#27: A list
Beach sunsets, abolition, food sovereignty, and almost-but-not-quite-inedible dark chocolate.
Hi friends,
This week I had a chapter of research to finish, and a birthday, and a whole lot else going on. So, today’s newsletter is a quick one in which I am simply going to reimagine the title of the iconic ‘90s Heath Ledger-Julia Stiles cinematic masterpiece (you know the one). Without further ado:
10 things I consumed (figuratively, literally, or otherwise) this week:
Food and the Struggle for Africa’s Sovereignty:A fascinating piece from Africa Is A Country on food sovereignty, in the context of pandemic and climate crisis related supply-chain disruptions etc, across the continent.
This cover, by Waxahatchee, of Lucinda Williams’ Fruits Of My Labor.
This Guardian book review on Katherine Angel’s The Politics of Bad Sex and Angel’s accompanying op-ed, read aloud on the Guardian’s Long Reads podcast. Now must get my hands on the book itself. I read another book by Angel, Unmastered, for a creative writing class in undergrad years ago, and had mixed feelings on her writing. But I wonder if my perspective has shifted over time, and these short snippets—the op-ed; the extracts in the book review—felt like very coherent and necessary writing, so I’m intrigued.
I’m partway through reading Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl, which is equal parts mind-blowingly brilliant and incredibly depressing.
99% (no, that’s not a typo) dark chocolate, melted down in a double-boil, swirled into a hot chocolate with almond milk and a dash of honey. As Kendrick once said, DAMN.
Abolition is a Collective Vision Now: An Interview with Mariame Kaba in The Nation. If you’re new, or new-ish, to theory and language around abolition, Kaba is a brilliant starting point and resource.
Not one but two sunsets from the best rock at Bakoven beach, one of which was on my birthday. Bonus points for the perfect sliver of waxing crescent moon which looked just like the Dreamworks logo. Even more bonus points for the lovely company of friends and snacks and prosecco.
An extremely odd and memorable Daily Maverick headline (honestly, what??):
This video of Paul Simon breaking down the genesis of Bridge Over Troubled Water—note by note, influence by influence. Artists talking about their craft always gets to me, man. Could listen to this for hours.
Finally, this poem, Kiss of the Sun by Mary Ruefle (shared by the eternally perfectly curated Poetry Is Not A Luxury):
Til next week, when I will hopefully write about more significant or thoughtful things. Just kidding, it’ll probably be memes, as per usual.
Maddy