare play. We also read The Posionwood Bible which I remember having a love-hate relationship with. It's one of the few books I want to go back to and see if I'll like it more now that I'm not being forced to read it. This summer was the summer me and two of my best friends at the time read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society aloud to each other. To this day we still call one of my friends Clovis, after one the characters in that book. Another instant favorite. That summer my brother also attempted to start a book club, so we all read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (his choice again) which I shockingly remember enjoying. Another book I surprisingly liked that year was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which I had to read for a group project.

2013: This was a GREAT year of reading. The required reading list had some duds as always (The Master Buidler by Henrik Isben and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett), but this year we read The Crucible which I LOVED. We also read Heda Gabler (Isben) which I actually did NOT like, but for the associated project my friends and I wrote a song about the play, then filmed and edited an entire music video in the span of like three days. So that was definitely a highlight. That summer I read a couple more duds, The Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Go Ask Alice, which I had picked up at a garage sale for a quarter. I also read Hosseini's newest book that came out the previous year, and while it wasn't on par with A Thousand Splendid Suns, it was still good. After that I really started LIVING. I read The Help (and cried), I read Anne of Green Gables for the first time (and cried), I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and then ended the year with the most beautiful book, The Book Thief. I got it for Christmas and read it every second I had on our annual trip to North Carolina. I finished it in the car ride home and sobbed, much to the concern of my dad and brother.

2014: This is where my reading takes a serious nose dive as this spans the semesters in college where I was transitioning from majoring in pre-vet science into majoring in English. I read Twelfth Night in my first English Lit class in college, as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, some Chaucer, and 2/3 of Evelina by Frances Burney, which I absolutely loved but time didn't permit me to finish this one until years later. That spring break I borrowed and read The Fault In Our Stars. That summer I borrowed and read The Kite Runner (still think A Thousand Splendid Suns is Hosseini's best work). I vaguely remember being in a World Literature class the fall semester of this year and reading The Tempest, and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (which I LOVED), but I don't remember much else from that class. I thiiink this is also the year I reread Harry Potter during the summer, but I don't remember. I know I reread the series in college, it's just all such a blur now 🤷🏼‍♀️

2015: The Fault In Our Stars the previous year put me on a serious John Green kick in the start of 2015. I read Papertowns on my flight home from my spring break trip to NY. Later that year I borrowed An Abundance of Katherines from a friend and which pretty much turned me off of John Green forever. I took my first American Lit class in college this year and realized I just don't like much American Lit. We read Fight Club, A Streetcar Named Desire, Summer by Edith Warton, Tender is the Night and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and I liked approximately zero of them. This year was the BEST year though because it was also the year I took a class just about the Brontë sisters. We read Jane Eyre (my third time at this point, I think. Always a favorite), Wuthering Heights (hated it) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (an absolute DELIGHT. Became one of my all-time favorites and my go-to recommendation for a couple of years). I ended the year reading a couple of quick, fun, cozy books during the holidays: Where'd You Go Bernadette and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (my first time and I absolutely loved it).

2016: This year had a BUNCH of lows, but there were a few standout stars. After a much needed schedule change at the beginning of the year, I ended up in another American Lit class which further my disdain for the subject. We read Typee by Hermamn Melville (snoozefest), My Ántonia by Willa Cather, half of some book by Keruac I think (so boring and uninspiring I don't even remember anything besides that I hated it and it had a red cover) and Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin. We did also read a collection of short stories by Flannery O'Connor and that was actually enjoyable, so there's hope for me and American authors yet. This was the year I also had my absolute FAVORITE professor for a Victorian Lit class. The theme was Scandal and Outrage or something like that so we read Alice and Wonderland, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and (most unfortunately) Tess of the D'ubervilles by Thomas Hardy. To be fair, at this time I actually probably only read like half of it due to all my other course work this semester, but it just was Not Good. The only high point from my lit classes this year was The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. An absolute treasure. That summer was a summer of duds. I read Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (truly cursed), Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (just didn't really connect with the characters), and the absolure WORST BOOK Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I'm not sure a book had ever made me as upset, or rage induced as this book did, but to this day I am still so mad I wasted time with it. I spent a lot of the year sloughing through a book I borrowed from the family I babysit for called The Myserious Benedict Society. I didn't finish it until the next year, but it took me forever to get through. The only other highlight of this year was reading Ender's Game aloud to my husband. That book took me by surprise in a great way. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. We also read the sequel this year, Speaker For the Dead, which although very different from Ender's Game was still good in its own rite.

2017: This year is when things really start picking up for me again. Toward the end of college, I was feeling very burnt out and uninspried by reading (probably because all of the lows the previous year). I rounded out my degree in one last lit class (another American Lit class of ALL classes), but since it was early American Lit, I actually did enjoy it a bit more. We read Native creation myths, Lousia May Alcott short stories, some Whitman and other authors from that movement and then rounded out the semester with Uncle Tom's Cabin. That summer after graduation was when I decided to work my through every book on my bookshelf, which was a pivotal turning point for me because I began to be excited about reading again. That summer I reread Little Women for the first time in years and absolutely LOVED it. I spent the rest of the year with Jane Austen, reading Persausion, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. This was also the year I started reading Harry Potter to my husband (his first time reading the series!).

2018: My bookshelf goal still continues. This year I revisited the Brontë sisters, finally read Evelina in it's entirety (LOVED IT), revisted Sarah Dessen in the summer (for the first time since high school), and revisted some childhood classics (The Tale of Despereaux and The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo, as well as the BFG by Rold Dahl). I reread the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in preparation for the Netflix movie and finished two Harry Potter books with my husband. I ended the year with Little Men (so sweet 😭) and A Christmas Carol.

2019: I finally finished the first shelf (of three) of my bookcase. I spent almost half of my year in The Count of Monte Cristo and what a wondeful half year that was. Such a great story! I gave two haunts from required read past another chance: Scarlett Letter and Tess of the D'ubervilles. I was not a fan. I read three books by a local author from my childhood and The Outsiders. I finished the year returning to A Thousand Splendid Suns and was again taken away by how moving and beautiful it was. Also finished The Goblet of Fire with my husband during our annual trip to North Carolina.

Something I really enjoyed about this was not only seeing the ebbs and flows of my reading throughout the years, but seeing the common threads throughout the last decade. Road trips, certain books that kept coming up, friends and family I shared books with. This was a really fun thing to do for me so thank you Mable for tagging me! I don't have any one else to tag, but I highly encourage you to do it! It's so fun to see how books shaped the past 10 years. Tag me if you do. 💓

[theawkwardterrier]

Bookish asks: 12, 13, 16

12. Do you need to finish a book before you can move on to the next one, or will you have multiple books going at once?

I can definitely read multiple books at once, and that’s especially true when I might need to read in different ways - usually if I have a physical book, an ebook, and an audiobook, they’re not the same one, I’m just taking advantage of the convenience of each. But I’m very goal oriented, very much love checking things off a list, so given a choice, I like to read a book through. (This year, I’ve decided to try to give up books that I’m not connecting with instead of just pushing through so I can say I’ve finished. I haven’t been very successful in the first two weeks, though, oops.)

13. How do you chose which book to read next?

I have a list! Overall, it’s a mix of books I’ve seen positively reviewed by readers I like and trust, those that catch my eye in professional journals, new and prepublication YA/middle grade, plus, this year, books that came out between about 2010 and 2015 which was the period just before I became a librarian.

16. What’s your favourite of Shakespeare’s plays?

Okay, here’s a big ol’ “world’s worst English major” confession: I haven’t read much Shakespeare! I was set to take an entirely Shakespeare-focused class in college, but the first play we read was Titus Andronicus and it was so gruesome that I switched to something else. If I’m put to it, I have to go with a comedy but (world’s worst English major again!) of those I’ve only actually read Midsummer Night’s Dream. Plotwise, probably Twelfth Night or Much Ado, though.

Book asks!

[madamlaydebug]

Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931) is an American novelist, editor, and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), Song of Solomon (1977), and Beloved (1987).

Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award in 1988 for Beloved. Beloved was adapted into a film of the same name (starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover) in 1998. Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. In 1996, the National Endowment for the Humanities selected her for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities. She was honored with the 1996 National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Morrison was commissioned to write the libretto for a new opera, Margaret Garner, first performed in 2005. On May 29, 2012, Morrison received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2016 Morrison received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction.

Toni Morrison was born in Lorain, Ohio, to Ramah (née Willis) and George Wofford. She is the second of four children in a working-class family. Her parents moved to Ohio to escape southern racism and instilled a sense of heritage through telling traditional African American folktales. She read frequently as a child; among her favorite authors were Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy. She became a Catholic at the age of 12 and received the baptismal name "Anthony", which later became the basis for her nickname "Toni".

In 1949 Morrison enrolled at Howard University. She graduated in 1953 with a B.A. in English, and earned a Master of Arts from Cornell University in 1955. Her Master's thesis was Virginia Woolf's and William Faulkner's Treatment of the Alienated. She taught English, first at Texas Southern University in Houston for two years, then at Howard for seven years. While teaching at Howard, she met Harold Morrison, a Jamaican architect, whom she married in 1958. The couple had two children and divorced in 1964. After the breakup of her marriage, she began working as an editor in 1965 for a textbook publisher in Syracuse, going on two years later to Random House in New York City, where she became a senior trade-book editor. In that capacity, Morrison played a vital role in bringing black literature into the mainstream, editing books by authors such as Henry Dumas, Toni Cade Bambara, Angela Davis, and Gayl Jones.

Morrison began writing fiction as part of an informal group of poets and writers at Howard University who met to discuss their work. She attended one meeting with a short story about a black girl who longed to have blue eyes. She later developed the story as her first novel, The Bluest Eye (1970). She wrote it while raising two children and teaching at Howard.

In 1975 her novel Sula (1973) was nominated for the National Book Award. Her third novel, Song of Solomon (1977), brought her national attention. The book was a main selection of the Book of the Month Club, the first novel by a black writer to be so chosen since Richard Wright's Native Son in 1940. Song of Solomon won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

In 1987 Morrison's novel Beloved, inspired by the true story of runaway slave Margaret Garner, became a critical success. When the novel failed to win the National Book Award as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award, 48 black critics and writers protested the omission in a statement that was published in The New York Times on January 24, 1988. Not long afterwards, Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the American Book Award. It also won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. That same year, Morrison took a visiting professorship at Bard College.

Beloved was adapted into the 1998 film of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. Morrison later returned to Garner's life story in the libretto for a new opera, Margaret Garner, with music by Richard Danielpour. In May 2006, The New York Times Book Review named Beloved the best American novel published in the previous 25 years. In 1993 Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her citation reads: Toni Morrison, "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality." Shortly afterward, a fire destroyed her Rockland County, New York home.

In 1996 the National Endowment for the Humanities selected Morrison for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities. Morrison's lecture, entitled "The Future of Time: Literature and Diminished Expectations," began with the aphorism, "Time, it seems, has no future." She cautioned against the misuse of history to diminish expectations of the future.

Morrison was honored with the 1996 National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, which is awarded to a writer "who has enriched our literary heritage over a life of service, or a corpus of work."

In 2000, The Bluest Eye was chosen as a selection for Oprah's Book Club.

In addition to her novels, Morrison has written books for children with her younger son, Slade Morrison, who worked as a painter and musician. Slade died of pancreatic cancer on December 22, 2010, aged 45. Morrison's novel Home, half-written when Slade died, is dedicated to him.

Her 11th novel, entitled God Help the Child, was published 2015.

Although her novels typically concentrate on black women, Morrison does not identify her works as feminist. When asked in a 1998 interview "Why distance oneself from feminism?" she replied: "In order to be as free as I possibly can, in my own imagination, I can't take positions that are closed. Everything I've ever done, in the writing world, has been to expand articulation, rather than to close it, to open doors, sometimes, not even closing the book – leaving the endings open for reinterpretation, revisitation, a little ambiguity." She went on to state that she thought it "off-putting to some readers, who may feel that I'm involved in writing some kind of feminist tract. I don't subscribe to patriarchy, and I don't think it should be substituted with matriarchy. I think it's a question of equitable access, and opening doors to all sorts of things." Critics, however, have referred to her body of work as exemplifying characteristics of "postmodern feminism" by "altering Euro-American dichotomies by rewriting a history written by mainstream historians" and by her usage of shifting narration in Beloved and Paradise.

Morrison taught English at two branches of the State University of New York and at Rutgers University: New Brunswick Campus. In 1984 she was appointed to an Albert Schweitzer chair at the University at Albany, The State University of New York. From 1989 until her retirement in 2006, Morrison held the Robert F. Goheen Chair in the Humanities at Princeton University.

Though based in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton, Morrison did not regularly offer writing workshops to students after the late 1990s, a fact that earned her some criticism. Rather, she has conceived and developed the prestigious Princeton Atelier, a program that brings together talented students with critically acclaimed, world-famous artists. Together the students and the artists produce works of art that are presented to the public after a semester of collaboration. In her position at Princeton, Morrison used her insights to encourage not merely new and emerging writers, but artists working to develop new forms of art through interdisciplinary play and cooperation.

At its 1979 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College awarded her its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction. Oxford University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in June 2005.

In November 2006, Morrison visited the Louvre Museum in Paris as the second in its "Grand Invité" program to guest-curate a month-long series of events across the arts on the theme of "The Foreigner's Home." Inspired by her curatorship, Morrison returned to Princeton in Fall 2008 to lead a small seminar, also entitled "The Foreigner's Home." Also that year, The New York Times Book Review named Beloved the best novel of the past 25 years. She continued to explore new art forms, writing the libretto for Margaret Garner, an American opera that explores the tragedy of slavery through the true life story of one woman's experiences. The opera debuted at the New York City Opera in 2007.

In May 2010, Morrison appeared at PEN World Voices for a conversation with Marlene van Niekerk and Kwame Anthony Appiah about South African literature, and specifically, van Niekerk's novel Agaat.

In May 2011, Morrison received an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from Rutgers University during commencement where she delivered a speech of the "pursuit of life, liberty, meaningfulness, integrity, and truth."

In March 2012, Morrison established a residency at Oberlin College. In addition to Home, Morrison also debuted another work in 2012: She worked with opera director Peter Sellars and songwriter Rokia Traoré on a new production inspired by William Shakespeare's Othello. The trio focused on the relationship between Othello's wife Desdemona and her African nurse, Barbary, in Desdemona, which premiered in London in the summer of 2012.

She is currently a member of the editorial board of The Nation magazine.

In writing about the 1998 impeachment of Bill Clinton, Morrison wrote that, since Whitewater, Bill Clinton had been mistreated because of his "Blackness":

Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime. After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.

The phrase "our first Black president" was adopted as a positive by Bill Clinton supporters. When the Congressional Black Caucus honored the former president at its dinner in Washington D.C. on September 29, 2001, for instance, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), the chair, told the audience that Clinton "took so many initiatives he made us think for a while we had elected the first black president."

In the context of the 2008 Democratic Primary campaign, Morrison stated to Time magazine: "People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him. I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race." In the Democratic primary contest for the 2008 presidential race, Morrison endorsed Senator Barack Obama over Senator Hillary Clinton, though expressing admiration and respect for the latter.

In April 2015, speaking of the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Walter Scott—three unarmed black men killed by white police officers—Morrison said "People keep saying, 'We need to have a conversation about race.' This is the conversation. I want to see a cop shoot a white unarmed teenager in the back. And I want to see a white man convicted for raping a black woman. Then when you ask me, 'Is it over?', I will say yes."

Toni Morrison was the subject of a film entitled Imagine – Toni Morrison Remembers, directed by Jill Nicholls and shown on BBC1 television on July 15, 2015, in which Morrison talked to Alan Yentob about her life and work.

Morrison's papers are part of the permanent library collections of Princeton University. Morrison's decision to add her papers to Princeton instead of her alma mater Howard University was criticized by some within the historically black colleges and universities community.

[burnmywholelifedown]

Hi it’s your Santa Swiftie here!!! I’m so excited to get to make you something for the holiday season, but first, I need some info/get to know you better!

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do on your free time?

Do you have a favorite word?

What's your top 5 Taylor Swift albums?

Favorite Taylor swift mv? Favorite photoshoot?

Pick 13 Taylor songs you like!

What kind of music you like besides Taylor?

If you had to pick 5 songs to describe yourself which ones would you choose?

Who were your most listened artists on Spotify?

I know this is a lot lol, so take your time to answer it all! I hope you have a great week and a lovely December! 🎄🧑🏻‍🎄🎁❄️🎅🏻

hey there!! I'm so excited ���� Thank you so much for your patience while I was getting over my illness! My blog runs on a queue but I don't use a queue tag so I'm sure that didn't help your concern that messages weren't going through. I'm finally feeling better and able to answer all your questions. One thing you should know about me is that I don't pick favorites so you're going to get some lists lol.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do on your free time?

I do have hobbies! Like many Taylor fans I love to write songs. It's such a fun creative outlet. I also am an avid reader. I read a lot of classics back in the day (and almost became an English major) but after college I've been reading more romance and fantasy books. I haven't been brave enough to venture into Brandon Sanderson territory but we'll get there. I needed to give my brain a bit of a break after all the reading for school.

Do you have a favorite word?

Oh my gosh thank you for this! A word I have loved since middle school is ephemeral. I think it just sounds so soft almost like it's fading away. And it's about such an angsty concept. For my Latin class we wrote a tradgedy called Ephemora. It was the most fun thing ever.

What's your top 5 Taylor Swift albums?

Mkay this question is so unbelievably rude. Right after Midnights came out?? How the heck am I supposed to rank albums at a time like this??? For you I shall do my best:

In no particular order - folkmore, midnights, Speak Now, Red TV, reputation

But debut is a close 6

Favorite Taylor swift mv?

OOTW, IKYWT, Cardigan, Blank Space, Love Story, ATW short film of course

Favorite photoshoot?

If we're going to talk album photoshoots I'm obsessed with the midnights, RED TV, rep and Lover ones.

Here are a few more I really enjoyed:

EW 2019

Glamour UK 2015

Fashion Magazine 2015

Glamour UK 2013

People Magazine 2010

USA Today Newspaper 2010

Pick 13 Taylor songs you like!

Cold As You

Illicit affairs

Cardigan

Ivy

Mastermind

YOYOK

TTDS

DBATC

Dress

Wonderland

The Moment I Knew

Enchanted

Breathe

What kind of music you like besides Taylor?

I tend to listen to singer-songwriters that write acoustic-esque pop. Oh and I also listen to some musicals. I was mostly a theatre kid because I loved classical theatre like Shakespeare but I fell in love with some musicals along the way as well.

If you had to pick 5 songs to describe yourself which ones would you choose?

Damn this is a tough one. I'm really bad at limitations so you're getting more than 5:

Why am I like this? - Orla Gartland

Colorado - Reneé Rapp

Pity Party - Cate

The List - Maisie Peters

Personal Best - Maisie Peters

Girls - girl in red

Kintsugi - Gabrielle Aplin

mirrorball - Taylor Swift

homecoming queen? Kelsea Ballerini

Walk In The Park - Kelsea Ballerini

Being Alive - Company OBC

Growing Sideways - Noah Kahan

Hold The Girl - Rina Sawayama

Who were your most listened artists on Spotify?

I know we're supposed to get videos for the people that we listened to the most but I don't know how to access those so in no particular order here are some artists I listened to this year: Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, Maisie Peters, Reneé Rapp, Gabrielle Aplin, Kelsea Ballerini, Conan Gray, Demi Lovato (love their new album!!), Halsey, Rosie Darling, Gracie Abrams, Cate, Abby Holiday, Lizzy McAlpine, Griff, P!nk, James Bay

I hope all this info helps 😊

[emma-what-son]

(Echee post) Did Emma Watson try stealing credit for a class?

Posted November 14, 2015

Emma Watson crafts a careful image, backed up by the media (even getting news outlets like the New York Times and the Associated Press to lie for her) and a legion of Harry Potter fans who uncritically accept anything their goddess/idol says as the truth. Still, it must suck, a lot, to put in a lot of effort into a group project and then have some witch (pun noted) steal all the credit on a national platform, kissing her own ass, and knowing you cannot do a single thing because her mentally ill fans will send you death/rape threats. Shocking. Who would do such a terrible thing? Below is a picture of the class of the Group Independent Study Project (GISP) at Brown University, called "How and Why We Fall In Love: Science, Psychology, and Philosophy" Notice that Watson who regularly claims to love school and education and whatnot is nowhere to be found. Remember that attendance is mandatory for GISPs and is required to pass the class. Also notice that despite Scout Willis (Emma's suite-mate) being the daughter of two multi-millionaires, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, she still attends class and does things for the class like singing Skinny Love (by Bon Iver) with Roman Gonzalez.

Apparently this is Emma Watson's favorite class but Emma Watson does what Emma Watson wants, and that means not attending her favorite class or something? Who knows the truth of what was going on with that girl. The obnoxious thing is that Emma stans keep claiming this girl is super busy with balancing college/work (yeah which is why she, despite proclaiming how college is the most important thing/priority to her, decided to drop it to film Noah) but every single person is busy with outside activities but yeah somehow still managed to attend class. Like Amanda was busy working as a Minority Peer Counselor at the Third World Center to make sure minority students felt welcome on Brown's campus (the kind of campus that lets rich spoiled girls like Emma and Lena Sclove get away with everything). Sally was a Meiklejohn peer advisor and still managed to get good grades to make Phi Beta Kappa. Lauren founded SmartSitting and was busy working as a babysitter/nanny and working as manager and boss to connect families with caretakers. Victor chaired the planning committee for A Day on College Hill and was getting ready to work in Dr. Connor's lab. And omg Roman was doing a ton of shit. Meanwhile Emma is always whining and moaning about how much she does (without any results by the way).....and still getting paid in the tens of millions. Also, negotiating deals for Lancôme to get more money and attention despite claiming how much she hates fame and has too much money to know what to do with it. Vogue Magazine July 2011, interview by Amanda Foreman: One of her favorite courses at Brown was on the psychology of love. Rookie Magazine May 2013, interview with Tavi Gevinson: Tavi: I know you’re going back to Brown this fall, after taking a couple of years off for work. What made you decide on that school? Emma: A few different things. I really like the fact that it has a very open curriculum, that there aren’t any requirements. Really, I’ve kind of been in charge of my own education since I started out on Potter when I was 9 or 10, and I liked that I could design my own major if I wanted to, and I could take independent studies if I wanted to on subjects that weren’t necessarily in the curriculum. I did an independent study on the psychology and philosophy of how and why we fall in love, which was awesome. [Laughs] Tavi: Whoa! Do you know why? Can you tell me? Emma: [Laughs] We’d need like six hours! Opportunities like that, and the idea of classes being pass/fail, make it sound as if you don’t have to work as hard, but it actually gives you the freedom to try out things that you wouldn’t be able to do if you had to get a certain GPA on your transcript. It lets you take classes that you wouldn’t otherwise. And it attracts a certain type of student: [someone] very independent who wants to take responsibility and control of what they’re learning. That really appealed to me as well. Okay what? Notice how Emma claims "I did an independent study" and also "And it attracts a certain type of student: someone very independent who wants to take responsibility and control of what they're learning". It's pretty disgusting since this was a GROUP independent study project (GISP) and yet we have Emma lying and claiming she did it on her own and she's kissing her own ass and claiming ISPs (Independent Study Project) take someone very driven and focused. Oh yeah, that's why college athletes who can barely read take these classes to stay on the football team. I know Emma stans and loons are so pathetic they'll defend her over stealing credit, but imagine for a second that you work your ass off at work on or a homework project and somebody lies and steals the credit and they get promoted over you. How fair is that? Spoiled, rich, white girl, the most privileged kind of person in America (yes over men, since white women have the longest life spans, most safe jobs, least repercussions for breaking the law, and many many more) wants to get an unfair advantage? Pathetic. This GISP was mainly

led by Roman Gonzalez and Lauren Kay, as you can see by reading the Brown Daily Herald article on it (dated September 30, 2010):

QUOTE Love, factually GISP analyzes the amorous by Amy Rasmussen At Brown, students tackle tough questions every day: They wrestle with organic chemistry, untangle streams of consciousness in Faulkner and talk — openly and unflinchingly — about love. Roman Gonzalez ’11, the independent studies co-coordinator for the Curricular Resource Center, and Lauren Kay ’11 are the leaders of the group independent study project, “The Study of Love,” which encompasses philosophy, neuroscience, religion, psychology, sociology and anthropology. On Monday and Wednesday nights, their group of 13 students gathers to think, to read about and to discuss love — at Brown, and everywhere else. Outlets for love Much like any other class at Brown, students in “The Study of Love” receive college credit, homework and a faculty advisor, Associate Professor of French Studies Virginia Krause. But the course topic and discussions are entirely student directed. The class syllabus, constructed by Gonzalez and accessible to the public on the course website loveatbrown.com, is loosely divided by Helen Fischer’s model of romantic love: lust, romantic love and attachment. Required readings, which were carefully selected by Gonzalez or recommended by Brown faculty, range from the works of Ovid and Shakespeare to primary scientific literature on the neurobiology of love. “I really want it to be a rigorous, scientific study of these things,” Gonzalez said. As he began to develop the class, Gonzalez said, he realized that while there are a number of outlets to discuss sexual health and behavior on campus, there are virtually none available for love or romance. “We want people to be talking more about it,” he added. “To be talking more about love, what it means and whether they’re okay with what it means.” Justine Palefsky ’13, a cognitive neuroscience concentrator in the class, had never even heard of GISPs until the beginning of the fall semester, she wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. When she learned of the class that was all about love, she jumped at the opportunity to take part. “It’s such a powerful force culturally that I feel like you’ve got to be curious about how and why it happens, and what it means to people today,” Palefsky wrote. Part of what makes the class work, Kay emphasized, is that every single person actually wants to be there. “Everyone has a different reason for taking this course,” Gonzalez added. “I want 13 different projects, 13 different paths.”

Finding love at Fish Co.? The group, which counts heavy weekly readings, student-led discussions and a 10-15 page research paper as part of their workload, still manages to handle things a bit differently than most Brown classes: they recently took a field trip. “We went to (the Fish Company) and asked people if they were in love,” Gonzalez said. “There would be people who would be hooking up in front of us, they would say no, and then keep hooking up.” Of the experience, Kay said that a lot of what happened at Fish Co. made her uncomfortable, but she found it to be an interesting place to observe the dynamics of Brown students. What we are “trying to get at here is what is relevant to love,” Kay said. “To a historical analysis of dating — to what’s actually going on after Fish Co., and before.” Ultimately, everyone in the class is required to take part in one of two final projects for the course. Gonzalez is taking charge of the creation of a 30-minute documentary and Kay’s group is in the process of developing a survey that she hopes to eventually publish. Gonzalez, who has a strong interest in filmmaking, said that he plans for the documentary to include both class discussion and interviews with students and faculty. Clips of videos, in which students on the Main Green are asked if they’ve ever been in love, and how they know, are currently available for viewing on the course website and Facebook page. The survey the other half of the class is developing has its roots in a similar project Kay did in her sophomore year. The original survey, which focused mainly on sexual behavior, has been expanded by the group into a 14-page series of questions about everything from marriage to sexual behavior and beliefs. “We want the survey to focus on love, not just sexual behavior,” Kay said. “I want to get it out there to more than just Brown students.” Kay said she hopes to distribute the survey to students in large lecture classes by the end of the semester and to publish the results within a year. The group is currently working with professors to seek approval from the Institutional Review Board for the survey. Love’s labour won Ultimately, Kay said she would like her experience to be about changing perceptions — in the class, at Brown and throughout the world. “I want people feeling happier about the cultures in which we live and the things that we do,” she said. “Dating and romance can be really wonderful things, but they’re not always.” While Gonzalez came into the study with experience — both as a participant and creator — of previous GISPs, it is a novel path for many of the students in the class. “We aren’t learning for the sake of regurgitating material on some final exam,” Palefsky wrote. “We are doing this for the sake of our own exploration of something that profoundly interests us.” Kay, who had never completed a GISP before her senior year, spoke passionately of the benefits of a student-driven class, remarking that everyone should take part in at least one during their time at Brown. “It wasn’t one of my issues to fight for, and now it is,” she said. Though both Gonzalez and Kay are set to graduate in the spring, they hope that the project will extend into next semester and beyond. Gonzalez is already planning his next GISP: “The Science, Psychology, and Philosophy of How and Why We Fall out of Love, and Why Love Fails.” “The project should continue,” Gonzalez said. “I think it needs to continue.”

I wish Scout Willis (Emma's suitemate at Brown) would knock some sense into Emma for lying all the time.....

Below is the syllabus for the class: How and Why We Fall In Love: Science, Psychology, and Philosophy Fall 2010 Note: For the personal Love blogs, you may do any of the following. (1) Comment on our reading (2) Write a post for the LoveAtBrown blog (3) Take an article on romantic love and analyze it with rigor. ********* Adviser: Virginia Krause GISP Student Coordinator: Roman Gonzalez The Goal The goal of this class is to examine, in a very interdisciplinary way, how and why people fall in love, to examine what we mean when we say we’re in love, and what informs these ideas. The Structure The class is divided by themes in the study of love. We try to loosely follow the progression of falling in love, beginning with loneliness and longing, transitioning to attraction and the mating game, then to the experience of loving someone, followed by sex (both in and out of love), attachment, thoughts on marriage, and we end with a broader view of love in today’s world. This loosely follows the Helen Fisher model of romantic love (lust, romantic love, attachment), which we will call into question. We end with cultural/anthropological/historical/contemporary perspectives. The class is primarily discussion, held twice a week, with mini projects throughout. One person will take notes per discussion and post them. Each week we try to blend as many disciplines as we can into our study. We will read selected relevant scholarly articles from the sciences, excerpts from philosophical texts to give us historical and conceptual insights, and pay some attention to pop culture to try and figure out where love is today and where it’s going. Guest Lecturers To further emphasize the earnestness of our study, it would be helpful to note we have been in contact with 13 departments to form this GISP. Guest lecturers are listed below in the syllabus. We have contacted some of our primary sources directly (Robert Sternberg, Alain De Botton, Irving Singer, Rachel Herz), and Professor Irving Singer has asked to be kept in the loop about the progress of our study. Sternberg and De Botton have uncertain futures ahead of them, but asked to be contacted next fall. Interested Guest Lecturers Virginia Krause, French; Bernard Reginster, Philosophy; Mark Cladis, Religious Studies; Carlos Aizenman, Neuroscience; Joachim Kreuger, Psychology; Elizabeth Burbank-Gilb, AmCiv; Our Sources Our sources have been collected from independent research from all members of the GISP, with the team leader organizing the process. Many of our readings also came from recommendations of faculty in the Neuroscience, Religious Studies, Biology, Psychiatry, Psychology, AmCiv, French, and Cognitive Science departments, which have all been enthusiastic and helpful in our study. Some of the weaker reading days were designed to accommodate scheduling guest lecturers, so some readings may be sacrificed come the fall. Course Requirements •1 10-15 page academic paper addressing one of the questions/issues in the study of love. •A collective statistical analysis of all studies done through the semester. •Participation: 1 blog post per week on the theme in discussion •Participation: continual contribution of new research/studies via blog or in class •Participation: 2 studies conducted on Love at Brown (groups of 3). •Participation: attendance •Participation: involvement in the production of the documentary: “A Study In Love” The homepage for the GISP is loveatbrown wordpress which Roman Gonzalez has been updating regularly and publicizing. This will be a place where assignments/ideas are posted. Each student is required to create their own WordPress blog and give a short response to the readings of the previous week. The Guerilla Studies Every few weeks a group of GISP members will conduct and video-record (via Roman’s equipment) surveys to learn more about how Brown University students, faculty, and staff think about and practice romantic love. The questions and methodology for the studies will more or less be

determined according to the interests of the class at the given time. We have suggested some topics below. The Paper The final paper, which will be the only paper (10-15 pages), will be an in-depth analysis of a specific issue, theme, or problem in our study of love. It should have something to do with Why or How We Fall In Love. Given the varying backgrounds of people in the course, the papers can be written in whatever academic form is most comfortable for them. In this way all members of the class can pay particular attention to one area of interest throughout the semester and offer analysis through the scope of their individual project. The Documentary The documentary will examine the goals of the GISP (see above “Goals” header) within the framework of the Brown University campus. The documentary will be composed of several elements, including: (1) recorded class discussions, (2) Main Green interviews with students [which can be done simultaneously with the Guerilla Studies], (3) Dedicated interviews with Brown University students and faculty [ie: Rachel Herz, Bernard Reginster, Mark Cladis]. (4) Dedicated interviews with relevant faculty at nearby universities [ie: Singer, Fisher], (5) interviews with Providence community members. The footage will be edited over the winter of 2010-2011 and the final product will not be graded, but submitted to the Ivy Film Festival. Continuing Study- Love GISP Part II All members of the GISP plan to write and propose a follow-up GISP for the Spring semester entitled, “How and Why We Fall Out of Love: or Why Love Fails”, looking at the science, psychology, and philosophy of waning love, detachment, infidelity, divorce, suicide, “heartache”, and related topics. There will be an additional section on unrequited love. Syllabus Summer Reading On Love: A Novel by Alain De Botton. This book addresses many philosophical issues with romantic love, following the author through his attraction and relationship with a girl named Chloe, whom he meets on a plane. Marxism, love across cultures, the ineffability and cliché of the word “love” and more all pop up in this novel. Week 1- Intro •Sept 2- How do different disciplines approach Erotic love? What are popular conceptions of love? What do we know now? This will be compared at the end of the class to how our perceptions of love have changed. Meet with Adviser. Week 2- Attraction and “Courtship”, The Mating Game part 1 •Sept 7- ◦“The Philosophy of Erotic Love”: ◾Danto’s Foreword, Editors Introduction, ◾The Symposium (44 pages); ◾Jerome Neu, Plato’s Homoerotic Symposium ◦Short excerpt from “On Desire” by William Irvine. ◦Students will discuss the questions and philosophical issues brought up in The Symposium. •Sept 9- ◦“The Philosophy of Erotic Love”: ◾Ovid, The Art of Love ◾Heloise and Abelard, Letters ◾Capellanus, On Love ◾Shakespeare; Thirteen Sonnets ◦“The Game” by Neil Strauss (excerpts); ◦“Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray” by Helen Fisher ◾Chapter 1: Courting ◾Chapter 2: Why him? Why her? Week 3- Attraction and “Courtship”, The Mating Game part 2 •Sept 14 – ◦“The Neurobiology of Attraction” D. Marazziti, ◦“Strategies of Human Mating” David Buss; ◦“Either/Or” Diapsalmata chapter by Soren Kierkegaard; ◦Rachel Herz podcast on scent (http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/222-...hel-herz-scents) •Sept 16 – ◦“Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety” Dutton and Aron, ◦“Defining the Brain Systems of Lust, Romantic Attraction, and Attachment” Helen Fisher ◦“The Scent of Love” (excerpts) by Rachel Herz, Brown University; ◾Chapter 3- As You Like It ◾Chapter 5- Scents and Sensuality ◾Chapter 6- The Odor of the Other ◦Philosophy of Erotic Love ◾Simone De Beauvoir, The Second Sex Suggested Movie: “Before Sunrise” Week 4- The History of the Date, and The Hook Up Culture •Sept 21 – ◦“Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus” ◾Chapter 2: From dating to hooking up ◾Chapter 3: The Hook Up ◾Chapter 4: The

Hookup Scene ◾Chapter 8: Dating and Hooking Up, A Comparison ◦“No strings attached: the nature of casual sex in college students” DP Welsh; ◦Sexatbrown.com, a study conducted by Lauren Kay ‘11 on sexual activity at Brown University (2009). •Sept 23 – ◦“Insights into a dating partner’s expectations of how behavior should ensue during the courtship process” Collings, Kennedy, Francis; ◦“Nonverbal courtship patterns in women: context and consequences” Monica Moore. ◦Philosophy of Erotic Love ◾Louis Mackey, Eros Into Logos: The Rhetoric of Courtly Love ◾Spinoza, Ethics ◦Plan guerilla study. ◦Meet with Professor. ***Project: three GISP members conduct a study on dating patterns at Brown. Week 5- Falling part 1- What happens? •Sept 28 – ◦“Falling in love: Prospective studies of self-concept change” Aron, Aron, and Paris, ◦“Hormonal changes when falling in love” D Marazziti; ◦“Reward, motivation, and emotion systems associated with early-stage intense romantic love” Aron et al.; ◦“The Pursuit of Love” by Irving Singer (selected chapters). ◾Chapter 1: Two Myths about love ◾Chapter 2: Persons, Things, Ideals ◾Chapter 3: Sexual Love ◾Chapter 4: Love and Society •Sept 30 – ◦ “The New Psychology of Love” by Robert Sternberg. ◾Chapter 2: A Dynamical Evolutionary view of love ◾Chapter 3: A Behavioral Systems Approach To Romantic Love Relationships ◾Chapter 4: The Evolution of Love Week 6- Falling Part 2- What and Why?: Sinking into Attachment •Oct 5 – ◦ “The Brain in Love and Lust” McMan ◦“Why we love: the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love” Helen Fisher ◾Chapter 2: Love Among The Animals ◾Chapter 3: Chemistry of Love ◾Chapter 6: Why We Love •Oct 7 – ◦“The New Psychology of Love” by Robert Sternberg continued. ◾Chapter 6: A Biobehavioral Model of Attachment and Bonding ◦“Love and attachment: the psychobiology of social bonding” DJ Stein. ◦Philosophy of Erotic Love ◾Robert Nozick, Love’s Bonds ◾Lawrence Thomas, Reasons for Loving Week 7- The Experience of Love- Attachment and Love as Madness •Oct 12 – ◦“Acute effects of cocaine on human brain activity and emotion” Brieter ◦“Pathological love: impulsivity, personality, and romantic relationship” Sophia et al. ◦“Sexual addiction, sexual compulsivity, sexual impulsivity or what? Toward a theoretical model” Bancroft & Vukadinovic, ◦“Personality characteristics of sexual addicts and pathological gamblers” M Raviv. ◦Philosophy of Erotic Love ◾DH Lawrence, The Mess of Love ◾Stendhal, On Love •Oct 14 – ◦“The neurobiology of love” S Zeki ◦“Oxytocin: the neuropeptide of love reveals some of its secrets” ID Neumann ◦Readings on Voles as compiled at loveatbrown. Catch up day for reading. Potential lecture from Carlos Aizenman. ◦“Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process” by Cindy Hazan et. al ◦ “The Nature of Love: Love In Modern World” by Irving Singer ◾Chapter 10: Toward a Modern Theory of Love ◦Meet with professor. ***Project: Conduct a study interpreting how people conceive of themselves as being in love. Week 8- Love As A Story •Oct 19 – ◦“Love is story” by Robert Sternberg ◾Parts 1 and 3 ◾The beginning pages of each section of part 2. Pick a category of love story and present on it to the class. ◦“A Triangular Theory Of Love” article by Robert Sternberg. ◦“Mythology of Love” in Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell. Chapter 8. ◦Bring in a love story. What do we think of the idea of love as a story we build? Are Sternberg’s ideas convincing? Also, discuss the role of Disney. •Oct 21 – ◦MOVIE and analysis: “Eros”. Three stories of love in Tokyo. Analyze through the Sternberg Love As A Story framework. ◦Philosophy of Erotic Love ◾Hegel, A Fragment on Love ◾Schopenhauer, World as Will and Idea Week 9- Shaping Our Love: Romantic Love, Pop Culture, and the Love song •Oct 26 – • ◦ Changing Courtship Patterns In The Popular Song: www.jstor.org/stable/2775978 ◦ Bring in love songs from a variety of different sources. Listen and compare. How have love songs changed and why is that? What kind of emotional effect does music have on falling? How may

it aid falling? •Oct 28 – • ◦ Guest Lecture: Elizabeth Burk-Gilb from “Selling Sex, Selling Love” on how media forms our ideas about love. ◦Love and Desire in the Cinema: www.jstor.org/stable/1225913 ◦Assignment: bring in a magazine or article on love from pop culture. Collectively analyze popular views of love. How do they conflict? What do they say about the experience of love? Week 10- Love Across Borders •Nov 2 – •Is Romantic Love A Myth Of Western Cultures? (food for thought) www.colorfultimes.com/2010/04/lifes...stern-cultures/ •“A Cross Cultural Perspective On Romantic Love” by William Jankowiak. ◦(www.jstor.org/stable/3773618) •“Historical and Cross Cultural Perspective on Passionate Love and Sexual Desire” Elaine Hatfield (1993) •Philosophy of Erotic Love • ◦ ◾Denis De Rougemont, Love In The Western World •Nov 4- •Movie, Hiroshima Mon Amour. Philosophical discussions of love. •A Collection of sited articles on romantic love in China compared to the US is located here: • “A Cross Cultural Perspective On Romantic Love” by William Jankowiak. ◦(www.jstor.org/stable/3773618) Week 11- Sex •Nov 9- ◦ “Sexual attraction enhances glutamate transmission in mammalian ACC” LJ Wu; ◦“Brain Activation and Sexual Arousal in Healthy, Heterosexual Males” Arnow; ◦“Sex: A Philosophical Primer” by Irving Singer (excerpt) ◾Chapters 1-3 •Philosophy of Erotic Love ◦Shulamith Firestone, The Dialectic of Sex •Nov 11- ◦“Sex differences in sexual fantasy: an evolutionary psychological approach” Ellis & Symons, ◦“Lust? Love? Status? Young Adults’ Motives for Engaging in Casual Sex” Regan & Dreyer; ◦Lucid Dreaming and Sex: “Lucidity Research, Past and Future” by Stephen Laberge. (www.lucidity.com/NL53.ResearchPastFuture.html); ◦“Sex: A Philosophical Primer” by Irving Singer (excerpt) cont. ◾Chapters 4-5, Conclusion “Toward a Theory of Sex” •Meet with professor. Week 12- Love In The Postmodern World •Nov 16 – • Irving Singer: “Love In The Modern World” (excerpts) by Irving Singer. ◦Part 1 and Chapter 8—on The Existentialists as Anti-Romantics •“The Art of Loving” by Eric Fromm, •Philosophy of Erotic Love ◦Robert Solomon, The Virtue of Erotic Love •Nov 18 – ◦“How Will We Love” documentary on love on YouTube. ◦“A Vindication of Love” by Christina Nehring ◾Chapter 2: Love As Inequality ◾Chapter 5: Love as Heroism ◦“Liquid Love: On The Frailty of Human Bonds” by Zygmut Bauman ◾Chapter 1: Falling In and Out of Love Week 13- Love In The Postmodern World cont. •Nov 23 – ◦In-Class Movie – “Paris, I love you” ◦Read Irving Singer’s “Philosophy of Love: A Partial Summing Up” •Nov 25 – THANKSGIVING BREAK. Week 14- Marriage and Monogamy •Nov 30: ◦“Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray” by Helen Fisher ◾Chapter 3: Is Monogamy natural? ◾Chapter 7: A Theory On The Origin Of Monogamy And Desertion •The Evolution of Monogamy: Hypotheses and Evidence by JF Wittenberger •The Evolution of Monogamy in large primates by CP Van Schaik •Dec 2- ◦Philosophy of Erotic Love ◾Milton, On Marriage and Divorce ◾Carl Jung: Marriage as a Psychological Relationship ◾Emma Goldman, On The Tragedy of Women’s Emancipation and Marriage and Love •“The Existential Function of Close Relationships: Introducing Death Into The Science of Love” by Mario Mikulincer Week 15- (Reading Period) •Dec 7: workshop final papers. •Dec 9: Last class, portfolios due. Suggested Films: •Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; •500 Days of Summer (2009) All projects due by DECEMBER 9, 2010, with the exception of the documentary on love. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OTHER STUFF Main Texts: 522- The Philosophy of Erotic Love edited by Higgins and Solomon (http://books.google.com/books?id=U68lAQAAI...ve+solomon&cd;=1) 488- The Nature of Love Vol 3: Love In The Modern World (http://books.google.com/books?id=3r6PsaniV...page&q;=&f;=false) 125- Philosophy of Love: A Partial Summing Up by Irving Singer (http://books.google.com/books?id=4o3aGVUb8...page&q;=&f;=false) 320- Helen Fisher: Why We Love? The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love

(http://books.google.com/books?id=SPxmHKLwj...page&q;=&f;=false) 430- Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray by Helen Fisher (http://books.google.com/books?id=f5aTEuku_...page&q;=&f;=false) 130- Sex: A Philosophical Primer (http://books.google.com/books?id=TbAlWhSty...page&q;=&f;=false) 338- The New Psychology of love by Robert Sternberg (2008) (http://books.google.com/books?id=X98bK5iFu...page&q;=&f;=false) Journal Articles (bibliography included at the end) Scientific News Articles/Cultural Articles on Love Peripheral Texts (reading selections from): 225- The Hook Up Culture (http://books.google.com/books?id=zof5SizlE...culture&f;=false) 322- William Irvine, On Desire (http://books.google.com/books?id=mIHTz3hNd...page&q;=&f;=false) 312- Romantic Love and Sexual Behavior (http://books.google.com/books?id=ThYONqpPF...page&q;=&f;=false) 256- Love is a story (1999) (http://books.google.com/books?id=E89Iq94UY...page&q;=&f;=false) 633- Kierkegaard’s Either/Or: Diapsalmata and Either/Or (http://books.google.com/books?id=GJHlYmo7k...page&q;=&f;=false) Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being In Love by Dorothy Tennov The Scent of Love by Rachel Herz, Brown University Sexuality and the Psychology of love by Sigmund Freud Possible Films Disney’s “Cinderella” In the Mood for Love Woody Allen- Annie Hall Eternal Sunshine Paper Heart 500 Days of Summer Eros Paris I Love You Before Sunrise

How Will We Love? ( Possible Guest Lecturers Bernard Reginster, philosophy Mark Cladis, religious studies Charles Larmore, philosophy Robert Sternberg, psychology, Tufts University Irving Singer, Philosophy, MIT Rachel Herz, Psychology Members of Psychiatry department Podcasts Rachel Herz, Brown University, Scents and Sensibilities: (http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/222-...erz-scents/play) Suggested Texts: Alain De Botton- On Love

[moscarific]

When I was a college instructor, I scandalized some of my colleagues by changing the policy in my syllabus to something like, "Please put away and silence cell phones and laptops unless you're using them for purposes relevant to our class." This was around 2010. I got the usual surge in students using laptops to take notes, or quietly catch up on their reading or work on their papers, or study for their exams for other courses, or dick around on the internet.

But you know what else I got? Students who saved money by downloading the Complete Works of Shakespeare instead of buying a physical copy. English Learners who kept Google Translate open and recorded every new word they picked up in my class. A new parent who didn't have to drop my course because she used her phone to check in with her babysitter.

And for me as a teacher, an indication of when to change approaches because my students were bored or overwhelmed, and a heads up when someone needed extra attention from me, whether it was help with an assignment or personal kindness.

Technology supports equity in all kinds of hidden ways.

I’m just gonna say it…

Professors should not be allowed to ban laptops in class. Professors should not be allowed to ban recorders in class. Professors should not be able to ban students from taking pictures of the whiteboard at the end of lectures. Professors should not be allowed to ban ANYTHING that will make the class more accessible for ALL students. I don’t care what the excuse is.

“They might not even be taking notes on their laptop, they’re probably playing games!” So that’s on the student and they’ll have to live with those grades. They’re paying thousands of dollars to be there, if they want to fuck off and waste their money that’s on them.

“I’m uncomfortable with my lectures being recorded!” What EXACTLY are you saying in your lectures that makes you worried about being recorded, hmm?

“I just don’t like the idea of being on camera/recorded at work. How would YOU feel being recorded at work?” Buddy, I work in retail. I’m always being watched. Suck it the fuck up.

And before anyone says “but you can just bypass this by getting permission from accessibility services!” 1. Not all students with disabilities have up-to-date diagnosis to qualify, 2. Not all students with disabilities have had it confirmed by a professional yet and won’t be able to access those services, 3. Not all students who need these accommodations even have a disability! Some people just learn differently and lecture-style learning actually doesn’t work for a lot of people! and 4. This often puts a student on the spot to all their classmates and can make them feel very uncomfortable. 

Students should not have to jump through hoops to get an education that they’re paying for. That’s not accessibility. 

[furnaceinthehayloft]

From 2009 through 2016, I took part in a series of great books seminars.  We met on Sundays. Here is how seminar works, mostly, in the sense that I mean it: there is an opening question, a reading list, a table and chairs, a great book, no food.  It meets regularly about once or twice a week. The opening question should be an honest question for whoever asks, as well as for the rest of the seminar and for the author of the text.   Often, a good opening question is one which the text seems to ask of itself.  For example, in Sophocles's play, Ajax asks "What joy can be in day that follows day, Bringing us close then snatching us from death?" In the seminar in which this question was asked, it developed that Odysseus moves side-to-side, while Ajax moves forward and backward.   This metaphor then formed the basis of our investigation.   The opening question is by no means the only question to be addressed, and many a great seminar veers immediately away from the opening question, never to return.  Yet, the seminar accepts the opening question as a a valid question, and it is understood that we rely on the space which this question creates.  Even a "bad" opening question still creates a space. A reading list is especially helpful when there is a large power disparity among the members, either institutional, intellectual, social, or what-have-you.  By removing the choice of what to read next, the reading list removes one of the primary active mechanisms of control.  A seminar with a lopsided power dynamic, willing members, and without a reading list may very likely turn into a guru-type situation.  In a setting in which not all of the participants are willing, as in school, without a reading list some of the people may try to use the choice of what to read next as a way to exert control and escape their imprisonment.   This is entirely to be expected; the student has made a wise choice.  If such a seminar is to persist, a reading list may be necessary. In the Sunday seminars we were largely unaware of such power disparities, so we often just decided each week what to read the next.  A seminar without a previously agreed reading list is sometimes called a "guerrilla seminar". The participants should try to finish the reading.  This is not always possible; sometimes, a seminar assigns itself something like 300 pages of Tacitus.  But what is it to read, and what is it to "finish" a reading?  A person who reads only "What joy can be in day that follows day, Bringing us close then snatching us from death?", or reads only "With the fundamental mood of anxiety we have arrived at that occurrence in human existence in which the nothing is revealed and from which it must be interrogated. How is it with the nothing?", or reads only "The valley spirit never dies; It is the woman, primal mother. Her gateway is the root of heaven and Earth.", and who really reads those tiny fragments, has read far more and better than one who wastes a lifetime staring at words without feeling. The table functions as a table, but also as a material object separating the participants, hiding their bodies and connecting them by means of a flat and empty space.  This is not strictly necessary but it can be a great source of comfort.  The table should not have a hole in the middle of it.  It should not be a ring of smaller tables.  Ideally it should be a nice table, but this is not always practical.  A few wooden tables pushed together does well. The chairs should be comfortable.  Many people habitually lean back or forward in their chairs during seminar, and this behavior should be accommodated as far as possible by the chairbler. A great book is a book on which a great seminar can be had (and a great seminar is one which can address a great book).  Such books are abundant, but some care is generally advisable in selecting a text.  A great book can accept any question, no matter how small, large, irrelevant, or just plain stupid.  This removes a lot of the pressure from the seminar participants.  A great book is resilient, fecund, and immaculately coherent.  In the ideal book, every element down to the etymology of each word is essential, irreplaceable, and interactive with every other element. Seminar is a serious study.  It is like being in a great library after hours.  We listen to each other and speak our best, while yet recognizing that the spirit which moves us to speak is not always under our control.  Eating at the table generally detracts from the study, as an ambiguous overlap develops with the much more common table-based social activity of meals.  (Revelations 10:9, “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”) A very hungry person could eat their lunch or dinner at the beginning of seminar, but they should apologize for their impropriety.  Some people think it's sometimes a good idea to have seminar while drunk, but I have generally been underwhelmed by the contributions of drunk or otherwise intoxicated people.  A seminar isn't a great place to have a party, but it can be loads of fun to have a party in which we have seminar, in the same way that people enjoy a party in which we play a sport. There are some schools which claim to have seminar 5 days a week, but I don't see how that is possible for a group which is taking the project seriously. The Sunday seminars met once a week, while at St. John's College they meet twice a week.   While the underlying behaviors were largely learned from St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM and Annapolis, MD, the practice and the formulation of these ideas was developed in the Sunday Seminar itself with Lea Brock and other collaborators.

In the fall of 2016 other participants in the seminar needed to begin meeting in a place which made me uncomfortable.  I expect one day again to take part in such work. Here is a more-or-less complete list of books which we read: 2009 1/22 Rabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel (Prologue-I5, I6-15,-28,-41,-58,II19) 2/26 Aristotle - Posterior Analytics (II19) 3/5 Kierkegaard - Fear and Trembling (Preface, Attune., Praise; Preamble; Problema I) 4/2 Nietzsche - Thus Spake Zarathustra (Prologue-6, -14, -22) 4/23 (this is when I joined the seminar) Wittgenstein - Philosophical Investigations (Preface-20, -39, -60, -85, -120) Summer 2009: ? Dostoevsky - Notes from Underground Baudelaire - "To the Reader", "The Enemy", "The Albatross" 10/4 Joyce - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (-2,-5) 11/1 Buber - I and Thou (I, II, III&PS) 11/22 Heidegger - What Is Metaphysics? Heidegger - On the Essence of Truth 2010 1/10 Husserl - The Origin of Geometry 1/24 Wittgenstein - Philosophical Investigations (I -231,-463,-693,II) 2/28 Borges - Labyrinths (The Fictions, The Essays and The Parables) 3/7 Marquez - 100 Years of Solitude (-105,-207,-297,-422) 4/18 Trivers - On the Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism 4/25 Hearne - Adam's Task (-3,-6,-11) Summer of 2010: Shakespeare's Henries and Richards, Dogen, ? Aeschylus - Agamemnon 9/19 Aeschylus - Libation Bearers?, Eumenides Kafka - The Penal Colony Plutarch - Alcibiades Plato - Phaedrus 10/31 Kierkegaard - Fear & Trembling (same divisions as in 2008) 12/5 Rig Veda - selections 2011 1/16 Upanishads - Brihad-Aranyaka and Katha, 4th Brahmana 1-17, and Valli 1-6 (one class) Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea Kafka - A Hunger Artist 2/6 O'Connor - The Lame Shall Enter First Chaucer - Nun's Priest's Tale 2/20 Dante - Inferno (4 seminars) 4/3 Euripides - Alcestis (SJC alumni seminar with Mr. Lecuyer) Fukuoka - One Straw Revolution part 1&5 Trivers - On the Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism 5/1 Wordsworth - Tintern Abbey Plato - Ion 5/15 Kafka - Before the Law Summer of 2011: Tolstoy - War and Peace 8/7 O'Connor - Wise Blood (-6, -end) 8/21 Montaigne - On Repenting Chesterton - Ethics of Elfland 9/11 Nagarjuna - Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way Heidegger - What is Metaphysics? 9/25 Shakespeare - Othello (I&II, III-V) Plato - Lysis 10/30 Sophocles - Philoctetes Matthew 1-7 11/20 Euripides - Bacchae 12/4 Hesiod - Works and Days Ecclesiastes 2012 Straus - Persecution and the Art of Writing Klein - The Problem and the Art of Writing 1/29 Klein - History and the Liberal Arts Melville - Benito Cereno (2 seminars half and half) Tolstoy - Kreutzer Sonata 3/4 Kepler - excerpt (2 seminars) Newton - (Definitions, Axioms, Corollary II, Book I & Lemma I&II) 4/22 Trivers - On the Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism Hemingway - A Clean Well-Lighted Place, Fifty Grand Baudelaire - The Abyss, A Carrion, The Mask 5/13 Pascal - Pensees (self-selections) Summer 2012: Cervantes - Don Quixote 8/12 Euclid - Elements (I thru P24, -P48, II thru P6, II) Kierkegaard - Philosophical Fragments I&II 9/16 Euclid - Elements (III -P20, III -end, IV) Kierkegaard - Philosophical Fragments (all) 10/28 Euclid - Elements (V, VI -P16, VI -end) Shakespeare - Midsummer Night's Dream Dostoevsky - Bobok 12/2 Euclid - Elements VII 3 Poems - Millay's "Euclid Alone", Keats's "Ode", Hopkins's "Pied Beauty" 2013 Tolstoy - Hadji Murat (didn't happen) 2/3 Hopkins - 7 Poems (Lantern, Pied Beauty, Shocks of Wheat, Windhover, etc) 3/24 Nietzsche - Beyond Good & Evil (Preface and 1; 2; 3, 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9) Summer 2013: Tolstoy - Anna Karenina 8/18 The Secret Book of John Plato - Gorgias (-486e, -end) 9/8 Plutarch - Caesar Plutarch - Brutus Sophocles - Ajax 9/29 Hearne - How to Say Fetch 10/20 Faulkner - Go Down Moses, "The Bear" Plato - Cratylus Plato - Timaeus 11/10 Wilde - Picture of Dorian Grey (1st half, 2nd half) Faulkner - "Pantaloon in Black" 2014 1/12 O'Connor - The Life you Save could be Your Own O'Connor - Good Country People Heidegger - Building Dwelling Thinking 2/2 Plato - Theaetetus (2 seminars) Plato - Protagoras Plato - Parmenides 3/9 Tolstoy - Father Sergius Beckett - Waiting for Godot Pascal - Generation of Conic Sections 4/6 Borges - The Quixote of Pierre Menard Nietzsche - The Birth of Tragedy 5/4 Erwin Straus - The Upright Posture Goethe - On the Metamorphosis of Plants Summer 2014: Joyce - Ulysses 8/3 Kant - What is Enlightenment? Kipling - Kim (3 seminars) 8/26 Beowulf (2 seminars) 9/22 Dostoevsky - Notes From Underground (2 seminars) 10/19 Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye 10/26 Mann - Little Herr Friedemann 11/2 Achebe - Things Fall Apart (3 seminars) 11/23 Nietzsche - On Truth and Lies in an Extra-Moral Sense 12/7 Plato - Symposium (2 seminars) 2015 1/11 Silko - Ceremony (2) 2/8 Schiller - "Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man" 2/22 Shakespeare - Julius Caesar (2) 3/1 Jonas - "To Move and to Feel" 3/22 Shakespeare - Antony and Cleopatra (2) 4/12 Plato - The Sophist (2) 4/26 Woolf - To the Lighthouse (4)Summer 2015: Melville - Moby Dick8/9 Aristotle - Nicomachean Ethics (book VIII) (w/ SJC alumni chapter) 8/23 Ibsen - The Lady from the Sea 8/30 Melville - Bartleby 9/13 Chaucer - Canterbury Tales (Prologue; Knight's Tale 1&2; K's Tale 3&4) 10/4 Melville - Bartleby (w/ SJC alumni chapter) 10/25 Chaucer - Canterbury Tales (Miller's, Reeve's, and Cook's Tales) 11/1 Canterbury Tales (Man of Law's Tale) 11/8 Canterbury Tales (Shipman's, Prioerss's, and Chaucer's of Sir Topaz Tales) 11/15 Canterbury Tales (Chaucer's Tale of Melibee; Monk's Tale) 11/23 Plutarch - The Life of Dion (w/ SJC alumni chapter)2016 1/10 Chaucer - Canterbury Tales (Nun's Priest's Tale; Physician's & Pardoner's Tales) 1/24 Canterbury Tales (Wife of Bath's Tale; Friar's and Summoner's Tales; Merchant's Tale) 2/21 Canterbury Tales (Squire's and Franklin's Tales; 2nd Nun's and Canon's Yeoman's Tales) 3/6 Canterbury Tales (Manciple's and Parson's tales and Chaucer's Retraction) 3/27 Nietzsche - The Genealogy of Morals (Preface and Essay 1; Essay 2; Essay 3 (2)) 4/24 Heidegger - "The Origin of a Work of Art" (3) 5/15 Woolf - "The Mark on the Wall"

[mooitstimdrake]

tagged by @islandoforder​ (good timing okay I was looking for another reason to procrastinate)

RULES: Share 11 facts about yourself, answer 11 questions provided by the tagger, tag 11 awesome people and leave 11 questions for them to answer!

11 Facts

my hair is currently bleached blonde

I have two kittens living in the next room over

I am currently taking private driving lessons (and have been told I’m actually a r good driver, even tho I don’t feel I know what I am doing)

I have bought and played Dream Daddy: a Dating Simulator

I have watched Castlevania three times now

in addition to Buzzfeed Unsolved, I watch/listen to 4 other creepy youtube channels (and even bought merch from my favorite of them)

I have grown closer to my sisters this summer

I’m thinking about getting a tattoo

my 12-year-old sister is going to be taller than me before my 21st birthday :(

I tend to have really mundane dreams, for example I dreamed about scrolling through tumblr on my phone, and drinking lemonade (two separate dreams)

the two classes I really wanted to take this summer (a Shakespeare class and an American History I class) were cancelled and I’m still salty about it

11 Questions

What’s your favourite tv show? excluding Netflix shows (Voltron) and anime (My Hero Academia) I guess...??? actually I don’t r know, I don’t watch a lot of tv?? I don’t want to say How to Get Away with Murder because I think they have made Many Mistakes and I Am Angry...oh! I liked American Gods a lot

How many languages can you speak? just one lmao, but I took three different languages throughout school (Italian, French, and Latin) but I’m bad at languages so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Where would you most like to visit? that’s a tough question since I’ve barely been anywhere?? I like amusement parks a lot, so Bush Gardens or Universal Studios has always sounded like a lot of fun, but if it’s more about experiencing a new place, um, maybe Italy? or Greece? they sound really beautiful

Who’s your favourite artist? what kind of artist are we talking about? because I have to tell you I’m not familiar with too many artists, and I’d probably name either a comic book artist?? Marcus To or Dustin Nguyen have always been two of my favorites. I love Karl Kerschl’s style. Also Jamie McKelvie and Fiona Staples have beautiful styles, but my high opinion of them may also be due to their super quality comics (The Wicked + The Divine and Saga). Also J. H. Williams III (Batwoman from 2010-2015) does absolutely GORGEOUS art

Do you support any sports teams? I suppose I support the major baseball and football teams of my region (Red Sox and Patriots) but that’s more due to the more zealous fans in my household you know?

Favourite food? recently I’ve come to realize it’s pizza. I feel like it’s a stereotype that college students love pizza but I mean. I could eat it every day. I want to eat it every day. I prefer either a buffalo chicken pizza or a cheese pizza topped with onions and peppers

What’s the last song you had stuck in your head? Human by Rag n’ Bone man has been a constant for the last couple of weeks

What should you be doing right now? my oral communications videos :/ I need to record two 4-minute videos by tomorrow at 6pm. it’s r nbd I just have to sit down and do it

What’s your fave big franchise? ohhhhhhh my god that’s difficult. um? I really don’t want to say MCU, but it’s not DCEU either? maybe Star Wars?? I’m pretty excited for the next Star Wars movie. Harry Potter is p great too (tho I don’t particularly care for the new installments??). So I suppose I’m saying Star Wars?

Any tattoos (currently or planned)? oh!! well. I’ve been thinking about getting a trail of cat paws along my left shoulder?? and possibly bats on my right?? and I think maybe something behind one of my ears?? oh and possibly something on my collarbone. I wouldn’t want anything too big, just small things here and there

What three things would you want with you on a deserted island? okay so when I first approached this question I was an asshole about this BUT UPON REFLECTION I’ve decided that the best things to take with me would be 1) a water filter, 2) a book (but which book??), and 3) my CAT because I adore her and at first when I considered taking one of my sisters I realized that  I don’t think I could get along with either of my sisters, just the two of us, for an extended period of time in isolation, and I lowkey think one of them would kill me so. I’m better off taking my cat, who I love and who loves me and who I will never grow tired of. plus she could hunt dinner for the both of us

My Questions

If you were to make a new blog dedicated to one single thing (fandom, hobby/activity, etc) what would it be?

If you could have any kind of animal as a pet, what would you have?

Who was your favorite teacher and why were they your favorite?

What’s your guilty pleasure (and I’m challenging you not to say some kind of food)?

Favorite pizza topping?

What’s the last thing you bought (that wasn’t food)?

 What upcoming movies/tv shows are you looking forward to?

Any recommendations (this could be anything just throw your best pitch at me)?

What’s your favorite thing to wear that you own?

What was your first pet?

If you could learn any language, what would it be?

I’ll tag @bi-dominusrex, @pagesofkenna (even tho calyx just tagged you lmao), @keyith, @dickqrayson, @reedroad, @oh-mother-of-darkness, @youreagalrakeith, @jaaaaaaaaaws, @cynessie, @orollyitstimdrake

[dangan-aesthetic]

im not sure if this counts as a request or not and you can absolutely delete it if it does but... if im not mistaken mod twogami has a fondness for broadway so... could they recommend any shows? i've been trying to get into more shows and such...!

It doesn’t count as a request! don’t worry, you’re fine! oh my gosh though I love Broadway SO MUCH I am SO HAPPY to make a list for you I LOVE talking about stuff I like! 

one warning I should maybe give is that I tend to be more into modern musical theater, so the majority of shows I really like are from after like 2000 if that’s okay with you. I’d be happy to recommend some older stuff if you’d prefer, I’m just not as knowledgable about it. another warning: I am incapable of brevity. this list is way too long… i’m so fuckin sorry… i’m really really sorry. 

comedy:

♡ the producers (2001). the show that really got me into musical theater. it also won more tony awards than any show, ever. about two broadway producers who try to create the worst musical ever, ergo hilarity ensues. maybe not the best pick if you’re uncomfortable with content that makes fun of nazis, but if it helps, the writer is jewish (and I’m jewish and don’t have a problem with it). there’s also some adorable gays, and a movie version that’s very faithful to the show, so that’s nice. you want the 2005 movie if you want songs (the 1968 movie isn’t a musical). also, if you like this, young frankenstein is a great show by the same creators with a similar sense of humor.

♡ the book of mormon (2010).two mormon missionaries go to uganda. absolutely hilarious. pretty crass though, and i’m sure problematic as hell (by the creators of south park, if that’s any indication), so be warned. but it’s just… such a fun time.

♡ a gentleman’s guide to love and murder (2014).a rare musical comedy that’s actually not that crass. about a man in edwardian england who learns he’s ninth in line to inherit an earldom, so he kills everyone in his way to the position. actually a very lighthearted comedy. bonus points for a love triangle that turns into a really cute poly triad.

♡ avenue q (2003).sesame street, but about issues faced by people in their mid-twenties: a kindergarten teacher tries to snag a boyfriend, a recent college grad tries to find his purpose, a gay republican struggles to come out of the closet, gary coleman is just kind of there. song titles include “the internet is for porn” and “everyone’s a little bit racist.” puppet sex. a good time.

♡ a funny thing happened on the way to the forum (1962).slapsticky, very clever, hilarious if you like roman history, funny even if you don’t. about a roman slave who wants to earn his freedom, his young master falling in love for the first time, pirates, soldiers, sex workers, a lot of stuff. the movie is very good. I’m also partial to the 1996 cast album because I love Nathan Lane.

drama:

♡ sweeney todd (1979).just… a masterpiece of a musical score tbh. about a barber who seeks revenge for his tortured past. people get baked into pies. if you haven’t noticed, i really like musicals that make light of murder (although i’m guessing you like funny media about murder too, since you came to a danganronpa blog to ask this?). funny, moving, dark, creepy, powerful. I’ve never actually seen the movie and don’t really recommend it from what I’ve heard, but a production of the show is on DVD with most of the original cast, and it’s definitely worth a watch. also, if you like this, i recommend p much anything stephen sondheim’s ever written. he’s a genius.

♡ spring awakening (2007).takes place in the late 19th century, but is very, very relevant to issues kids face today. covers stuff like the importance of sexual education, child abuse, the pressure placed on kids by school, and the confusion teenagers go through when discovering sexual desire. very heavy, but very beautiful (note: this is maybe the musical I know that is the most difficult to get a sense of the plot by just listening to the score, so I’d recommend maybe reading a plot summary or watching a bootleg or something. there was a cool production last year where a lot of the cast was deaf and it was bilingual in english and asl! idk if there’s a bootleg of that anywhere, but it was a good time). tw for rape, suicide, abortion, child abuse… yeah, it’s dark.

♡ next to normal (2009).about a family dealing with their mom’s mental illness, and covers stuff like how her life is affected by her illness, how fucked up the process of getting treatment is, and how mental illness affects her relationship with the people around her. I find it very realistic, very moving, and very relatable. of course tw for mental illness and suicide. i am dan goodman.

♡ natasha, pierre, and the great comet of 1812 (2012).just reopened on broadway! based on part of war and peace, so you’ll know the plot of war and peace and look really smart. about a woman who gets swept up in an affair while her husband is at war in 19th century russia. the plot isn’t really what’s interesting so much as the gorgeous musical score and really cool things they did with the staging / mixing the 19th century and the modern day.

stuff that’s a mix of the two genres:

♡ the frogs (2004).a comedy that gets more and more serious until it’s… not really a comedy anymore. dionysus and his slave go to the underworld to bring back george bernard shaw and make the world right again. shakespeare is there. hades is gay. was on broadway for all of like four months and is pretty damn obscure, but it’s SO GOOD, I promise.

♡ heathers: the musical (2014).another comedic musical about murder. I love comedies about murder. a girl befriends her high school’s popular clique and gets a sort of fucked up boyfriend. shit goes down. I feel like it does a very good job of representing what high school is really like (my high school experience, anyway), and is a good mix of funny and serious. heavy tw for suicide and mental illness (and briefly for eating disorders, but it’s just a couple of comments).

♡ matilda the musical (2010).based on the roald dahl book! about a little girl who is extremely intelligent, but is surrounded by neglectful parents and an abusive headmaster – so she fights back against them. what a genuinely fun, heartfelt time. great lyrics, super creative, and has a scene where someone eats a whole cake, which is always a plus and very relatable (note: im twogami, what were you expecting). tw for child abuse, but the musical is meant for kids, so it’s not very graphic.

♡ my fair lady (1957).thought maybe I should throw in some older stuff as well. early 1900s england, an upper class linguist asshole tries to turn a lower class flower seller into a “lady.” the movie is very, very good. is based on a very feminist play but was made into a slightly misogynistic romance for hollywood, so I’d recommend reading pygmalion if you’re unsatisfied with the ending (but it’s not like the movie doesn’t do its fair share of calling out higgins’s misogyny).

♡ 1776 (1969).also has a very good movie. about the founding fathers and the signing of the declaration of independence. maybe don’t watch this if you’re mad that hamilton is glorifying slave owners (note: I like hamilton, but I didn’t put it on this list because I’m kind of tired of it by now, and anyway I’m sure you know about it). a very good mix of funny and historically accurate. 

anyway I hope you enjoy this list and can forgive me for… info dumping rlly heavily on u… love u, hope ur havin a good day, thanks for letting me talk about this. tell me if you end up checking out any of these shows and liking them! - Mod Twogami

[dulwichdiverter]

From sitcoms to Shakespeare

BY MARK BRYANT

Best known as the dapper but rather snooty Captain Peacock in the long-running BBC TV sitcom, Are You Being Served? which aired from 1972 to 1985, Frank Thornton was born in Dulwich, attended Alleyn’s School and carved out a distinguished career in theatre and film that spanned more than seven decades.

Born Frank Thornton Ball on January 15, 1921, his father William Ernest Ball was a bank clerk who was also the organist at St Stephen’s Church on College Road near Sydenham Hill Station. His mother was Rosina Mary Thornton, the daughter of Joseph Thornton, a musician.

Both of Frank’s parents lived locally. At the time of their marriage, in April 1912 (at the Emmanuel Congregational Church on Barry Road in East Dulwich), William Ball was living in Dulwich Village with his own parents at “Charnwood” – a large house on the south side of Court Lane immediately next to the entrance to Dulwich Park and opposite Eynella Road. The family had previously lived at 244 Barry Road.

Frank’s mother Rosina, a music teacher, was then living in East Dulwich with her parents at 349 Lordship Lane, on the corner of Crystal Palace Road and opposite what is now the Plough Cafe near Sainsbury’s Local and Dulwich Library.

According to the electoral rolls, in 1920, shortly before Frank was born, his parents were living at 127 Barry Road. However, in 1923, when his older brother John joined Alleyn’s School, John’s home address was given as 347 Lordship Lane, next door to his maternal grandparents.

Like his father, his two paternal uncles, his older brother John and his two younger brothers Edmund and Alan, Frank was educated at Alleyn’s, where he was a pupil from 1932-37.

Here he was a contemporary of Kenneth Spring OBE, who later became an art teacher at Alleyn’s and co-founded the National Youth Theatre; the composer and conductor John Lanchbery OBE; and the distinguished civil servant Sir Philip Woodfield.

As a child Frank described himself as “a bit of a loner, not one of the lads. I think I was probably a bit of a prig because I seem to have been stuck with this supercilious persona for as long as I can remember.”

While he was at Alleyn’s the family lived at 149a Devonshire Road in Forest Hill and then, from 1935, at 11 Zenoria Street in East Dulwich, which runs off Lordship Lane near Goose Green.

Though Frank had appeared in school performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado and The Yeomen of the Guard (playing cello in the orchestra), and was keen to become an actor from a young age, his father insisted that he should first get a “proper” job.

As a result, after leaving Alleyn’s he worked as a clerk for an insurance company, like his brother John, while taking evening classes in acting at the London School of Dramatic Art on Bute Street in South Kensington. After two years, he was offered a place as a full-time day student and managed to persuade his father to finance the course.

Frank was 18 when the Second World War broke out and he and his fellow students were evacuated to Oxfordshire. Shortly thereafter he landed his first professional acting job in a touring production in Ireland of Terence Rattigan’s comic play French Without Tears.

In 1941 he returned to London where he worked for the famous actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit, who had reopened the Strand Theatre to stage lunchtime productions of abridged versions of Shakespeare plays.

In one of these, Richard III in January 1942, Wolfit played King Richard, Frank was Sir William Catesby and Eric Maxon, who was born in Balham, was Edward IV. It was while Frank was playing Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice for Wolfit that he met his future wife, the actress Beryl Evans – who had been cast as a page.

In 1942 he had a small part in John Gielgud’s acclaimed production of Macbeth at the Piccadilly Theatre. Gielgud played the starring role and also directed.

The same year Frank appeared as Corporal Wiggy Jones in the first production of Terence Rattigan’s RAF play, Flare Path, at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. Its original cast included a number of fellow south Londoners – Catford-born Leslie Dwyer, Tooting-born George Cole and Kathleen Harrison, who had been to school in Clapham and whose father was borough engineer for Southwark.

In 1943, Frank was conscripted into the RAF and after training as a navigator, he eventually joined the Air Ministry’s Entertainment Unit.

As he later said: “At the end of the war I was redundant aircrew doing various jobs waiting to be demobbed, and I ended up in the Air Ministry Entertainment Unit which ran the RAF gang shows. I had to go round and watch all the shows, meeting all the participants...”

These included a number of airmen who later became celebrated actors and comedians, such as Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock and Dick Emery.

On June 1, 1945 Frank was promoted to the post of flying officer and got married four days later. He and Beryl had a daughter, the TV producer and curator of the Eden Valley Museum, Jane Thornton Higgs MBE.

After he was demobbed in 1947 he joined a repertory company. During the 1950s he continued to work on the stage and also began appearing in films and on television.

In November 1950 he made his TV debut in The Secret Sharer, part of the BBC drama series Sunday Night Theatre. Then in 1953 he was cast as a barman in The Silent Witness, an episode of the television series Scotland Yard, which was hosted by Edgar Lustgarten.

His first credited film role was as Inspector Finch in Radio Cab Murder (1954), starring Jimmy Hanley. He went on to appear in more than 60 films.

In November 1957 he starred as PC Cox in an episode of the BBC’s Dixon of Dock Green, written by Ted Willis, whose granddaughter, TV producer Beth Willis, went to JAGS in Dulwich. Then in January 1959 he appeared in ITV’s new swashbuckling series The Adventures of William Tell, which began in 1958 and starred Conrad Phillips as the legendary Swiss rebel.

Frank’s fellow actors in his first episode included Wilfrid Brambell, with whom he would later appear in Steptoe and Son (five episodes, 1962-65) and in the film, Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.

Also in 1959 he was cast in nine episodes of the ATV drama series The Four Just Men, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, who had been at school in Peckham.

In 1961 he appeared in a number of classic television series. These included Danger Man, The Avengers, The Rag Trade and Michael Bentine’s comedy It’s a Square World, in which he was a regular cast member.

He also appeared in Hancock’s Half Hour – notably in The Blood Donor episode in 1961, but not the earlier episode The Alpine Holiday in 1957, in which Kenneth Williams played Snide, the yodelling champion of East Dulwich...

In 1964 he was cast as Commander Fairweather in the ITV comedy series HMS Paradise with Richard Caldicot, who had attended Dulwich College. It was a spin-off from BBC radio’s The Navy Lark, in which he also appeared briefly, and from 1966-68 he starred in another radio spin-off of the series, The Embassy Lark.

He also later appeared in The Goodies, Love Thy Neighbour and other comedy series as well as in shows hosted by such household names as Dick Emery, Benny Hill, Frankie Howerd, Harry Worth, Reg Varney, Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan, Ronnie Corbett and Kenny Everett, on whose show he appeared dressed as a punk rocker.

Frank continued to be cast in films, mostly comedies, during the 1960s and 70s. These included Carry On Screaming! (his only appearance in the famous Carry On series), The Bedsitting Room (written by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (as the one-armed doorman of the Diogenes Club) and No Sex Please, We’re British, with Ronnie Corbett and Arthur Lowe.

In April 1964 he even played the part of a chauffeur in The Beatles’ film, A Hard Day’s Night, but sadly his appearance ended up on the cutting-room floor. However, he did have an uncredited role in cult film The Magic Christian (1969) which starred Peter Sellers and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

In addition he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the age of 50 he played the part (singing) of Eeyore in a musical version of Winnie the Pooh at the Phoenix Theatre.

Ten years later in 1982 he played Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty, in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Interviewed at the time he said: “I made my singing debut at 50, my operatic debut at 60 – and I shall look forward to dancing with the Royal Ballet at 70.”

However, despite a long and varied career, Frank will always be best remembered as Captain Stephen Peacock, the pompous floor manager of Grace Brothers’ department store in the popular BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? which in 1979 reached a peak viewing audience of 22 million.

He appeared in every episode from 1972 until 1985, starred in a 1977 film of the same name and later reprised the role in a TV sequel, Grace & Favour (1992-93). In the early episodes of Are You Being Served? he wore an Alleyn’s School tie.

While playing Captain Peacock he also took on other kinds of roles. In the 1980s these included the part of Sir John Tremayne in the hit London musical, Me and My Girl (starring Robert Lindsay) – which earned him an Olivier Award nomination – and acting with John Cleese in Jonathan Miller’s BBC television production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. He also worked with Derek Nimmo’s touring theatre company in Asia and the Middle East.

In addition Frank had small roles in Emmerdale, Casualty and Holby City, appeared as Judge Geoffrey Parker-Knoll in comedian Julian Clary’s All Rise for Julian Clary, and from 1997 until the show ended in 2010 he played the retired policeman Herbert “Truly” Truelove in Last of the Summer Wine. He also appeared as Mr Burkett in Robert Altman’s Oscar-winning period drama Gosford Park, which came out in 2001.

His last film part was in the farce, Run for Your Wife, released in 2013, in which he was one of 80 celebrities to make a cameo appearance. This also had a Dulwich connection as it was written and co-directed by Ray Cooney, who had attended Alleyn’s School.

Frank died at his home in Barnes, west London, on March 16, 2013 aged 92.

 Dr Mark Bryant lives in East Dulwich, close to many of the childhood homes of Frank Thornton and his family, in particular Underhill Road where Frank Thornton’s uncle Alfred John Ball lived shortly before Frank was born

[limejuicer1862]

F WORD WARNING

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

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Thursday Simpson

lives between Peoria, Illinois and Iowa City, Iowa. She is a writer, musician and cook. Her work has recently been anthologized in Nasty! Volume 2, Hexing the Patriarchy and Satan Speaks!. She believes in garlic, onions and Feline Satan. Her twitter is @JeanBava and her full publication history can be found at www.thursdaysimpson.com

The Interview

1. When and why did you start writing poetry?

When I was a kid and throughout highschool I always wanted to write. Mostly back then I would listen to Opeth’s album Damnation or Tiamat’s album Prey and try to come up with my own poetry but it never really happened. But eventually in 2008 I was enrolled in community college and playing in about 10 different bands. I wasn’t really happy playing music so I started thinking about writing again. One of the nice things about writing as opposed to film making or playing music is that there is no recording or filming process. It’s like pure expression, no strings, no tuning, no effects or cables. Sure, you need a laptop and there is always so much revision and study involved. And writing is such a more long term thing than music. A manuscript might take more than five years to go from draft number one to publication as opposed to an album getting written, recorded, mixed and released in a year or two. It’s not that one medium involves more or less work, they’re just different. And the process involved with writing really kind of seemed attractive to me back then. I could sit and read and then write on my computer and email my work to publications instead of constantly practicing and trying to get my riffs recorded on good audio and find a label’s mailing address and trying to get their attention and going on the road and all of that.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

There are several things that do come to mind, though. Growing up in Galesburg, Illinois one hears a lot about Carl Sandburg. He was born here and a lot of things are named after him. I actually won a poetry contest in the 7th grade put on by his estate and his daughter gave me the prize at a ceremony held at his birthplace.

I think also in the 7th grade our class did a poetry unit where we read poets like Nikki Giovanni and Langston Hughes and Lewis Carroll and Edgar Allan Poe. Looking back on that now, it’s so weird. It was a Catholic school, so we were getting all of this militant right wing anti abortion politics, books like Harry Potter were banned.But we also read poets like Nikki Giovanni and learned about Oscar Romero.

Then once I was in public highschool, I think I started to hear people talk about poetry as something one did to express themselves. Or as a valid art form unto itself. Some people from my highschool used to get together both in person and online and workshop eachother’s poetry. They were who told me about Sylvia Plath and poets like that.

But it was really more professors at my community college that made it start to click for me. One guy was an eldergoth from the 80’s and also used to play music before he became a writer. He really helped me take poetry as something I wanted to do and turn it into something that I did. He taught, “America,” by Allen Ginsberg in class one day and I went out and got a copy of Howl. The title poem, Howl, really fucking blew me away. I think that’s the poem that really made me fall in love with poetry.

3. How aware are and were you of the dominating presence of older poets traditional and contemporary?

At first, very much so. That’s all we were taught in community college. The only non intro lit course was a two part Fall-Spring British Lit survey. I really didn’t like Beowulf or Canterbury Tales or the The Faerie Queene. I loved Shakespeare but didn’t really like Donne and Marvel and etc etc.

And after a month or two of the Enlightenment guys, I really fell for Wordsworth and Coleridge and Byron and the Shelley’s. I read their stuff for the better part of Spring 2010. Then a friend of mine that recently graduated from Western Illinois University asked me to help her run a local writing workshop. And while we were hanging out and planning it she showed me all of the texts they worked on at Western and let me borrow Richard Siken’s book, Crush. And after reading him I fell in love with poetry all over again.

Then once I transferred to the University of Iowa to finish my BA I chose a poetry writing course based on the instructor teaching Siken and Frank O’Hara. The Writers Workshop offers a series of creative writing courses for undergrads that anyone can take. And the instructors are all graduate students currently enrolled in the Workshop. We also studied Jeffrey McDaniel and the Dickman Twins and people like that. She also directed me to poets like Sharon Olds, James Wright, Franz Wright.

In other classes in the English literature department we read people like James Baldwin and Marilynne Robinson and Mary Swander and Raymond Carver and Jane Smiley.

During my last Semester there, Spring 2013, I started reading Maggie Nelson. She was around Iowa City for a bit in 2010 or 2011, guest lecturing and things like that, while she was publishing her book, Women, the New York School, and Other True Abstractions, through University of Iowa Press. So by 2013 everyone in Iowa City was reading Bluets. That book really changed my life. I read everything else Maggie Nelson wrote and then read every author she cited in her work, Simone Weil, Eileen Myles, Cookie Mueller.

Then after reading authors like Dodie Bellamy and Kathy Acker and Chris Kraus I started making friends that shared a love for similar writers. And then I more or less started getting plugged into communities of actual contemporary writers my own age doing the coolest fucking shit.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

It varies! I hate doing the same thing every day. But, I do prefer to write in the morning, first thing. I always hydrate first thing every morning. I’m obsessed with drinking water. Then I either make breakfast and a pot of tea or coffee or just start in on whatever project I’m working on. The longer each day goes on the more shit comes up. And I really need to focus when I write. So I like to get it out of the way first thing. Then it always isn’t in the back of my mind as I do everything else during the day.

In general I try to pattern my work ethic after my favorite athletes. Interviews with Kevin Durant or DeMarcus Cousins or Nyla Rose have taught me so much about what it takes and what it looks like to pursue greatness.

5. What motivates you to write?

I think it’s almost always been work that I admire. Sometimes it’s an interpersonal thing, a breakup or a great hookup or whatever. But almost always it’s because I’ve seen a great film or read a great book or watched a great professional wrestling match or athletic contest.

I really like raw, physically immediate work that takes real risks. That’s why I love pro wrestling so much. It’s such a physical, emotional form of storytelling. A great match from Mitsuharu Misawa in a lot of ways reminds me of a novel like The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich or Like Being Killed by Ellen Miller. Or more recently, Tessa Blanchard’s match with Sami Callihan. Tessa really connects with the audience with her tears and really honest cries of pain throughout that contest. That same feeling and emotion is present in Colt Cabana’s recent title defense against James Storm or in just about anything that Pentagón Jr. and his brother, Fénix do in the ring.

Same with the New Day, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods and Big E. I think they’re just about the most talented artists working in professional wrestling throughout this entire decade. There is so much artistic brilliance in their matches with the Uso’s or in Kofi Kingston’s main event work in 2019.

Besides wrestling, films like Night of the Living Dead by George Romero or Living Dead Girl by Jean Rollin really direct my artistic goals. Something raw, real, honest and immediate and emotionally and psychically potent. That’s what I’m always trying to chase and pursue in my own work.

6. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I think my passion for literature and video games and athletics and film have always been more or less intertwined. When I was about 5 or 6 I started watching the Universal Monster Collection on VHS and got obsessed with horror. I read all of the Goosebumps and Fear Street books from the Galesburg Public Library. I watched the Star Wars films on VHS and then read all of the Star Wars books at the public library. I watched Tales from the Cryptkeeper and Are You Afraid of the Dark and read all of the affiliated franchise novels that the library had.

I first became aware of professional wrestling after renting WWF Royal Rumble on the Sega Genesis. In 1993, 1994 and 1995 the only way to watch wrestling for me was from renting VHS tapes. So anytime I got any money I would rent as many wrestling tapes and horror films as I could afford and watch them over and over.

I didn’t have a computer or access to the Internet until 1999. So mostly every second of my free time was either spent at the library researching films and books or at rental stores reading the VHS boxes.

Crying is a really important spiritual activity for me. Victor Wooten defines crying as something we do when we aren’t able to express our emotions through language. I’ve always cried a lot, regardless of age. My favorite thing to do on my days off is to make a pot of coffee and listen to music or watch a film or listen to an audiobook and cry my fucking eyes out.

The video game Final Fantasy 7 really changed me. I played it fairly soon after it came out in 1997. I became so obsessed with the game. I cried when I played it and I cried thinking about it when I wasn’t playing it. The way it combines such lyrical music with so many incredible greens and blues in the color pallet just really connected with me. I read the strategy guide cover to cover so many times. Video game strategy guides were actually one of my favorite literary genres as a kid. I never owned too many games, but I could afford the strategy guides. So I just read them cover to cover, over and over.

So much of what I do now is born directly out of my obsessions from when I was a child. An interest in Universal Horror led to an interest in the 80’s slasher franchises, that fed into an interest in George Romero’s body of work and so on. Then once I was in college and started to learn about politics and theory and history, horror was such a perfect exploration ground. George Romero’s 1978 film Dawn of the Dead became a renewed obsession. I started thinking of 80’s slasher films as Reagan morality tales.

Coming out of the closet and living publicly as queer and trans for me was very much tied to learning about AIDS in the 1980’s. Reagan’s policies really effected my family in a lot of negative ways. Rick Perlstein wrote a really great two volume work that traces changes in right wing politics from Eisenhower through the 1976 Republican Convention. Those books were such great companions to The Letters of Mina Harker by Dodie Bellamy or I Love Dick by Chris Kraus and In One Person by John Irving. Artists like David Wojnarowicz tie so many things together. My mind has always worked in a language of synchronicity and probability and chance and myth. Things like Baseball statistics have always been incredibly meaningful to me. And the way David Wojnarowicz ties things like country music to masculine queerness really made me feel validated as a thinker for the first time in my life.

And during times when I really thought my writing was over and out, especially in late 2012 and late 2013, watching Are You Afraid of the Dark and some of John Carpenter’s films like They Live and Prince of Darkness really helped get my mind and heart together again. The same with 1931’s Frankenstein. I watched that film over and over as a child. But when I watched it during the fall of 2014 it was like seeing it for the first time. Boris Karloff’s performance is just something special. His unhinged screams during the fire at the end of the film really effected me in a profound way. You can watch that film alongside reading Chris Kraus’ novel, Summer of Hate, and learn a lot about violence in our society.

So yeah, the obsessions and concerns in my work now are very much reflected in my obsessions and concerns as a five year old.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

There are so many! I think more than anyone, my favorite contemporary writers are Ariel Gore, Tiffany Scandal, Erika T. Wurth, Juliet Cook, Leza Cantoral, Christine M. Hopkins, Kristen J. Sollee, Joanna C. Valente, Nadia Gerassimenko, Juliet Escoria, Ingrid M. Calderon-Collins, Monqiue Quintana, I could go on forever.

Helen Oyeyemi is a genius. Sybil Lamb is a genius. Patrisse Khan-Cullors is a genius.

I also like Koji Suzuki’s novels. Edward Frenkel is another favorite. Karyn Crisis is writing and publishing a series on traditional Italian witchcraft that is excellent. And I do enjoy Haruki Murakami as well. Marisha Pessl is another favorite.

More than anything, I love how publishing is changing. Ebooks and audiobooks and the Internet are opening up so much to so many people. You no longer need to live in New York City or go to college to have access to a life in literature.

Technology is making literature accessible and possible for disabled persons as well. You don’t need a ton of shelving and space to store your books, you can read / listen while you cook or work or whatever. An average SD card can hold about 5 public libraries worth of books.

In general I just love where contemporary literature is right now and hopefully where it’s heading. Art seems more accessible than it’s ever been.

8.1. Why are they genius?

Helen Oyeyemi’s book, “White is For Witching”, is a novel that is as expertly written as it is affecting. I love books that aren’t fixed. Those Comp 101 tropes of, “Reliable narrator, unreliable narrator,” or, “Now class, to write well, we must first prepare an introductory paragraph with our thesis statement,”

Just turn me off.

I love it when an author jumps deep into the psychic mass of human bodies. The psychic and physical realities of humans don’t correspond at all to those 101 concepts.

And Oyeyemi’s, “White is For Witching,” to me is just about the perfect book. Everything in the narrative is always changing. Every sentence just feels so profound and impactful. It really challenges the reader to kind of move beyond the literal text and engage with the narrative more with one’s psychic senses or within one’s innermost being.

Sybil Lamb’s book, “I’ve Got a Timebomb”, is a novel that, to me, recalls Kathy Acker’s non-linear style. But Sybil’s novel specifically frames Acker’s queer, disjointed virtuosity within a transgender, W. Bush era framework.

As with Oyeyemi’s, “White is For Witching,” its rather difficult to get a sense of what’s happening, sentence to sentence. And that forces the reader to both rely on the depth of the language itself and also on their own psychic ability to sense what is happening. And as the novels continue, they each create such a powerful impact and resonance within the reader. Or at least they did with me. They changed my fucking life.

And Patrisse Khan-Cullors book, “When They Call You a Terrorist,” is one of the most profound works I’ve ever read. It’s in part memoir and part contemporary history. I think if someone was only going to read one book published in the 2010’s, “When They Call You a Terrorist,” is a book that person should choose.

I think for a lot of white people in the United States, we really ignore what’s going on around us. We don’t confront our white privilege. We don’t confront that our white privilege is sustained by institutional racism. We don’t confront that horrific violence is forced on people of color.

Throughout her book, Patrisse Khan-Cullors candidly talks about her life and the lives of those around her. And through her writing, she almost kind of gives the reader a choice. By describing the horror and violence of racism, the reader can either choose to be horrified and repent and commit to change or they can continue to block it out.

The narrative also is about the author’s journey as a queer person. She talks about the realities of being queer in highschool and being queer as an adult.

I think, “When They Call You a Terrorist,” is a book that has incredible power. If anyone doubts the ability of literature and narratives to change lives, “When They Call You a Terrorist,” can shake them from that complacency.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

So, I think for me writing is the most accessible art form. You can do it alone, you don’t have to have a lot of friends or a lot of gear and money and things like that. You don’t have to go buy a guitar and learn how to tune it and replace your strings or learn about what a sine wave and a square wave are and etc etc.

You can go out and read books from your library or find ebooks and audiobooks online and dive in and start getting inspired. Also, libraries carry a ton of ebooks and audiobooks besides physical books. And if there’s something you want that they don’t have, they can almost certainly get it for you.

There’s no equivalent with guitars and drum machines and synthesizers. You kind of have to buy them or maybe at best rent them from a music store. And renting in that context costs money.

But libraries also have laptops you can rent for free and write on. You could base your entire writing career out of a public library if you couldn’t afford books, an internet connection or a computer.

You can just start reading and see what inspires you and go pursue it.

The Internet really helps one connect to other readers and writers and is such an excellent way to find and build communities.

Though, I don’t mean to act like writing is high up on the platonic list of ideal art forms. I live a fairly monastic life and I enjoy that way of living. Writing is a long term game. It takes months and more often than not years to write and draft and edit and revise and get rejected and get rejected and write and revise. It appeals to my temperaments.

And revising is as simple as reading and re-reading, deleting, re-framing, re-stating, seeking clarity and things like that. You don’t have to listen to abunch of audio on abunch of expensive equipment and twist and turn abunch of knobs and worry about re-recording a part or how something’s mixed or anything like that.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

More than anything else, one becomes a writer by first reading and then writing and then going back and editing what one has written. The hardest parts about being a writer have more to do with time, money, stress management, real life shit.

When I was living in Iowa City, some of the best advice I got came from reading the memoirs of writers and artists that I admire. Especially Jeanette Winterson and David Lynch and Ann Patchett.

It’s easy to see ourselves as these nobodies and our heroes as deities. But just to share a small part of Jeanette’s story. After she was kicked out of her parents house for being gay, she used to go to the library every day and get books to read. Back then she thought it was required to read every text in alphabetical order, so she started with the first book in the A section and started working her way down the lines.

Eventually a librarian noticed her habits and told her that she can read any book she likes at anytime. That no one is required to only read books in alphabetical order.

I bring this story up because our crisis’ really hurt. When we lose a job, we feel like it’s the end of the world. When we go through a breakup we feel like it’s the end of the world.

And we feel like that because things really fucking hurt.

But one thing we don’t realize sometimes is that our heroes, the pillars of art, have gone through the same things we’ve gone through. David Lynch had to put Eraserhead on hold for more than five years because he was broke. He talks in his memoir, Catching the Big Fish, about going every day to the local Big Boy and drinking a milkshake while he thought about his ideas.

You have to imagine David Lynch not as the creator of Twin Peaks, but as a broke twenty something loser hanging out at the fast food restaurant every afternoon, starring off into space, dreaming about someday making movies.

Professional, capitalist culture teaches us that such dreams are shameful. We’re all taught to laugh and scoff or at best feel sorry for the girl heading out to LA to become an actress or the person living in their parents basement working on their first demo.

The hardest part about being a writer is learning to not give into all of that shame. A lot of people will talk a lot of shit about you. That will only ever increase in its intensity as you publish and do your thing.

Once, I sent a story to a publication and paid 3 dollars to have the editor give me personalized feedback. And this fucking guy sent me his feedback by gleefully ripping my work to shreds, sentence by sentence.

A couple of weeks later, that exact same piece helped me get accepted into a nationally recognized MFA Program with an offer including full funding.

I didn’t accept the offer because I hate college, but that’s a different story.

The point I’m trying to make is that you just have to never give up. Ever.

Read the books that interest you.

When you get an idea for a piece, write it.

And finish it.

No matter what, finish what you start. No matter how hard it is. You can always edit it later.

Then after you finish writing something, read some more books that interest you. Watch films that interest you. Pursue anything that interests you.

And read books that maybe don’t interest you. And read the books that interest the authors you really like. Read people’s bibliographies. Get the books referenced in their research and read them.

And everytime you get an idea, make a note about it. And when you have time, work on it and do the best job you can.

I think doing one’s best is great advice. Whenever you’re writing, just do the best you can. If you don’t have time to write, just make sure you write when you do have time.

Never give up and always do your best.

That’s where editing really comes in. There isn’t a writer that’s ever lived who doesn’t have to revise their work. In the moment, things seem so impossible. Our sentences always feel so bad.

But one thing you’ll notice, if you don’t give up, is that six months or so after you finish a draft, you’ll come back to it and see what you need to change.

And then six months or so after that, you’ll come back to your piece and see more things that you can improve.

Sometimes that six months only takes a few days or a few weeks. Sometimes it might take a few years. Writing can be a very mysterious process.

That’s why no matter what, you should always just do your best each time you’re sitting down to write. Do your best and let the gods sort out the rest.

If you want to go to college to study literature and writing, go for it. If you don’t want to do that, don’t.

If you like workshopping with other people, do it. If you don’t like it, your editors will let you know what you need to change and how to improve your work.

Some of my favorite writers are highschool dropouts and some of my favorite writers have multiple PhDs. The secret to writing is figuring out your own process and investing in it and devoting yourself to the work of reading and writing and editing and revising. And most importantly, the secret to writing is never giving up. Ever.

When people tell you that your work is shit, just move on. Never delete or destroy your own work. Just file it away and revise and edit it later on.

And I think it’s also important to be open to change. Both changes in your style and changes in your methods and changes in what interests and motivates you.

You might find that you start out writing poetry but want to write more fiction. Or you might start out wanting to write scathing, sexy queer non fiction but end up writing high fantasy novels.

Go with your gut.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I’m in the process of finishing up a novel that’s tentatively called, “Like a Razor.”  It’s mostly about a young, out of work mathematician dealing with the loss of his primary partner in a polyamorous relationship. There is also a lot of professional wrestling & Satanism related esoterica and mystery involved.

I’m also working on putting together a couple poetry collections. And hopefully also a non-fiction collection dedicated more to examining spirituality and strategies for activism.

And hopefully all of these works will have a soundtrack that I’ve composed and recorded myself.

Thank you so much for this opportunity! I very much appreciate it

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Thursday Simpson F WORD WARNING Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.