October Smorgasbord
Happy Halloween to all who celebrate. I’m not a fan of recreational fear. I experience enough actual fear to find that enjoyable, but I do enjoy the crunchy leaves, the beautiful colours, the return to knitwear. Walking home the other day, I met a cluster of children in elaborate costumes. Shout out to the young girl dressed as a tin of Heinz Beans. I also saw a squirrel without a tail and immediately felt embarrassed for the poor thing.
Thanks to Jessica for the recent shout out and welcome to the new subscribers who’ve joined in the last few weeks. I’m happy you’re here!
On to the links!
(ICYMI: why I love a link roundup)
THINGS TO READ
From a few years ago: Kim Kardashian and the limits of checking your privilege.
Finding a way back from suicide.
I’ve been taking this food writing class and read some great pieces as part of the syllabus. Some favourites: who gets to decide what food is “disgusting?”, “America, your food is so gay”, a Roald Dahl classic, and Kiese Laymon goes grocery shopping with his mother.
“Part of the beauty of family is its dysfunction. It’s dysfunction that is at the heart of all functioning families.”
Courtney on chronic illness.
The head scarf, modern Turkey and me.
“Like a weed, it sprouts in gaps.” A thoughtful piece on loneliness. (I wrote about loneliness during the pandemic too.)
“Perhaps what we need to ask ourselves isn’t so much why we aren’t talking about miscarriage, but why we aren’t listening.”
Why we mourn girlhood
Work isn’t everything. The typical person has five waking hours of not working for every one hour of their career.
“Why am I taking pointers on lesbian sex from Louis CK who’s never had lesbian sex?” An excellent rhetorical question from Elif Batuman.
AHP on how she wrote her latest book (which I read on scribd and really enjoyed)
If you do get a scribd subscription, I enjoyed this chapter from Roxane Gay too.
I’m enjoying Orla Tinsley’s column in The Irish Times. I took a class with them last year and have loved their writing for so long.
The AOC cover story
On calendars. (Also, related, on the invention of the week.)
Two perspectives on ‘Up The Ra’: 1, 2.
Brad Pitt and the Stink of Bad Smut
I love discovering a new writer and then going deep on all their work. My latest is Honor Jones - 1, 2.
Katherine May’s beautiful piece on autism.
THINGS TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO
I saw ‘The Woman King’ in the cinema and really enjoyed it.
Rewatched ‘It’s a Sin’ . It’s just as heart-wrenching the second time.
Also rewatched Derry Girls. This profile of the creator, Lisa McGee, is worth your time.
An interview with The New Yorker’s food critic.
Love these double dates.
Pregnant at 16. A deft piece of storytelling from The New York Times about how two pregnant teenagers took different paths and ended up on opposite sides of the abortion debate.
A great conversation with Sam Sanders.
Finding joy following a cancer diagnosis.
I’ve been savouring this conversation on revision as a life ethic.
Carmen Maria Machado on the turning point in her book.
Patrick Kielty’s speech
Loved listening to this great podcast in line with my menstrual cycle. This episode was a favourite.
A great conversation with Celeste Ng.
Inside the campaign to be mayor of Buffalo, NY.
I enjoyed this podcast so much I immediately ordered the book.
A mind bending conversation about the brain.
It’s been a long time since I thought about Serial, but this is an important corrective.
MISC
The top 100 bird photos of the year.
A wish list of American policy.
