These past couple of weeks I’ve been working on a short story for a writing competition because I’m a glutton for punishment. Writing fiction is weird, I will fail miserably at this. But I’m about to submit it tonight and then I will feel either free or fall into a tailspin of loathing for placing such garbage out into the world.
So while I may have had a ramble about feminism inspired by a strip dance documentary semi-prepared, I am drained from editing and will go the risk-adverse route by sharing other people’s work.
Music
AJR and Tom Odell came out with new songs that I’m loving this week. Art creation may be hitting a theme these days:
FKA Twigs tragically is getting headlines for enduring abuse from an ex-boyfriend instead of this masterpiece performance
And finally, my brother-in-law plays the violin in a sinking titanic with Dua Lipa.
Books
There, There is a work of fiction bridging together 12 characters on their way to the Oakland PowWow. It demystifies what assumptions many may have about Native American culture in the modern age, especially as communities find themselves pulled apart and confronted with what it means to be an urban Native American. The characterization and unique prose used to intertwine these subjects is powerful and engaging.
The Night Circus is fun, magical and telling. A great ‘vacation’ read, but who’s doing that? So we’ll call it a staycation read, ideal for escaping quarantine by route of your imagination. A duel that spans decades, wrapped in a circus, with a forbidden love to boot.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art sort of blew my mind. It reminds me of the book Why We Sleep (which I also love) in the sense that it opens up the complexities and healing capacities of functions we all utilize and take for granted. Who would have thought that we evolved away from the ability to breathe correctly?
Television
Stath Lets Flats - I love British television and when I saw this available on HBO I audibly squealed. I heard about it a couple of years ago being a fan of Natasia Demetriou (What We Do In The Shadows), but had no way to watch it being stateside. Until now! She stars alongside her brother and creator Jamie, but had no way to watch it until recently. It’s a family-run letting agency (real estate) in London, featuring some terribly inept, endearing agents.
Flack - While I think Anna Paquin may have been miscast for this quick-talking dramedy, the great writing and supporting roles made this easy for me to binge in a week. I think Lydia Wilson is phenomenal, and while her performance in Requiem flew under the radar, I’m glad to see she’s getting a bigger stage. Her and Sophie Okanedo’s performances are spectacular.