What I've Been Reading and Enjoying

Plus: write with us this morning!

Reminder: Inspiration Station is happening this morning at 10am EST! Follow the hyperlink for info and to register.

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve shared what I’m reading and enjoying, on and off the internet. That’s because it takes time! And I’ve been busy AF. But I wanted to share these with you, because you may love them as much as I do,

Reading:

• I just finished STAY TRUE by Hua Hsu. Hsu is a writer for the New Yorker (here’s a lovely piece about his father and Nirvana). STAY TRUE is a memoir of Hsu’s teenage and college experience, the murder of his close friend, and an examination of what it means to grow up loving a culture that passes you over. A child of Taiwanese immigrants, Hsu grew up in Texas and moved to Berkeley for his undergraduate degree. I loved this book for so many reasons. Hsu is an intimate and brilliant narrator; he looks upon his younger self with humor and precision, dissecting his cultural obsessions (Nirvana, zines, mix-tapes) and his pretentious need to be alternative (in a way I can viscerally relate to). He captures 90s culture and carefully invokes the “we” so often used by people who are at the center of American culture (ahem, white people). I’d call this memoir a hybrid of cultural criticism and personal narrative, and it is well worth a read. As a writer, I’m going to read it more than once, just so I can see more of how it works, because its structure and prose is admirable.

• After reading one of my stories in workshop, someone in my PhD program shared this poem, called “Anastasia & Sandman,” by Larry Levis. I’ve read it several times, and will read it several more, because it’s so beautiful.

• I stumbled upon “The Heart Wing” in a writer’s group, and was stunned by its beauty. Its about hearts; the way they keep us alive through everything. Heather Lanier also wrote a memoir called RAISING A RARE GIRL, which I hope to read.

• I came upon the project called Architecture Against Death while reading a book, but I cannot for the life of me remember which book I was reading. It was a good book! The concept of the installation is to work against the human-centric narrative. Arakawa, a Japanese avant-garde artist, and poet Madeline Gins believed that architecture could extend longevity. They worked together on many projects, including THE MECHANISM OF MEANING.

Antimore City, a project by Arakawa and Madeline Gins.

• I am fascinated by this story of a Russian family that went without other human contact for forty years. They were lost on the taiga.

• The Idol was a terrible show. Until the last episode. It should have been a movie? But I still watched the entire thing. It wasn’t the sex stuff that got me (I don’t kink shame) but the way the narrative worked…or didn’t work. I liked this piece by Ben Rosenstock that related the series to The Bear, another series I watched (and did actually like). The Idol stayed on the surface; The Bear didn’t. It’s not really that simple, of course, but that’s the gist.

• George Saunders read Claire Keegan’s short story on The New Yorker podcast, then he chats about what he loves about the story. He says she’s as good as Chekhov. It’s a very worthwhile listen. Deborah Treisman also has some insights into what makes the story great, as always.

• I just finished ATTENTION SPAN by Gloria Mark. The book’s about how we pay attention, and how our attention spans are changing due to the internet and social media. I found her insights about how we as humans have limited amounts of energy when it comes to paying close attention and doing intellectual work. Her studies prove that we need periodic breaks throughout the day in order to let our minds rest, and sometimes those breaks can take the form of social media, easy games irl or on our devices, or, even better, short walks. We can’t constantly be productive. It’s impossible. Mark convinced me to reshape the way I think about doing my own work, and to think realistically about my capacity for intellectual work. She also spends quite a bit of time on the subject of email, and how incredible stressful email is for people, which was surprising to me. It’s more stressful than social media! Recently I took my email off my phone (before reading this) and I feel so much better, but I sometimes wonder what I could be missing by not being vigilant about checking my inbox. Here’s her Google interview on YouTube.

That’s all for now! See you in a bit??

Tell me what you’re reading, watching, and listening to in the comments!