013. Septendecim Reliquary
Hello friends,
The number seventeen is associated with responsibility, strength, wisdom, and self-discipline. According to the numerology websites I googled before writing this, the number seventeen has associations with the 8-Pointed Star of Venus of the Ancient Chaldeans (I have no idea what that means but bear with me). It is a number charged with strength and endurance. Whether or not you've felt that way this past year (I was certainly lacking in the strength and wisdom department, and it's safe to say that a good chunk of us felt a sense of powerlessness), it's important to carry that energy with us into the new year. Whether you're spending your New Years getting trashed out of your mind, travelling with family, or simply sitting at home tonight, take the time to reflect on both the good and the bad, say goodbye to 2017, and prepare to open a new chapter—whether or not you believe in linear time to begin with.
For this week's letter, a simple (yet sweet) one. A collection of 17 things I enjoyed this year.
//
TOUCH
I read a lot (I mean, a lot) of poetry this year. 2017 was definitely the year of reading for me, whether it was delving into new books or online essays and keeping up with more writers. One poetry collection, which I talked about in one of my earliest letters, is Layli Long Soldier's Whereas. Out of all of the other poetry I read, hers impacted me the most both in subject matter and in style, caused me to think outside of traditional poetic forms and narratives styles. She's brilliant. It was a pleasure to see her speak at the Brooklyn Book Festival and I can't wait to read more.
Speaking of books that completely transformed the way I think of writing, it comes as no surprise that I include Jeff VanderMeer's Area X trilogy into this list. Over the past few months especially, I've really dug into contemporary science fiction and dystopia centered around climate change and ecological disaster. VanderMeer's book, inspired in part by things he noticed while living in Florida, caused me to consider writing more about my own childhood and hometown (something which I had kept divorced from my writing before), to take a greater interest in science fiction as a way to inform my writing. I didn't read a lot of fiction this year but it's safe to say that this novel, with its well-crafted plot and characters, did a lot to change the way I think about writing.
I'm a big believer that knowledge is power. This year was shitty in many ways and perhaps the one book that taught me the most was Mona Eltahawy's Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution. So much has been said about the political shithole which has been this year, and I know that I won't be adding anything new to that conversation, so instead, I encourage you to listen to the voices of others, activists or academics, and educate yourselves. Eltahawy's book was particularly enlightening for me because of how little I understood about political issues in the Middle East. She challenges Western narratives and calls attention to the issues of gender discrimination in the country, the way in which misogynistic culture becomes part of political systems, and what it means to have political revolutions which ultimately exclude so many. Please get yourself a copy.
LOOK
This was the year of a lot of art-watching, going to more shows and exhibits around me, engaging more with artists of various mediums beyond the traditional boundaries of painting. I was lucky enough to see works by Carol Rama, Kaari Upson, see Carolee Schneemann's Meat Joy in the flesh (pun absolutely intended), videos of Klaus Oldenburg's performances and installation spaces, and Egon Schiele's earlier drawings. That being said, the one artist which has stayed with me since last winter has been Louise Bourgeois. I found myself engaging with her art over the past few months in different ways, first from reading about her and seeing a few of her pieces online to eventually getting to see her exhibit at the MoMA. From her spiders, to the fragile, unsettling construction of her cells, to the heaping flesh she smears across sculptures, spilling over onto canvases. Hers is the work of leaking bodies, of smattered brains and weeping wounds. I love you, Louise.
An artist's whose work I saw for the first time this year was the films of Jack Smith. Through viewing his work, I learned more about kitsch and camp as models of aesthetic, and how they might shape queer cinema, as well as the ways in which the various elements of the cinematic medium can be warped and manipulated to meet a disorienting, almost collage-like artistic vision. I learned more about his obsession with "moldy movie queen" Maria Montez and what it means to exist completely counter to mainstream narratives. You can find most of his movies online, either on Youtube or just hunting around on the Internet.
LISTEN
When thinking about musicians I wanted to include in this list, there were so many to choose from (The Marias, Rina Sawayama, Sevdaliza), but instead of picking artists I've talked about already, I thought I would include someone who I haven't: DJ and producer collective Discwoman. Yes, I know that it's an organization made up of different artists but I thought I would include the collective as a whole because if I were to talk about individual DJs I love from this group this newsletter would go on forever. Discwoman has done some amazing work this year, from fighting to get rid of outdated, racist laws in NYC to bringing more visibility to female DJs, queer DJs, and DJs of color in the white, male-dominated mainstream. Go to their Soundcloud and listen to some of their mixes (produced by collective members), you're sure to find one that fits your musical tastes.
I've already mentioned a couple of episodes from Terrestrial in previous letters, but that just goes to show how much I've enjoyed this podcast over the past year. Terrestrial has explored all kinds of topic related to the environment, from environmental racism, composting our dead, or what happens when you choose to stop taking airplanes. If you want to learn more about the ways in which we interact with the environment (and how we, both as individuals and as a society can transform those relationships), check this podcast out.
The Poetry Foundation's Poem-of-the-Day podcast was an absolute life-saver for me this past year. This podcast accompanied me on numerous commutes on the subway, just walking around the city, or when I laid in bed craving inspiration. Because of this podcast, I was introduced to so many new writers, both contemporary and from past generations. If you love poetry but feel like you don't have enough time to read collections or chapbooks or if you're in the mood to listen to poetry being read to you, give this a listen.
Although I found this podcast in 2016, I listened to Limetown twice this past year. Limetown is such a well-crafted audio drama, the way the plot slowly unfolds over the course of just a few episodes. It's one of the few audio dramas where I've had to stop and take out my headphones, remind myself that what I'm listening to isn't real. I'm not going to say too much about the plot other than it involves the disappearance of a small community of scientists. Whether or not you like audio dramas, try it out.
I'm always a sucker for a good true crime podcast. When figuring out this list, I knew I couldn't talk about my favorite audio things without including Criminal. This podcast taught me so much about forensic science (forensic botany, anyone?), the history of crime investigation (such as the Milk Carton Kids), and wild cases that go beyond the traditional whodunit murder mystery (such as the assassination of an Alabama governor, tracking down missing Indigenous artifacts, and a hatchet-swinging Prohibition supporter).
LICK
Okay, so I have not been able to shut up about this movie. I've already mentioned it in a previous letter but fuck it, I'll mention it again. Perfect Blue (1997). That's it. I discovered Satoshi Kon's work this past year and I've been utterly fascinated not only by his animation style but his directorial technique and the themes he was fascinated with over his (far too short) decade-long film career. One of my goals in 2018 is to finish his filmography and get my hands on his manga as well. Big fan of him, big fan of this movie (as well as Paprika which you should go see if you haven't already!)
Barragan is a label I first began following on Instagram at the start of the year and, since then, it's grown into one of my favorites. Their designs are utterly fascinating, from their velvet cut-out pieces to their wavy sunglasses. The ways in which they use fabric materials to transform the body always keeps me in a state of awe, walking the fine line between neo-baroque and cyberpunk raver.
Although I did not see as many movies this year as I did in 2016, the ones I did see were absolute gems--from Moonlight and Get Out to Atomic Blonde and The Passion of Joan of Arc. Ultimately, however, I have to go with In the Mood For Love (2000). This movie, from its colorful cinematography to its wonderful soundtrack and slowly-unraveling narrative, has continued to linger in the back of my mind through the seasons. I still remember the night after I watched it, suddenly filled with the urge to cry and not sure why. Yes, it's that kind of film. I have yet to see another Wong Kar-wai film (so many movies and not enough hours in the night) but I'm looking forward to seeing more of his movies in the coming months.
CLICK
I will include one piece of writing before I go into publications I really enjoyed this year. This is Anne Carson's experimental poetic essay, "Fate, Federal Court, Moon". I read this for one of my classes this semester and included it in a letter at the time, but since then it's remained one of the pieces of writing I thought back to during the latter half of the year. This piece follows Faisal bin Ali Jaber, whose family was killed by a U.S. drone strike and his fight to receive an apology from the U.S. government at the Federal Court of Appeals in Washington. What I appreciate is Carson's dance between the spoken and unspoken, the open wound and the bodies we try to conceal. Her repetitive form becomes a kind of meditation on the very nature of apologies, what an apology signifies beyond the simple acknowledgment that a mistake has been made. Please go and read.
This past year, I came across The Creative Independent. This publication posts interviews with different creative individuals on their practices, their life, and advice they would give to other creators across different disciplines from art to writing. 2017 was the year I finally started taking advice I'd known for a while that reading and researching other writers and creative individuals is just as much of a part of my creative process as writing is and that just because I'm not actively producing new work does not mean that I've utterly failed. The Creative Independent has featured writers whose work I admire. It's been amazing to learn from them through these insightful interviews, as well as learn about new creative people and the work they do. Whether or not you're deep inside a creative project right now, I'd suggest reading this and gain some inspiration for the new year.
In the past year, I've been reading more and more essays and I noticed, after a while, that many of the essays I was reading (both in my free time and in my classes) came from The New Inquiry. Every time I go on their website, I know I'm going to learn something new and I'm always amazed by what's on their writers' minds, the ways in which they see the world with critical eyes. If you're ever in the mood to read some essays, this is the place to go. So much brilliant, insightful writing, sometimes it feels like I never have enough time to read it all.
A friend on Facebook shared a link to an essay on this website. I clicked it out of curiosity, and I quickly found myself in one of my favorite publications of this year: Real Life. Real Life publishes pieces which consider the ways in which we interact and live with technology, how it shapes both our greater society and the individual sense of self, weighing both the good and the bad. These pieces are immensely creative and unlike anything else I've found on the internet, oftentimes written by people who work in different technological fields from artificial intelligence to drone tech. This publication has been a source of knowledge and inspiration for my own writing and has shaped the way I view the world around me. Thank you. // Before I close out this letter, first an immeasurable amount of gratitude to all of you who have subscribed to this over the past few months. When I began this, I honestly didn't think I could keep up with this or that anyone would even care about reading it, and it means so much to me that I can share my interests with you. There were many (many, many) times this year that life was harsh and relentless to me and I'm so thankful for the people in my life (both IRL and scattered across the Internet). I love you all and I can't wait to see how you guys are going to blow me away next.
Let me know what you guys enjoyed this year! I'd love to check it out and see what you guys have been devouring. Until next week!~
Love,
Ellie