March roundup
“In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political, I must listen to the birds, and in order to hear the birds, the war planes must be silent” - Marwan Markhoul, Palestinian poet.
Part of the agenda of imperialism is that we become numb to the violence. This is no accident. It is by design. I don’t think there is a perfect way to attempt to bare witness the horrors of the world we live in. But I do think that we must, where we can, make an effort to not ignore it. To not become apathetic or ignorant no matter how helpless we might feel. This is something that the oppressors rely on. I think that in all of the theorizing, discussing the ‘politics’ or the practicalities or making excuses or focusing on semantics, we forget something at the core of it all: human beings. This isn’t a conceptual argument: these are peoples lives. Families who are being murdered and displaced and losing everything and everyone they have known. Who have no access to proper healthcare, or food, or shelter. Headlines and articles have their value but in the age we are in, where we are bombarded with information everywhere, they can contribute to our desensitization, to the compartmentalization of horrors as just ‘things that happen’, filed away in the back of our minds where we store painful truths we don’t want to confront.
It is complicated to take it in, to sit with, to attempt to process what is happening in the world at any given time - for many of us things that are truly incomprehensible. And maybe it is for this reason that I find myself particularly impacted whenever I read poetry from writers from war-torn territories. It strips away the politics and centers the reader in feeling. Connects us to the people just like us, who are living through the unthinkable.
My heart breaks when I think about Palestine and its people. I never have the words anymore. I cannot believe my eyes and ears. I cannot believe what I see when I turn on the news. The horror feels limitless. I do not know what to say other than my solidarity is with oppressed people all over the world, always.
I am not without my pain or suffering, but I am deeply aware I live a stupidly charmed life in comparison to so many. I get to write about flowers and concern myself with self-actualization and my hopes and dreams. This kind of freedom should be for all of us. Whatever kind of freedom some of us, is an illusion, until it is available to all.
Books
Grief is for People - Sloane Crosley. In this deeply moving book, Crosley documents her experience of losing her best friend to suicide. It is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It is, obviously, incredibly sad but it is a stunning portrait of friendship, love, work as vocation, what it means to live a life. I found it captivating and Crosley’s voice on the page is charming, alive, funny, but never at the expense of feeling deeply. I loved it and cannot recommend enough. I started reading her novel Cult Classic because I loved her writing so much, update next month!
Brother Alive - Zain Khalid. This novel is truly epic, a remarkable debut from Khalid. The world building is superb, and it is ambitious in scope, intellectual rigour and style. This is not an easy read, but it is worthwhile. Probably not for everyone, but it is rewarding - like nothing I have ever read. Iseul, Dayo and Youssef (of Korean, Nigerian and Middle Eastern descent respectively) are adopted brothers, entangled in a complicated family history that binds them together and is slowly discovered by the boys and the reader as the novel progresses. Their adopted father, Imam Salim, runs a Staten Island Mosque where he teaches radical sermons and extols the virtues of resisting Western Ideology. Salim is distant as a father, with many secrets which explain both his strange behaviour and what happened to their parents. Eventually, he leaves for Saudi Arabia, where he had lived before escaping to New York. The boys follow, hoping to make sense of their family history and also find themselves seduced and disgusted by power, money, and opulence….but at what cost? A really incredible feat of a book, exploring themes of family, sexuality, coming of age, capitalism, ideology and corruption.
Essays
The Fall of my Teenage Self - Zadie Smith - I famously love Zadie, so this is perhaps no surprise. I love how she sits in the discomfort of not knowing, asking more questions than she answers. It’s comforting to a curious mind. I also find her ability to remember her own mood and preoccupation as a teenager with objectivity and the necessary embarrassment to be charming and funny. Especially now she’s writing from the standpoint of being a parent to teenagers. I loved this and hope you read it too.
Why are Celebrities so bad at PR - Into It with Sam Sanders
I love Sam Sanders and am devastated this pod didn’t get renewed!!! This conversation with Molly McPherson (TikTok’s PR gal) explores several ‘scandals’ from the world of celebrity over the past few years, and Molly examines and critiques the various responses. The ever-changing landscape of media, particularly with the advent of social, means that the approach to handling scandals has to be updated. This was a fascinating listen one for the pop culture nerds like moi.
The Case for Criticism - New Yorker Critics at Large
I believe now in the age of stan culture, criticism is often misappropriated as ‘hate’. I think it’s important to remember that good criticism is a friend of art, not a foe. Just because we enjoy something does not make it above criticism!!! Art does not exist in a vacuum either. This episode of Critics at Large was a brilliant discussion between the wonderful New Yorker critics about why criticism is a vital part of culture. This sounds more self-indulgent than it is. I love this podcast so much! Related to this topic, below, a tweet from Ben Vyle which I think is particularly apt and I agree with wholeheartedly.
All the King’s Horses - This American Life
This American Life is a GOAT of radio journalism. In this episode, the three act structure (typical of every episode) explores what happens when broken things cannot be repaired (within families), a deep dive into the lives of some of the (many) Palestinian journalists who have been killed in the war - this was extremely moving, and ends with Tony Hawk’s final attempt at a challenging skating trick.
All of us Strangers - Late to the party (or perhaps on Queer time?) with this one, but the latest Andrew Haigh film did not disappoint. (For what it’s worth, I historically am a huge fan of Andrew’s work - Weekend is seminal gay cinema that I think about all the time & Looking was incredible tv that depicted modern gay life in a way that was honest, refreshing and confronting.)
When something has so much hype, sometimes I find it’s better to wait until that calms down before watching. Even if you knew little about the film before watching, unless you were living in a cabin in the woods with no wifi I’m sure you were aware that its stars are Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. These two heart-throbs are beloved for good reason. They’re talented, charismatic, and so handsome your palms, if not other body parts, sweat. Their chemistry in this film is electric. TV and film needs to normalize actors having chemistry again lol 👀 I don’t want to share spoilers but this film is not what I thought it was. It was a bold, brave exploration of loneliness, intimacy and companionship. The stylistic expression was so different and so effective. Haigh talks about this in episode of Script Apart, it was great to hear him so unafraid of exploring what he finds compelling as he’s gotten older. It’s a heartbreaking, tender, and bold piece of cinema. I loved it.
Kelela - TinyDesk Performance - Kelela really is that girl and we don’t talk about it enough. Her artistry is singular and to be admired. She deserves all of the flowers!!!
Maybe it’s the changing of the seasons, maybe it’s the astrology (Cardinal signs are you okay because mama…I am going through it) but things within and around me feel unsettled. Restless. Like change is calling but I’ve misplaced my phone. I can hear it buzzing but have turned my room upside down looking for it. I trust more will be revealed. Until then we keep going I guess!
May Spring usher in some clarity, some sense of stillness, some joy, some sunshine for us.
David x
Another powerful piece - war has always been full of horrors and suffering, and always will. When will we find the key to put a stop to all the steps and actions that lead to war?