#women are so rarely allowed to inhabit in literature

[ettucamus]

anne lister truly is the broody butch byronic hero of my literary dreams. sorry y’all can’t see the vision

[badgirlsinterviews]

The Paths of Beauty [Interview]

Interview with writer and actress Camila Sosa Villada, author of ‘Bad Girls’.

Written by Sergio Alzate.

11/05/20

Source: El Tiempo.

In her novel, Camila Sosa narrated the experience of a travesti community in Córdoba, Argentina. (Photo credit: María Palacios)

Camila Sosa Villada likes to take in the world with her eyes. For her, life is made up of images: vignettes that catch her eye from which she discerns a speck of light, a dash of colour, a certain meaning. Through her eyes, she listens, she feels, she smells, she sounds out, she travels and she consumes the world around her, a world which is made up of images that she treasures and stores away. Through these snapshots, she forms a collage of her reality and her experiences. They are, in other words, parts of a puzzle which she pieces together, bit by bit, creating a unique, absolute, indescribable final image: one of beauty.

Beauty (not as an anatomical category, nor as the opposite of faithfulness) runs through the pages of Bad Girls, her most recently published work which recounts the experience of a group of travestis who gather each night in the Sarmiento Park, in the city of Córdoba, in Argentina. As such, a travesti mother is able produce milk with her silicone breast; a mute woman turns into a bird; headless men fall in love; gardens burst and cover everything with their lush and uncontrolled vegetation; people declare their bodies as their home; laughter, embraces, words, and love become the shelter from violence; shouts echo with one brutal, resounding, infinite message: “being travesti is a celebration”. Miracles and sparks of beauty unfold with furious tenderness from page to page.

Some of these themes were discussed by Camila in her 2014 TedTalk. The actress, theatre-maker and writer spoke of the suffering of travesti and sex worker bodies, her father’s prediction that she’d end up dead, left in a ditch, the life of a pregnant girl who would meet her clients in the park, her hair filled with weeds from having done her job lying down in the grass. After recounting all of this, Camila asks in a broken voice: “Have any of you have ever imagined that there could be anything more concretely poetic than that?” That’s exactly what Bad Girls is: poetry, concreteness, beauty. 

The novel contains a theme which appears over and over again: beauty, the search for it, the curse of it, its joys and sorrows. What made you write about it?

I think I’ve always been privileged. I’m able to see the world in a way that’s different to others. I felt like a dealer: at night I’d be out with the group of travestis, and then during the day I’d go to university. In those worlds, there were moments I observed that were so defining, spectacular and profoundly beautiful that they affected me on an emotional level. I wasn’t speaking about them arbitrarily: things have always appeared beautiful to me. Not for what they look like our sound like, but for what they emanate. Beauty is the foundation of my book. 

In ‘In Praise of Shadows’, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki speaks of the beauty of shadows, which goes against how beauty in the canon of Western literature is based on light. The beauty of travestis, that which inhabits the shadows, the parks, away from the light, is a bit like that, don’t you think?

Yes, exactly. We were gorgeous during the day as well, though. Like something out of a Tarantino film, we’d go about in the sun, very early in the morning, strutting of the park under the morning sun towards McDonalds, where we’d have breakfast. We’d walk to the bus stop, the red sun over the city, everything glowing orange. Our beauty was a disruption, interrupting the aesthetics and order of a city as catholic as Córdoba. We tried to be beautiful in the light of day, and we succeeded. 

In his essay ‘The Simulation’, Severo Sarduy says that women don’t exist, with travestis constructing their identities based on that knowledge. What do you think of that?

I think we gave in to feminine beauty at some point. But we also moved away from imitating them. We began to explore sensations which still haven’t been defined, and which exist only amongst us travestis. It’s not to do with sexuality or identity. It’s a declaration of our existence in the world. Meeting a travesti who had money or was from a well-off family was rare. While all of us were marginalized, we all had our own bodies through which we constructed our unique existences, capable of being in our own ways. 

Speaking of bodies, the narrator in your novel state we can judge countries by the way they treat travesti bodies. Are these bodies national history? What can we read in them?

Men decide how the bodies of travestis should be, their desires dictate how our bodies are to develop. How incredibly unjust and terrifying! In the past, they wanted travestis to have hips like Sofía Loren. Then they said: “No, we want them tall, slim, and tan”. Now, they want us to be natural. Luckily, girls are therefore no longer obliged to get surgery. But this is just a first approximation, because there’s also the class struggle, something which has never been so concretely exemplified as through the bodies of travestis. Claudia Rodríguez (writer and trans activist from Chile) says that society doesn’t inform us of the danger of certain surgical procedures. All we knew was that, in order to change the world, we first had to change ourselves, our bodies. We fought to become beautiful, marketable, attractive, and when we didn’t have money for silicone, many of us would inject ourselves with industrial silicone, sentencing ourselves to a slow death. And we’d also be at risk of getting AIDS and other diseases, because we’d be terrified of going to the hospital. No one like you can be found there; no one there caters to us, listens to us, reassures us. All of them are hugely different to you. 

However, in the midst of it all, beauty and tenderness always remain. Do you see these as means of resistance? 

It comes naturally to me: I say without thinking that I’m looking for beauty in horror, or flowers in the mud. I tell it as I see it. I think discussing violence is akin to goldsmithing - it requires you to be extremely meticulous, and to take care to make sure what you’re working on doesn’t turn into something finicky or terrible. I have to have the patience and the eye of someone whose job requires them to be millimetrically precise. You have to be like a shaolin monk, wandering through the desert with a staff, looking for beauty. Without beauty, life is unable to exist. 

There’s also a series of miracle that occur throughout the book - some happier than others, but, ultimately, all of them are miracles. What drew you to this miraculous calling?

Neither of us would be here today if it wasn’t for the tale of a miracle. In Argentina, there’s a popular saint called the Difunta Correa. My parents brought a little medal to her sanctuary, and left it there with a promise: that the three of us would go back there together if I left the street and sex work. Three months later, I debuted in my theatre show Carnes Tolendas. I began gaining recognition and I never took cocaine, nor did sex work, ever again. I stopped being exposed to violence. The same year my parents made that promise, I experienced two violent instances with two clients. My parents sensed that, and prayed for a miracle to happen to me. So yes, my reading of it is that magic does happen. 

When Auntie Encarna, one of the characters in the novel, becomes a mother, this stirs up hatred within the community she lives in. What upsets is so upsetting about the thought of a travesti becoming a mother?

Every day, through their various methods and systems, capitalism and the patriarchy are competing for authority over childhood. They therefore want to ensure that it’s them who are raising the children of our country. The danger for them, is that they know that a travesti is incapable of perpetuating their systems of control. I prefer to look at it romantically, and refuse to believe that travestis would ever work for capitalism. That’s what bothers them. They’re scared of losing their control on the order which bestows them with their privileges. They also fear the thought of the existence of families formed through instincts, feelings, and emotions as subversive as love. 

The narrator asks herself how many times she’s written the word “violence”. Twenty years have passed since the events of the book - how many times do you think that word continues being written down today?

News about recent deaths still come up in conversation. We are trapped in a violent system. Violence is still there, but the support for us travestis, as well as other sectors of society, has increased. That possibility has arisen because of us, because of the girl who goes out to buy vegetables, the girl who does sex work, the girl who leaves her CV in a clothes shop for the first time, the girl who opens up to the people she’s living with to tell them she’s going to dress as a woman, the girl who writes books, the girl who sings, the girl who acts,the girl who creates a new kind of knowledge. All of us are creating an animal-like support where we resist and say “look, everyone, we aren’t genocidal, we aren’t rapists or child abusers, nor do we want to steal from anyone.” Violence still exists, and it has become even more intense.  

The travestis which appear in the book find a way of speaking and existing through their biting sense of humour. How does this particular type of language allow bonds to grow between people?

I think one of the most reductive takes on the topic is saying that “we treat each other like that to numb the pain.” In other words, we treat each other cruelly in order to later face the cruelty from the outside world. Last year, I read Claus and Lucas by Agota Kristoff, and there it may be interpreted that, like in the book, we are training in order to become desensitized. And I may be mistaken about this, but I believe that it’s to do with how we knew that language is the most powerful thing that exists. Through words, we could play speech in ways others didn’t expect. We’d say the most horrible things to each other with the greatest affection, and we’d say the most affectionate things in cutting and hurtful ways. We’d make up words, we had secret codes, nicknames that belonged to us. Our lack of privilege drove us to become very intelligent, and we soon realised that language was the only thing that truly belonged to us. As a result, we occupied it in the way we saw fit.

[wehavethoughts]

WeHaveMods!

By now you know that WeHaveThoughts! So, allow us to introduce who we are! 

TideMod

Hello, TideMod here! I’m a recent PhD grad who is just a huge nerd about SciFi/Fantasy (SFF) media of all kinds. Most of my reviews will fall under the very broad SFF umbrella, with a focus on movies and TV shows. I will occasionally branch out and review media set in the real world, but don’t hold your breath. The media I review will be rated out of 5 waves:

with one wave meaning that the media offended me greatly and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, and five waves indicating that, as far as I can judge, it was perfect in every way. 

I love media that prioritizes diversity and creative world-building. Dragons, pirates, and complex magic systems will automatically add at least half a wave because I just love them so much. I am always a sucker for happy endings, so I will very rarely rate ‘grimdark’ or hopeless media highly. 

And before you ask: No! My PhD is not in anything remotely related to Media Studies! I’m a scientist with way too many thoughts!

PodMod

Hi! I'm PodMod! After being lovingly appointed 'Podcast Queen' by my loved ones, I'm excited to share podcast reviews with WHT! My rating system will be 'hot mics' on a scale of 1-5, with 5 hot mics being terrific, and 1 hot mic being poor. My reviews will focus on content, host, information, and delivery. Please note: Sound quality is important, but if a podcast rates highly in other areas, poor sound quality will not factor in as weightily in their review. 

So what can you expect to be reviewed? If you were hoping for a more centrist approach, you will be disappointed to know that there will be no reviews of podcasts such as 'Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs' or 'The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update'. If the podcast is at all conservative or too centrist, it is automatically disqualified from review.

What you CAN expect are reviews of podcasts that promote empathy, education, humor, and intersectionality, and of course, true crime podcasts (with the stipulation that the podcast host(s) speak respectfully about the victims and survivors). ;) I'm excited to share reviews to podcasts that make us better and more thoughtful individuals and inhabitants of our little planet.

CinniMod

Hi! I enjoy exploring the world through food and working with new spices. For the past two years, I have attempted at least one new recipe a month.  

My reviews will mainly feature recipes that I have tried, and will include notes on any alterations I may make. Some dishes are meant to be an all-day affair, while others are a weeknight dinner. I love making both! The time it takes to complete the recipe will generally not factor into the overall rating. 

My rating system will be out of five cinnamon rolls. Five cinnamon rolls indicate that the end result is well worth the effort, the recipe was easy to follow, and I’ll make it again. One cinnamon roll means that the end result was unsalvageable and/or the recipe was difficult to follow.

DogMod

Hi there, I'm DogMod, an eclectic lover of content, including cartoons, documentaries, fiction novels, and comics. Only the tastiest of media will do for me and I cannot wait to share with you the best tastes and worst wastes of the web, written word, and streaming services. My reviews will be rated in tastiness, as in, "in short, this book was delectable, a mega'tasty treat of literary delight. A super fine 5 out of 5 Tasty." Or, "this book would have been better off if it would have just stayed a tree. At least then you might get something tasty like maple syrup, or a hickory nut out of it. 0 out of 5 Tasty, and God help anyone who ever has to read this.” Let's get lapping up the best and forgetting the rest- together!

MargeMod

I have retired after nearly 40 years in public service. I come from a large extended family and have been a hospice volunteer for approximately 10 years. I have always enjoyed reading and was raised in a home with loads of books (Thanks, Mom) and a stern attitude for "wasting my time by sitting around" (Come on, Dad).  My life journey is movement toward happiness for myself and those around me.

My reviews will be on a variety of books relating to: Encouragement; Answering life's little and big questions; Self-help; and an occasional straight-forward Murder Mystery.

I will have only 3 rating categories: 

A sprout is the lowest rating and it will indicate that the author did not capture my interest and I will not be looking for more work by that author. A single flower means that I enjoyed the book and will probably look for other works by this author. A full bouquet indicates that I loved the book, will definitely look for more works by this author, and highly recommend that you read it. Highest reviews will go to books that teach me something, are humorous, and/or hold my interest. I dislike violence against innocents, topics I can’t relate to, and when I can’t figure out what the heck the author is trying to say.

DesignMod

Welcome to my digital space centered on interior design! I’m DesignMod, your humble host on a journey thinking through the material aesthetics of our living spaces. On this page, we’ll discuss books found in the interior design or home organizing sections of your library. My goal is to identify which books encourage personal creativity and expression, and offer insightful guidance that is accessible to all people. 

I also hope to curate a collection that strays away from the typical audience of this genre: rich, white, Christian women. These types of books are --for many reasons-- marketed to people who have time and money, who are culturally shaped to express themselves within the domestic space, yet in a way that also insists upon pleasing visitors and guests. I hope to open the discussion of interior design to all audiences, because I think that being mindful of our living spaces will make us all happier and more peaceful when we interact in the world and with people around us.

I will rate these literatures on a scale of one to six geese. One goose could mean that the book: isn’t worth your while in terms of style, is incredibly illegible or hard to understand, is classist or inconsiderate of lower socio-economic classes, or simply isn’t what it says it is. The prize of six geese will be awarded only the most stellar books, those that inspire genuine creativity, offer insightful advice and knowledge, are written for the proletariat, and actually are fun to read.

I, DesignMod, have a Masters degree in cultural studies --she’s verbose. My goal is to write a blog with accessible yet articulate information on how we learn how to take care of our living spaces. I enjoy tending to my plants, drawing kawaii illustrations, learning languages, and thinking critically about the world. My favorite animal is a seal (aka water doggo), and I also very much love pelicans, hippos, elephants, and puppy angels (especially pit bulls and other thicc bois and girls.)

Icon Credits from the Noun Project:

Wave by Nawicon

Podcast by Jejen Juliansyah Nur Agung 

Cinnamon Roll by Kaylen Yul Lee

Teeth Biting Tongue by Vectors Point

Sprout by Jae Deasigner 

Flower by Hat-Tech

Bouquet by Vectors Point

Goose by Tatyana

[kissmeinkardasi]

A brief introduction to Cardassian/Hebitian Psychology

Cardassian/Hebitian Psychology The sensitive Cardassian brain Disclaimer: The way the Cardassian psyche functions cannot constructively be compared to that of a human, but common terminology cannot be avoided. Memory Processing and Societal patterns As described in A Stitch in Time, the Cardassian memory differs from human memory in that all memories are relevant, active and influencial at all times. Now, according to Garak it functions in a way that would drive a human being to dysfunction, to which we have to annote two points of criticism: For one Garak is not a psychologist, and for two, from what we see of the functionality of Cardassian society, it is feasable to say that Cardassians actually are impaired by the way their memories function. As we know, a lot of Cardassian culture and society revolves around repetetive patterns and consequent ritual. Societal patterns are often a reflection of the mindset of the people of said society, and in the case of the Cardassians, the state is striving for a balance between development and security, continuity. The repetitiveness of Cardassian literature and life-/family patterns can be interpreted as a way to ease the processing of the Cardassian brain in regards to memory functions and a largely reptilian mindset. In order to decrease the stress it takes to analyze separate memories and separate events, these memories and events are streamlined, so to induce calm and avoid overwhelming the individual. As we know, trials always follow the same pattern, with sentences decided ahead of the trial – this is very clearly a means to show the public that security and justice reign supreme, but is also a means to show this without causing trauma and discomfort, discomfort being found in deviances from what is to be considered orderly, consequent and normal. A deviance in trial rituals might be easily forgotten by a human population, but would be forever ingrained, and disturbing, to a Cardassian, who will forever walk around feeling as though he has a grain of stone in his shoe. Nobody likes discomfort, and Cardassians especially are sensitive to discomfort, because they get discomfortable so easily. They themselves interpret this as a sign that they are superior and, as a result, unfit for activities such as physical labor (which is reserved for aliens and criminals to the state). Because of this tendency, it would be logical to assume that Cardassians are indeed drawn towards totalitarian regimes, as they provide them with a stress-free environment in which they don’t have to deal with chaos as much as they otherwise would. That does not mean they are incapable of undergoing change of their previous values and skills, but it means that it takes more effort for a Cardassian to do so than it would for a human. Leadership, followship Because of their bottomline anxious tendencies, Cardassians are drawn to strong leadership, clear rules and black-and-white reasoning. They see these as superior structures, due to their difficulties, and fear of, processing anything more multifacetted. As a general populace, Cardassians are submissive and make very poor leaders (arguably, females make better leaders due to a deeper psychological insight – during the times when the Oralian Way was more dominant and parts of the Cardassian people were referred to as Hebitians, females typically sported leadership roles, which is why it’s rare for a male Cardassian to be allowed to be a religious leader, most of them are simply unfit). Due to the massively submissive populace, the leadership characters who do get in charge have a tendency to be ruthless, calculating and abusive, and get their positions either because they were born into a class that is inherently used to leadership and therefore unprepared to live as normal citizens (such as Skrain Dukat), or because they are greedy and prone to climb the social ladders by all means necessary. Because these personality types rarely posess a functional theory of mind, they end up treating their underlings like the threat they would themselves be to their own position. These personality types also tend to have a greater-than-average scoring in tendencies towards paranoia, which furthers abusive behavior due to distrust. And because the general populace is submissive, it is unlikely for someone not harbouring those traits (as in being very trusting that things are as they should be, and why would you question it) to climb to such a position. These kind of personality types usually end up as second in command (such as Corat Damar). Do Cardassians have a Paracortex? There are strong indications in A Stitch in Time and the series (the episode where Skrain Dukat shields his mind to avoid mind melding with the Vulcan maquis) that points towards certain parts of the Cardassian populace (in particularly those who evolved largely from the original Hebitian half of Prime’s inhabitance) have empathic abilities, possibly also tuned in with the magnetic field. I theorize therefore, that the Cardassian brain has the potential for empathic abilities, and something akin to a paracortex. This might be one of the many reasons why they are so protective of their medical secrets, and it is not something the general civilian would know. It is very likely that most individuals harboring these traits (see Elim Garak) are scouted and recruited by the Obsidian Order at a young age, sponsored into the Bamarren Institute by age ten by decree of the Order. What better way to both neutralize a threat to order and to utilize natural gifts, than to hone them into your own personal weapon? The Hebitian religion the Oralian Way speaks of some sort of soul, almost like a hivemind of sorts, and it can be assumed that the reason the militaristic Cardassians managed to eventually overthrow the ecologically self-sufficient Hebitians, was because of the tie between empathic ability and the sensitivity to the magnetic field. Whether the Cardassians induced a shift in the magnetic field, or if it happened naturally, is impossible to say, but one can guess. The Hebitians were eventually an easy target, most possibly due to the mental shock – hence why the empathic abilities would remain secret to the general Cardassian populace, as it poses a not so insignificant threat to the entirety of their specie. Curiosity One could easily mistake their sensitivity to change as an absence of curiosity – however this is not reflective of the ingenious Cardassian brain, which is easily intellectually understimulated. In particular women have a greater affinity for curiosity and invention, as they are more psychologically durable than their male counterparts. In contrast, militaristic males are polar opposite, and require rigid, conservative patterns to stay mentally healthy (see Skrain Dukat’s subsequent breakdown after things change too much for him to handle it). It is very likely that Cardassians could become more psychologically durable if they just got the right mental training as young (not entirely unlike the Vulcan’s need for meditative self insight and logical approach). But it doesn’t serve the Union to strengthen the citizens in this way, because it could lead to individualism, chaos and a loss of power for the leadership (it is mostly the last one that’s the real reason). With clear guidance and influence from cultures such as the Vulcan culture, the Cardassians could likely bloom into a progressive society where both tradition can be preserved (as seen with Vulcans) and change can be embraced. Whether they would be willing to accept this help is another issue onto itself. Relationships and Family It is more likely than not that the Cardassian mind is not inherently monoromantic, and that there’s a psychological need for multiple partners. This is especially prevalent in individuals such as Skrain Dukat, but also evident in the cultural inclusion of so called Comfort Women (and Comfort Men, no doubt) who are not to be mistaken for prostitutes, as they serve more the role of a personal therapist and psychologist, to whom you can tell dangerous secrets that you cannot share with your wife (or husband) without endangering her (or him). As connections with Comfort Women and more or less courting and adoring your friends or superiors (see Corat Damar towards a very obvlivious and self absorbed Skrain Dukat) do not have an adverse impact on ones affection and love for ones significant other, it is feasable to draw the conclusions that Cardassians are in fact geared towards polyromantic constellations, and would fare much better if surrounded by a larger group of lovers with whom they can let down all their psychological shields. This act would furthermore provide the individual with a sense of security that would displace the need for an absolute protective state, which is why monoromantic relationships are forced by the Cardassian State. Connecting onto that, Family serves as a Cardassian’s circle of trusted ones. Not all families provide this very efficiently, and it is likely to assume that the higher ranking the family name, the more adverse the interpersonal relationships. But without family on Cardassia, you have no one, and that kind of stress might ultimately lead to death-by-suicide. A Cardassian parent might seem unloving by an untrained eye, but all Cardassians harbor a deep instinct to protect those they believe are their biological young (see Skrain Dukat, and Enabran Tain). Sometimes, in order to protect that child, you must place a wedge between yourself and them, and sometimes a parents’ drive to protect their child become so strong that it’s ultimately going to shield the child from experiences of failure needed for personal growth, ultimately placing them in the mental state of a child or teenager, permanently so (see Elim Garak). Courting Qualities a Cardassian find to be attractive are largely based on their surrounding society and norms. With heavy emphasis on survivalism, skills valued are skills that predict a long and durable life. Therefore, it doesn’t matter to a Cardassian if their love interest is into illegal or questionable things, as long as he or she is an apt liar who can protect their own hide. Another thing worth to note is that a Cardassians only understand what they understand, and are not prone to courting those who have skillsets or careers too dissimilar from their own. Intelligence is perceived as a good survival skill, but everyone’s definition of intelligence differs, especially in regards to personal expertise (example: Miles O’Brien and the Cardassian scientist, Ulani Belor, having a cultural clash due to their common intelligence and skillsets). Cardassians will argue and debate only with people they trust or consider harmless. As such, arguments and intellectual debate are part of courting not as a display of strength, but as a display of common vulnerability. Easing into this stage of courting often takes a long amount of time – where you begin admirant of the other’s skills, and gradually sink into a more conversational level, until both you and your love interest are ready for a full-on, passionate debate. Some people, such as Skrain Dukat, is notoriously bad at the finer points of argumentative courting, which is why he has a weakness for Bajorans – from his point of view, they skip all that flimsy-flamsy cold talk and go right to the business, which is convenient and rewarding to him, since he can easily interpret it as yet another piece of proof that he’s a positively irresistible partner. While most conscious points of attraction pertains to the modern Cardassian living in the contemporary world, it is worth to note that basic survival skills will always be a good card to have up your sleeve. To have an aptitude for sneaking undetected, is to be a highly desirable mate. To prove this skill, a Cardassian who is certain of the other’s interest, will prove him or herself by sneaking into their love interest’s home, often in the middle of the night, avoiding the attention of the entire family except for the love interest (example: Elim Garak “violating” Julian Bashir’s privacy). The ones with the finest of these skills will attempt to slip into the other’s bed and sleep, so that their love interest will wake up to their very obvious presence. Gender Yet another reason why Cardassians are protective of their medical details, is the high prevalence of infertility and intersexism. It can be assumed that this intersexism oftentimes is entirely naturally and intentionally present and is actually not as hugely due to pollution as originally speculated. It is highly likely that Cardassians carry a heritage featuring more genders than the traditional female/male subsets, but that the State would reduce the gender roles so to more easily fit a totalitarian agenda, rule enforcement and order. It is easier to maintain two genders than, say, six or eight. Reintroducing this concept to the Cardassian mind might either be more difficult, or more easy than one would assume, and it likely depends a great deal on whether that populace comes from a city-planet (like Prime) or a village planet (like Soukara), and the median age of the group. As a result of suppressed gender identities, there’s likely a large portion of Cardassians suffering from gender dysphoria. Without knowing what it is, it might be labeled as any number of other psychological states, and might additionally lead to undesirable-by-the-state behaviors. It is likely not uncommon for these individuals to get institutionalized based on other diagnoses.

[literaturemonamour]

The Ten Books I’d Bring to a Desert Island

Since I’d possibly be a thousand miles away from home, I’d like to bring books that will remind me of my favorite reading spot, the place where I feel safe and protected, which is also the place where I’ve teared up on so many books and embarked on a multitude of exhilarating journeys across time and space. I’m going to bring books that will evoke the sense of wanderlust and encourage me to go on a spontaneous adventure on the island and appreciate nature at its finest. (Read More)

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

This book is part travel journal and part scientific observation. Kolbert kept me transfixed throughout her entire journey as she visited places that display alarming signs of the sixth extinction. She also brought me closer to our human history by pointing out where did we plunder our planet and the timeline where a species disappeared. It’s an essential book, a perfect candidate for reading on a deserted island where nature thrives and I’d most likely spend the majority of my time exploring its inhabitants and landscape (as well as imagining myself as world-renowned scientist).

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

For me, one of the saddest things about reading is when you read a book too soon, and you find yourself unable to appreciate it fully. I read Things Fall Apart in high school and I dreaded it back then, almost as much as I intensely dreaded every other book that i was assigned to read. I was ignorant enough to remain insouciant and refused to make any attempt to conceptualize it. My mind was incapable of wrapping my head around the idea of proselytism at the time or the clash of cultures, therefore I lacked the true appreciation for Achebe’s masterpiece. I’m definitely going to reread this one soon and being on a deserted island will allow me more time to ponder and reflect back on my thoughts.

The Stranger - Albert Camus

Everyone I know is aware of the extent of my admiration for Camus.This book is the quintessential of French literature. The first time I read it, my mind became so immersive in Camus’ distinctive writing that nonetheless, manages to convey nuances and profound meanings. In the end, the reader is faced with a moral dilemma and left with a plethora of questions to contemplate. Camus explores and highlights the absurdity of human existence and our innate impetus to break away from societal mores.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

A beautiful coming of age portrait of three generations of Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn. I have a profound tenderness for this book as it taught me about immigrant experience and being labelled as an outcast. Francie Nolan remains my favorite little heroine, she has an insatiable yearning for books and voracity for reading that i can’t help relating to her during my childhood years. While this book shatters my heart into pieces, every small moment in it that divulges the vivacity of childhood and the endurance of human spirits during hardships, glues my heart back together again.

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar

I’ve become enamoured with Roman history after reading The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius, despite the account on Hadrian’s life wasn’t included in Suetonius’ compendium of ancient Roman biographies, he was a powerful figure and nonetheless, left a lasting impact on Rome. Yourcenar did a remarkable thing by transforming herself into the emperor Hadrian through letters. She complied pieces of his life and crafted them into Hadrian’s biography. The book is meticulously researched and lyrical to the extent that the reader could easily mistake Yourcenar’s writing for Hadrian’s own writing on his deathbed.

A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler

This book is a hidden treasure. I love the simplicity in words and the depiction of the tranquillity of life in the Austrian Alps. However, despite its beauty and quiescence, a whole life in the bleakness of nature can get incredibly lonely from a lack of human connection. It’s a heartrending portrait of a man, whose life is spent living in a little village in the Alps and the only time he is away from home is when he decides to fight in the war. There’s a plenty of exquisitely written scenes that demonstrate the terror of war and heartbreaking tragedy of loss in the book, even though the protagonist rarely speaks or expresses his feelings, one can easily understand his undertow of melancholy. I felt a strange kind of loneliness while reading this book and a bit choked up at times. It’s a panorama view of human experience in the span of 80 years, comprised of small, ephemeral moments that shaped and shifted our experience and made us who we are.

The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

I’ve written and raved about this book so many times that some people might get a little tired of reading about it. But this was the book that terrified me greatly as it depicted a dystopian society, where women are regarded as nothing more than a walking-womb. Their only purpose is to serve men and bear children. The brutal, patriarchal regime of Gilead reinforces the mindset that women are supposed to be grateful for what modicum of “liberty” they are allowed to have and they should not aim to instigate any rebellion, lest face with severe punishments. A part of the reasons why this book has come up in a lot of discussions lately is that it’s starting to look more and more like our imminent future, where men aim to control every aspect of womanhood, irrespectively of how women might feel. It’s staggeringly relevant.  

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

I love Maya Angelou. I love her poetry, i love her courage, and most of all, who she was as a person. The first time i heard she read “Phenomenal Woman”, I felt uplifted and invincible This memoir is a testament to her wits and brilliance. A part of it covers the bigotry, racial oppression, and what the world has put her through as a child because of the colour of her skin, and yet she remained courageous and graceful. It was heart-breaking to read about the heinous things that she had to endure in her tender years, but it also serves as a recurring reminder of our innate ability to easily succumb to hatred and bigotry. This book can also be taken as a representation of feminist observation as well. Maya was raised in a matriarchal household of strong-willed women like her grandmother and her mother; through them she built up her own courage and found her voice in books and poetry. Maya challenged societal mores and social segregation and became a revolutionary figure, one that advocates for civil rights. And by authoring a memoir as unflinchingly honest as this one, she gave us the courage to live and rise above hatred. A truly phenomenal woman, indeed.

What We See When We Read - Peter Mendelsund,

A rich investigation on how our brain works when we read. Mendelsund explores the theory that when we read a book and sink into the experience, the performance of a sort begins in our head and we attend the performance. This book offers deep insights into our visualization process and the origin of how we associate our personal experience with the visualization of a book that we’re reading. It’s a riveting, thought-provoking read and the illustrations are simply exquisite.

Adventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum by Gavin Francis    

Reading this book was like taking an exclusive tour of the universe beneath our skin. The author examines every part of our body from head to toes and combining his own medical experience as a doctor into it with a blend of mythology and literature. I particularly liked the chapter on blindness, in which he used Jorge Luis Borges whom some of the readers may have already been familiar with, as a literary example by exploring his blindness which wasn’t regarded as a terrible thing, in terms of helping him to create innovative literature through his imagination. Instead of laden the book with medical jargon, he chose to approach each organ in our anatomy with a sense humour tinged with familiarity, in order to emphasize the wonderful uniqueness and complexities, which human body possesses, and illustrates what weaknesses we’re biologically programmed to have in return for these abilities. It’s a magnificent exploration of human condition and our body anatomy.

- Belle

[equalityforher]

Artist Spotlight: Robin Eisenberg

by Anna Gragert

There is art that makes you stop and stare, hypnotizing you as it draws you into a world built within the human imagination. There is art that wrinkles your brow, posing questions without answers (or, conversely, too many answers all at once). Then, there is art like Robin Eisenberg’s — art that has you take a good look at your reflection, reminding you that certain answers can only be found by looking right into your own eyes.

Robin’s work transports viewers to lands inhabited by women (and some men) who make you feel a certain way about yourself. Maybe it’s because they are badass, empowered babes who represent the freedom we all aim to attain. Or, it could be because these women represent a certain ferocity that’s already within us. Either way, these reasonings speak to the fact that we are living in a society that seeks to quell women — and that art such as Robin’s allows us to escape.

From her desk, Robin builds fantastical worlds that live and breathe and dance. Yes, she creates GIFs that actually come to life, but her static images maintain this same energy. In the creative’s universe, women of all shapes and sizes and colors are free to be. They are the masters of their own lives, and tell their own stories. Though she is their creator, Robin gives her characters room to narrate.

To find out more about the woman behind so many women, Robin kindly agreed to answer our (many) questions.

I’ve noticed that a majority of the characters you create are women. Is there a reason for this?

Being a woman is awesome, and I love celebrating women in all of their strength, weirdness, beauty, and complication. I tend to be much more drawn to art and stories that revolve around women, and I have always been more excited to draw women. I do draw men occasionally for projects, and although I don’t mind drawing them, it’s never as much fun for me!

With that being said, these women tend to give off an aura of empowerment and seem comfortable with their sexuality. Can you talk more about this theme?

Yes, totally! Well, I have had so many moments in my life where music or art or literature has really helped me to feel stronger or more comfortable with myself — whether by feeling understood/seen, or by feeling empowered by the traits of a character. I would love it if other women saw my work and felt that same way! Treating yourself with love is so important, and by drawing women who are at ease with themselves, it helps me to remember to try and be the same way.

I also love that the women you craft display an inclusive amount of diversity. Why is this important to you?

Inclusion and intersectionality are both so important in every area. I really want my art to feel like home to as many different women and people as possible. I feel like there are always ways that I can do better with this, and I absolutely want to continue to expand and challenge my own norms as far as the characters I tend to create and the kind of world I’m building with my artwork.

Though you’ve worked with many companies and organizations, you always remain true to your artistic style. What are some key elements you’d fight to keep in your work?

I am generally pretty open to different color palettes and even new imagery that I might not normally draw, but at a certain point, if a client is wanting an entirely different style of linework or method, I will usually decline the job and politely recommend a different artist who might fit their vision more closely. I’m all for expanding on my style, but as an illustrator, it seems counterproductive to make art that doesn’t look like my own work.

Speaking of your style, where do you pull inspiration from?

So many things! Living in L.A., and feeling forever in love with the city, the ocean, and the desert. I have lived in a lot of other places, but I love L.A. for having all three of those things so close together. AND FOOD! So much food in L.A. — another big inspiration!

People-watching has always been one of my favorite activities — although now it’s sometimes replaced with Instagram scrolling, which is not as fun but still can be really inspiring. Haha! It is still rad and weirdly novel to me how you can see into the lives of so many people and artists from all over the world! Even though you know it’s a filtered view, it’s still really interesting to me. Other inspiring things are new music, old favorite music, my parents, books, and changing weather.

At what point in your career did you feel comfortable calling yourself an artist?

I’ve never really thought about that! I guess I have always defined myself as an artist in some way, as it’s been the primary thing I’ve done for most of my life. I was actually voted “most artistic” in my high school yearbook, which is really funny to me. But yeah, drawing has always been such an integral part of my day-to-day life that I don’t know if I’ve ever really thought about whether or not I was an artist. I do think it took a long time for me to feel like I could call myself a “professional” artist. I would say that happened last year, when I realized I was finally supporting myself 100% with art.

What is one fear you’ve had to face on your journey as an artist? How did you overcome that fear?

Probably this, haha! Talking about myself and being able to somewhat eloquently discuss my work and my thoughts on where my art sits in the world. I’ve definitely gotten better (hopefully!) when it comes to interviews, but I still get incredibly nervous with in-person interviews or the notion of being part of a panel, talk, or conference. (Palms are sweating thinking about this. Haha.) I generally just go with the “confront your fears” thing. I think it’s definitely true that the more you do something, the less intimidating and scary it becomes until it is just a normal thing that you do and are fine with doing, no matter how good or bad you are at it. Also — forgiving yourself for making mistakes, not expecting yourself to be perfect 100% of the time is also important I think, and something I always try to remember.

As a fan of your Instagram account, I can’t get over how prolific you are. It feels like you are posting new, amazing content every day. How do you keep up with it all? Is there something specific you do to get in the zone when you’re working?

I really love drawing, and I really love working maybe to the point of being somewhat obsessive. I have to actively force myself to leave my desk or my studio because if I don’t, I will work every waking hour, which I don’t think is healthy or ultimately productive. But I really do love it and it is really rare that I have a day when I’m not excited to sit down and draw.

My dream vacation is a light-filled room with a huge desk and an epic ocean view. Haha. Having said that, I think it’s so important to shake yourself out of your habits and be involved in the real world, too, so I do try to get out and explore places, see friends and family, etc., so that I don’t feel like my work is becoming stagnant/repetitive (or feel like I am merging with my desk chair).

Your GIFs are STUNNING. What is your favorite part about creating them, as opposed to creating static images? The hardest part?

Thank you! It is so exciting and weird to see your art move and change! I have been doing it now for over a year but I still think it’s so fun and cool. I love how animation offers an entirely new world of possibility for art and what you can do with it. That’s my fave part.

The hardest part is just that, for me, it is so incredibly time-consuming. As of now, I do everything frame by frame, so my animation capabilities are pretty limited and everything takes forever. I’m hoping to expand on my skills this year, so I can start working on more extensive and complex animations.

So much of your work has an otherworldly quality to it, with many of your characters appearing to be from a different planet. Why would you say this is?

I really love the idea of a weird alien world that somehow still feels familiar and relatable instead of feeling distant. I also love drawing everyday life things in otherworldly settings! I was always obsessed with fantasy and sci-fi books/movies/games as a kid, so that has also definitely been a big influence. I still love all of the artwork from the book covers and graphic novels I had when I was younger. Lots of runaway princesses riding on dragons and sorceress women casting spells and alien ship captains looking tough … So rad! I still love all of that, but I guess I try and make it a little more personal.

If you could create your own world, what would it look like?

Lush, green, two moons, purple oceans, pink sand, deserts with craters, lots of sunflowers and eucalyptus and juniper and moss and cacti and palm trees also. Really nice dogs everywhere!

What is one piece of advice you’d give to all the women who aim to work in a creative field?

Don’t undervalue your own work. Be proud of your successes, no matter how big or small. Lift each other up. Whoops, sorry, that’s three pieces of advice!

All images are courtesy  of the artist. To learn more, you can follow Robin Eisenberg on Instagram or visit her website.

[4thvar]

Who’s ready for some g-g-g-gaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyys!!!!!

The answer is me. I am. And that’s why I wrote this paper about mid-century homoeroticism in literature. Please enjoy it and I hope someone, somewhere learns something.

It is not often in mid-century fiction that the homosexual gets a happy ending– a truly happy one, that is, and not the miraculous conversion by God or

psychoanalysis so commonly employed – and so the rare exception to this trope is of special interest. Such an exception is found in Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt; indeed, the novel is quite famous for being one of the first “lesbian novels” to feature not only a positive ending, but also a frank description of a lesbian relationship. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is, on the other hand, an almost exact opposite: in it there is no explicit mention of homosexuality; neither of the two main characters is given a happy ending; and the restrictive setting, a small New England boarding school, contrasts with the vast America The Price of Salt inhabits through Therese and Carol’s cross-country journey. What these two novels do share, however, is a conception of homosociality which is ever incomplete, divorced from the real by an ideological drive which underlies both texts.           

What strikes the reader first upon finishing The Price of Salt is that despite its romantic theme, it is a surprisingly solitary story. Therese Belivet, the main character, has no female friends, aside from Carol, who is not so much a friend as a lover, and indeed harbors a sort of disinterested antipathy toward even those female acquaintances she makes through Carol and her travels. Taking Sedgwick’s conception of female homosociality from Between Men, it would appear odd that Therese should be so sequestered on the one end of what is, according to Sedgwick, a relatively continuous spectrum.[1] But perhaps not so odd, if we consider that The Price of Salt, despite its lauded status as a progressive novel for its time, may nevertheless be underpinned by the very ideology (of compulsive heterosexuality) that it subverts. This latent ideology, which is by no means the only one at play, is manifest in Therese’s attraction to Carol, which is singular and seems to exclude not only men, but also other women. This becomes abundantly clear in the last chapter, where Therese, meeting a woman who strikes her with “a shock a little like that she had known when she had seen Carol”, upon reflection realizes that it is only a passing resemblance and “[She] would never mean anything to her, nothing apart from this half hour”. This singular affection seems to bring the text to an idea of same-sex attraction as sodomy rather than homosexuality (i.e., a single act), or at least to distance itself from an establishment of identity. The ideological work done here is twofold: first, it separates Therese from her desire in a way reminiscent of psychoanalytical “treatments”, thus associating it with pathology; second, and perhaps more importantly, it divorces Therese’s sexuality from any homosocial structure. The first point speaks merely to the social climate of the Fifties, in which compulsive psychoanalysis was popular, while the second speaks to a more nuanced separation between the homosexual and the homosocial that recalls Sedgwick’s description of male homosexuality. Highsmith recognizes homosexuality and gives it a voice, but in doing so reduces it to an isolated occurrence (excepting some mentions of girls who are “like that” made offhand). This tradeoff allows Highsmith her ending, which is singular because it is positive, but the price paid is the cession of context, of the sense of a wider homosexual/social world. This price is exacted by the ideology of the text, which is not the same as the ideology of the author, but rather, following Eagleton, the “product of a particular history”.[2] Clearly this sacrifice isn’t entirely a product of Highsmith’s personal ideology (she frequented of the Greenwich village scene herself), but rather a product of the prevailing literary institutions. It is interesting to note, however, that though these homophobic institutions could extract a price for positive representation, Highsmith’s individual agency was such that she could act within and against them to achieve something new. Thus, The Price of Salt should be seen not merely as a product of Fifties social institutions, but rather as a work restricted by prevailing ideology, but not directed by it.

A Separate Peace, by contrast, is a novel which is all but explicit in its portrayal of homosociality/sexuality. Its depiction of an all-male boarding school in New England (which seems at times to be more connected to Old England) focuses almost exclusively on male relationships and features no significant female characters, indeed lacks even a single significant instance of male desire towards anything female. The climate, then, is one of homosociality divorced not only from homosexuality, but also from libido as a category, including the heterosexual. The main relationship of the book is between Gene and Phineas (referred to in all but the most serious moments as Finny), and it is this relationship which drives the plot. Traditionally regarded as a bildungsroman, the plot centers on an accident in a tree (or a crime?), the looming war, and a transition into adulthood. This idea is what is presented, and has been presented, to generations of high school students, as a neat example of boyhood turned to maturity, of the nature of good and evil, and of a dozen other “vulgar criticisms”, to borrow a phrase from Eagleton, which always dance around the truly subversive. These vulgar criticisms are not the subject of this essay.Instead, let us regard the bond between Finny and Gene not as a unique connection (as in The Price of Salt) but rather as one twist in the fabric of cloistered homosociality which pervades Devon, and schools like Devon which in turn pervade the English literary tradition. There are two main factors that distinguish Gene and Finny from countless other male-boarding-school protagonist/deuteragonist pairs: first, there are the telling instances of clear homoeroticism, the most notable being Gene’s description of Brinker Hadley (the novel’s antagonist after a fashion), which focuses on “[His] salient characteristic, those healthy, determined, not over exaggerated but definite and substantial buttocks” and earlier, as the establishing moment of Gene and Finny’s friendship, he describes how “I threw my hip against his… This was why he liked me so much. When I jumped on top of him, my knees on his chest, he couldn’t ask for anything better”. These two instances (taken from dozens like them) form a sort of secondary vulgar reading, beyond the apparent themes of the book (the nature of good and evil, maturity, etc.), which it expresses explicitly through the adult Gene’s narration, but still associated with an idea of oblique one-to-one signification that lacks wider context. The stronger argument comes from the second distinguishing factor, which is the makeshift trial Brinker brings against Gene (and through Gene, Finny), the climax of the text, and including the chain of events that lead to it. The purpose of the trial is purportedly to find the cause of Finny’s fall from an infamous tree earlier in the year, which left his leg shattered, but this is only the surface. Below it, understood by all present, lies an accusation against Gene, of having caused the accident, of harboring hatred towards Finny, his best friend.

So we know what the trial is after, but the text is silent as to why it is set in motion, aside from a paper-thin explanation of Brinker’s antipathy towards Gene apparently stemming from a witty put-down in a common room. Instead of taking this explanation at face value, it may be more useful to consider the two events in opposition. The insult that supposedly initiates Brinker’s antipathy takes place in an informal court of sorts, the “butt room” where students are allowed to smoke, and which, unlike the rest of Devon, fosters an air of seedy freedom. The insult is a minor one – Brinker, insinuating that Gene may have had a hand in Finny’s fall, is called “Dr. Watson”, a jibe at his seemingly foolish conjecture – but it demonstrates Brinker’s “very weak foothold among the butt room crowd”. The natural inverse of this event is Brinker’s trial, which takes place in the assembly hall that has “row after row of black Early American benches” and “portraits in oil of deceased headmasters”. If the butt room is freely social and its judgements made on an organic basis, then the assembly room is akin to the “real” legal world, where Brinker gets at the “truth” of the matter with witnesses and cajoling. It is a vulgar truth, however, and no closer to the truth of Gene and Finny’s relationship, or to the “real”, than the casual sociality of the butt room.The ideological drive behind this change, from casual homosociality to inquisitorial patriarchy, contains echoes of Foucault’s The History of Sexuality, especially in the change from a social conception of homosexuality as sodomy (the charge contested among peers) to a matter of formal inquiry (the charge presented in the “court”).[3] Brinker’s role in this transition is as important as Gene and Finny’s; in the first, he represents himself, and so Gene can deride him, attack his credibility, but in the second Brinker is not himself, but a representative. He occupies a raised platform, is removed, and is surrounded by “ten members of the senior class; all of them wearing their black graduation robes”. The idea presented by Brinker is of an investigation apart from the events themselves, a search for the “real” to remove Finny and Gene’s tenuous history – to “get all this out in the open” in Brinker’s words – but such a distanced inquisition is not possible because the subject of the inquisition, Finny, by way of Gene, has constructed his own history of the event, one which precludes Gene’s guilt, which is Brinker’s object. Brinker’s impulse is not then an investigative one, but a destructive one, after a fashion; he seeks to destroy Finny’s history of the event, and replace it with one which indicts Gene, seeks, essentially, to destroy Gene and Finny’s relationship, whatever it may be. Of course, the result is the death of Finny, and the ideology at play is the same present in the Price of Salt. But where in that novel it merely forces the de-contextualization of homosexuality, in A Separate Peace it is a re-enactment of that archetypal repressive act, the hostile question that predicts its own answer.

Taken together, these texts illuminate two distinct aspects of mid-century ideology. In The Price of Salt there is an isolation from homosociality which is produced from the psychoanalytic tradition of regarding homosexuality as an individual problem, rooted not in healthy homosociality but in singularly unhealthy heterosexuality. In The Price of Salt we are given a relationship untethered, and therefore deprived of its full meaning. A Separate Peace on the other hand, does inverse but complementary work. Here the full context of homosociality is presented, with all sign of connection to homosexuality carefully excised. When the potential for such a relationship emerges, as between Finny and Gene, it is the subject of investigation, and thus is singled out from the “normal” (or rather, normative) fabric of homosociality and is targeted by authority’s repressive impulse. The relationship is tethered, and is contextualized, but is presented as other than what it could be, and is therefore deprived of its full meaning. The Price of Salt can express only homosexuality, and A Separate Peace only homosociality, but never both concurrently. As stated, however, the ideological work is not, could not be, done on behalf of the authors; rather, both Highsmith and Knowles work within ideology’s restrictions to produce work that hints at the “real” status of homosexuality – as merely a continuation of homosociality, as inseparable from it. 

Side Note:

But why is this investigation destructive? What is it about the drive to know that ties it so inextricably from the drive to destroy? I am reminded of a late-night discussion I recently had, which spanned two topics, and ended unsatisfactorily on both counts. The first topic was the practice of literary dissection, which to my friend was not only completely useless, but detrimental to his appreciation of poetry. He asserted at length that because of his high school English classes he could no longer read certain poems without over-analyzing them to an unpleasant extent, even poems that on first reading he had once enjoyed. I responded that there was a certain joy in knowing something completely, or at least in working towards such knowledge, but it soon became clear that neither of us understood the experience of the other and so the conversation died.       

The second thing we spoke about (I can’t remember what initiated it) was certainty in a more general sense, that is, the question of whether anything could be known for certain. I thought, and still think, that because we all reason from experience (inductively), and real certainty can only be gotten from deductive reasoning, there is no way to reach absolute surety. So, however probable it might be that gravity is universal, we can’t know that it is (or know in a more real sense why it is) because we only have our own testimony to prove it. He resisted this idea very forcefully, asserting that because an objective truth must exist (on that we agreed), it followed that there would be a trace of it in our experience, and that the trace could be interpreted with certainty. This argument also went nowhere, although it was more heated and interesting than the last, even drawing in some others.It’s only now that I’ve connected the two in my mind.

It occurred to me that as far as the poetry went, it was not the investigation he loathed, but what its necessity said about the poem. Before, he had taken his joy in the poem, his subjective experience of it, as the “real”, but then, having been shown something behind the poem, something outside of a momentary reading, uncertainty entered in. This uncertainty, I believe, was the source of the unpleasantness, because it cast into doubt his idea of what was “real” in the poem. The same impulse was, I think, at the heart of his opposition to universal uncertainty. It is the drive to not only be sure of some solid foundation (which, again, we both agreed existed somewhere) but to be able to know the foundation.This is Brinker’s impulse in conducting Gene’s trial. It is the drive to lay one’s hand on a fundamental truth, and it cannot be anything but destructive, because it will always be frustrated. Before Finny falls there is a superficial experience of homosociality shared by all and accepted as “real”. Afterwards, there is nothing but an endless inquiry, first by Gene, into his own motivations, and then by Brinker, into the nature of Gene and Finny’s relationship. Answers are not forthcoming, only more uncertainty, and more inquiry. They search for facts, but the truth is it’s turtles all the way down.

[1] Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Between Men. New York: Columbia UP, 2016. N. pag. Print.

[2] Eagleton, Terry, and Drew Milne. Marxist Literary Theory: A Reader. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2006. Print.

[3] Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992. Print.

[foxhenki-blog]

The Red Fog

This week was the first week where I hit all of my daily planetary prayers for quite a long time, and this is the first week in quite a long time where my days have been filled with magic.

Without going into specifics, something large happened at the J-O-B and I moved into a gap of responsibility that it created. Last year I know that I sigiled for more responsibility and position. This gap opened up in the wrong direction as far as what I want my ideal job to be, but there was enough attached to it that it will make that ideal job all the more easy to slip into when that blip in probability presents itself. It is funny, because the effectiveness, or rather, the openness that saying the week’s planetary prayers created was very similar to some of the items that fell in line the very first time I did them. This is interesting because it points (as a Cheshire Cat points) to a possible reality where magic has some kind of diminishing return if not allowed to rest and recharge. Or, it points to the greater effectiveness of magic when attention is paid to timing, as most of my free-form appeals to the planetary spirits this week have been directly in line with what the Hygromanteia Lunar Days list says they are good for also.

It is freezing here in Wisconsin. Like, lose your ears freezing, but this winter has an optimistic air for me. I feel unstuck after the last eclipse. We have twelve inches of snow coming our way and schools and businesses are already sending out closing notices. On the other side of the world, however, there are people I respect and care about that are being threatened by super natural one thousand kilometer long bush fires. The world is changing, and it is changing quickly. Re-enchantment is the only thing helping me to keep up. This boxcar is moving too fast now to hop off and wait for another. There are others in this boxcar, however, and they are eyeing me with distrust. How did I get up here? Why don’t I look as disheveled and hungry as them. Why am I smiling?

Our archetype last week, the necromancer Joseph Curwen, represents standing just inside the threshold of a re-enchanted world, with one foot still (necessarily) planted on the side of ‘normal’ society. Our archetype this week comes with a warning against living as an ‘Other’ among the ‘Normals.’ That gap in responsibility I mentioned, the blip in probability that opened up and allowed me to slip in, that came at the cost of a number of Normal’s prosperity. Enchantments don’t create something out of nothing. They move things around so that the game is more favorable for the magician. This doesn’t always go unnoticed or unpunished.

We resume our examination with the necromancer beginning to adapt more closely to the societal reality around him following his marriage to a well dowered young woman, whose hand he inexplicably stole from a young sailor by the name of Era Weeden:

“Shortly after the birth of his daughter [Anna], Joseph Curwen resolved to sit for a portrait. This he had painted by a very gifted Scotsman named Cosmo Alexander, then a resident of Newport… [Curwen’s] affectation of civic interest did not diminish, and he lost no opportunities for helping such leaders as Stephen Hopkins, Joseph Brown, and Benjamin West in their efforts to raise the cultural tone of the town, which was then much below the level of Newport in its patronage of the liberal arts. He had helped Daniel Jenckes found his bookshop in 1763 and was thereafter his best customer…”

Lovecraft is positioning the necromancer, Joseph Curwen, as one of the principle agents in the formation of culture in Providence, RI. These actions, would of course, reverberate through the city’s modern culture today. The mention of Daniel Jenckes, a judge and a bookseller, is of particular interest. This bookshop was said to lie somewhere near the printer William Goddard’s print shop and to be filled with his imprints (and presumably, Necronomicons). William Goddard’s sister, Mary Katherine Goddard, published the first certified copy of the Declaration of Independence. If her brother William was funded by the necromancer Curwen, it is likely that he was greatly influenced by his patron. This creates a link between the Lovecraftian mythos and the founding document of the United States. Curwen’s forays into local politics and sitting for portraits from internationally reknowned painters, following his marriage, did not go unwatched by the jilted fiance, Ezra Weeden:

“Ezra Weeden… watched [Curwen] closely… The revengeful youth began a systematic study of the man and his doings whenever he was in port; spending hourse at night by the wharves with a dory in readiness when he saw lights in the Curwen warehouses, and following the small boat which would sometimes steal quietly off and down the bay. He also kept as close a watch as possible on the Pawtuxet farm… though his periods of espionage were necessarily brief and intermittent on account of his sea voyaging, [Ezra] had a vindictive persistence which the bulk of practical townsfolk and farmers lacked…”

Weeden is positioned against the archetype of Curwen as a type of check and balance, a cancelling force.

“Weeden… watched the farm with unremitting assiduity; visiting it each night for long periods… Finding his… vigils interrupted by nautical duties, he hired a tavern companion named Eleazar Smith to continue the survey during his absences… It is gathered that Weeden and Smith became early convinced that a great series of tunnels and catacombs, inhabited by a very sizable staff of persons… underlay the farm… [Curwen’s] laboratory [was] a lean-to toward the north… voices [inside the laboratory began to assume] a… terrible cast… betwixt dronings of dull acquiescence and explosions of frantic pain or fury, rumblings of conversation and whines of entreaty… There were voices of a sort that neither Weeden nor Smith had ever heard before despite their wide knowledge of foreign parts [as sailors]… Weeden had many verbatim reports of overheard scraps in his notebook… Once, for example, an alternately raging and sullen figure was questioned in French about the Black Prince’s massacre at Limoges in 1370, as if there were some hidden reason which he ought to know. Curwen asked the prisoner… whether the order to slay was given because of the Sign of the Goat found on the altar in the ancient Roman crypt beneath the Cathedral, or whether the Dark Man of the Haute Vienne Coven had spoken the Three Words…”

The instance being referenced here is known as the Siege of Limoges, which was championed by Edward the Black Prince, the eldest son and heir apparent (until his death) of King Edward III.

The Siege of Limoges resulted in the massacre of three thousand men, women and children. The historian Sean McGlynn states in his book ‘By Sword and Fire’ that the evidence for an unprecedented massacre is profound and that urban areas such as Limoges rarely met as complete destruction as the evidence suggests. Some suggest that it was this brutality that led to Edward Plantagenet being recorded in history as ‘The Black Prince.’ What Lovecraft is suggesting is that the cause of the massacre had more to do with politicos in the department [an administrative / geographic division] of Haute-Vienne were in league with unnatural and un-Christian forces. Curwen, it seems, is raising the dead to piece together the story of magic during a period of history where much of it was either destroyed or encrypted.

Having gathered enough evidence on the necromancer, Ezra Weeden moves forward with mobilizing enemies against him. Enemies that were previously only a bit mystified by his recent marriage and soujourns into the public area:

“By the Autumn of 1770 Weeden decided that the time was ripe to tell others of his discoveries; for he had a large number of facts to link together… As his first confidant he selected Capt. James Mathewson of the Enterprise, who on the one hand knew him well enough not to doubt his veracity, and on the other hand was sufficiently influential in the town to be heard in turn with respect.”

I have a budding theory that the Cthulhu Mythos is, in reality, an extension of the belief systems that first manifested in ancient Poseidon and Neptune cults. One of the characteristics of these cults are that the devotees would leave models of ships as offerings to Poseidon. With the amount of detail and the high percentage of references to frigates, schooners, and other boats of the 18th and early 19th c. in Lovecraft’s fiction, the thought came to me that his oeuvre is a type of literary offering or altar space to Poseidon himself. Another characteristic of the god is his dominion over not just the sea, but also of the earth. He is reported to be quite pleased with altars made of ships oars transported far inland to places with no water, thus extending his realm of influence. There is nothing more portable than an idea and the primary container for transporting and sharing ideas widely is literature. In a way, anywhere there is a Lovecraft tale on a shelf, there is a figurative ships oar altar for Poseidon to inspirit.

Weeden continues his investigations, effectively going full NSA on the aging wizard, and intercepting his communications with a colleague in Salem. Instead of cellphone conversations, however, a bribe is put in from of a receptive postman so that he may produce the mail of the necromancer for further study by the investigators.

“arrangements had been made with the post riders to intercept Joseph Curwen’s mail, and… there was found a letter from one Jedediah Orne of Salem… Parts of it, copied and preserved in… private archives… ran as follows…

I have not ye Chymmicall art to follow Borellus, and owne my Self confounded by ye VII. Booke of ye Necronomicon that you recommende… say to you… doe not call up Any that you can not put downe… Ask of the Lesser, lest the Greater shall not wish to Answer, and shall commande more than you… And againe I ask that you shalle write me as Jedediah and not Simon. In this Community a Man may not live too long, and you knowe my Plan by which I came back as my son…”

There are a couple of insights in this letter. First, where its writer states ‘Ask of the Lesser, lest the Greater shall not wish to Answer…’ is a profound insight into the practical utilization of Solomonic magic, where it is an oft cited practice to conjure and bind lesser demons in an attempt to work up the hierarchy towards their leaders. There is, in this modern day, just as much advice to perform the latter, but perhaps Lovecraft is leaving us a clue as to what the right course for necromantic conjuring is. Second, is the mention of the Necronomicon and the true name of the author of the letter, not Jedediah, but Simon. This hint adds more flesh around the imaginal grimoire and its modern instantiation, the Simonomicon. Instead of this instantiation’s creating being rooted in modern day, we have a centuries old connection to its genesis embedded in the text of Dexter Ward. This is, to my recollection, the only instance of the name ‘Simon’ in the entire Lovecraftian Corpus.

This letter from Simon to Curwen proves to be the tipping point for his nemesis, Weeden and the rest of the group of town officials and sailors that he had conscripted to aid him in doing away with the man who had stole his bride:

“about 100 men met at 10 PM on Friday, April 12th, 1771, in the great room of Thurston’s Tavern at the Sign of the Golden Lion on Weybosset Point across the Bridge… About 10:30 a heavy rumble was heard on the Great Bridge, followed by the sound of a coach in the street outside; and at that hour there was no need of waiting for Weeden in order to know that the doomed man had set out for his last night of unhallowed wizardry. A moment later, as the receding coach clattered faintly over the Muddy Dock Bridge , Weeden appeared; and the raiders fell silently into military order in the street…”

April 12th, on our Lovecraftian Magical Calendar, shall be marked as the Feast of Joseph Curwen. The meaning of the feast is to reflect on the extreme propensity for the mob to rise against the magically adjacent and magic in general. Yes, Joseph Curwen was a particularly dark wizard, using his skills to conjure the dead and extract from them wisdom that aided him in his pursuits of both prosperity and greater magic, but this has always been the way of things. Magic is about bending probability and circumstance to your own benefit. This can be done indirectly — as with intention exercises directed at others in your community that are suffering — or it can be done directly, as when you sigil for a new job or promotion. The antecedent of these acts are the acts of our necromancer. The Feast of Joseph Curwen is a day to remember this. It is also a day to remember our archetype, Ezra Weeden. Ezra was wronged by the necromancer when his fiance was stolen away. Weeden recognized that it was magic that had a hand in the phreaking of his own probability frequency, and he acted to bend the needle back to what he felt was a balance. Weeden is the leader and supplier of evidence to the mob of vigilantes — seamen, employed by the machinations of empire — that finally wipe the aged necromancer from the map of Providence, RI.

After a great deal of musketfire and screams, both human and non-human, the account of the Siege at Pawtuxet Farm continues:

“there were more shots, and… after that came silence for about three-quarters of an hour; at the end of which time little Arthur Fenner… exclaimed that he saw ‘a red fog’ going up to the stars from the accursed farm in the distance… Five minutes later a chill wind blew up, and the air became suffused with such an intolerable stench that only the strong freshness of the sea could have prevented its being noticed… by any wakeful souls in Pawtuxet village… Close upon it came the awful voice… It thundered out of the sky like a doom… It was deep and musical… but evil as… forbidden books… it spoke in an unknown tongue…

‘DEESMEES JESHET BONE DOSERE DUBEMA ENITEMOSS’

Not till the year 1919 did any soul link this crude transcript with anything else in mortal knowledge, but Charles Ward paled as he recognised what Mirandola had denounced in shudders as the ultimate horror among black magic’s incantations.”

The reference here is to Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, the author of the ‘Oration on the Dignity of Man,’ a defense of nine-hundred thesis on religion, philosophy and magic. He is also known as the founder of Christian Kabbalism. Another indicator that Lovecraft has woven deep magical truths into his corpus.

In the end, nearly all trace of Joseph Curwen was wiped out, with only a few fragments of the narrative surviving for Dexter Ward to put to work at reconstructing the story of his ancestor. Ezra Weeden, in effect, got his revenge by removing Curwen from the scale of probabilities altogether.

Our tarot card match for the archetype of Ezra Weeden is the Knight of Swords.

Etteilla offers us two keywords for the knight, military and ignorance. The word military, as an adjective, comes to us from the 14th c. Old French, which in turn is derived form the Latin ‘militaris,’ meaning ‘warlike.’ It is theorized that the term originates with the Etruscan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization] where a form of the word, ‘miles,’ is thought to mean ‘one who marches in a troop,’ forming a connection with the Greek ‘homilos,’ meaning ‘assembled crowd,’ or ‘throng.’ Weeden assembled a crowd of elders from Providence against Curwen, and it is described in the text that once Weeden joined the throng of one hundred seamen and their leaders, ‘the raiders fell silently into military order in the street.’ In context, this is the conscious or unconscious tendency for the majority of society to convene against magicians, especially once it is discovered that their enchantments are allowing them egress into greater avenues of prosperity. There is something that does not sit right with the common human when an Other begins to rise. This is the oft-cited reason for conducting magical operations or otherwise living a magical life in secret.

The second keyword, ignorance, is a bit more nuanced. it too comes from the Old French, dated around the 12th c. and earlier from the Latin ‘ignorantia,’ which means ‘want of knowledge.’ This is a bit different than our contemporary definition of ignorant, which calls into the mind’s eye a person who does not know the ‘facts’ as they are. For instance, the subset of people that are ‘ignorant’ of the number of humans murdered during the Holocaust. Knowledge is different than facts, which are essentially data and barely information (contextualized data). Ignorance, when broken down, is made up of the prefix ‘in-,’ which means the ‘opposite of’ and the PIE root ‘*gno-,’ meaning ‘to know.’ Ignorance is the opposite of gnosis. It is the state of being inline with and blinded by the archons.

While fully believing in the efficacy of magic, Ezra Weeden is actively aligned with those forces that oppose the necromancer. His motivations are vengeful and the motivations of those he mobilizes against Curwen are similar — all fearing his position in society and ultimately the knowledge he possessed of them and their family. Weeden is the embodiment a blood red fog of war cast over the actions of empire (the archons) and perpetuated by the colonized, those large tracts of society still unconsciously under the sway of a colonized consciousness as inherited from their parents and their parents parents. This way of looking at the world has no place for the magically-adjacent. Remember the Knight of Swords and his throng and champion those bravest of the Others that put themselves forth and proudly proclaim that they are, in fact, magic-users.

[1nebest]

Empathy technologies like VR, AR, and social media can transform education

Empathy technologies like VR, AR, and social media can transform education

Jennifer Carolan Contributor

Jennifer Carolan is a general partner and co-founder of Reach Capital.

In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker makes the case for reading as a “technology for perspective-taking” that has the capacity to not only evoke people’s empathy but also expand it. “The power of literacy,” as he argues  “get[s] people in the habit of straying from their parochial vantage points” while “creating a hothouse for new ideas about moral values and the social order.”

The first major empathy technology was Guttenberg’s printing press, invented in 1440. With the mass production of books came widespread literacy and the ability to inhabit the minds of others. While this may sound trite, it was actually a seismic innovation for people in the pre-industrial age who didn’t see, hear or interact with those outside of their village. More recently, other technologies like television and virtual reality made further advances, engaging more of the senses to deepen the simulated human experience.

We are now on the cusp of another breakthrough in empathy technologies that have their roots in education. Empathy technologies expand our access to diverse literature, allow us to more deeply understand each other and create opportunities for meaningful collaboration across racial, cultural, geographic and class backgrounds. The new empathy technologies don’t leave diversity of thought to chance rather they intentionally build for it.

Demand for these tools originates from educators both in schools and corporate environments who have a mandate around successful collaboration. Teachers who are on the front lines of this growing diversity consider it their job to help students and employees become better perspective-takers.

Our need to expand our circles of empathy has never been more urgent. We as a nation are becoming more diverse, segregated and isolated by the day.

The high school graduating class of 2020 will be majority minority and growing income inequality has created a vast income and opportunity gap. Our neighborhoods have regressed back to higher levels of socio-economic segregation; families from different sides of the track are living in increasing isolation from one another.

Photo courtesy of Flickr/Dean Hochman

These new empathy technologies are very different than social media platforms which once held so much promise to connect us all in an online utopia. The reality is that social media has moved us in the opposite direction. Instead, our platforms have us caught in an echo chamber of our own social filters, rarely exposed to new perspectives.

And it’s not just social media, clickbait tabloid journalism has encouraged mocking and judgment rather than the empathy-building journey of a great piece of writing like Toni Morrison or Donna Tartt. In the rich depth of literature, we empathize with the protagonist, and when their flaws are inevitably revealed, we are humbled and see ourselves in their complex, imperfect lives. Research has since proven that those who read more literary fiction are better at detecting and understanding others’ emotions.

What follows are several examples of empathy technologies in bricks and mortar schools, and online and corporate learning.

Empathy technologies enhance human connection rather than replacing it. Outschool is a marketplace for live online classes which connects K-12 students and teachers in small-groups over video-chat to explore shared interests. Historically online learning has offered great choice and access but at the cost of student engagement and human connection.

Outschool’s use of live video-chat and the small-group format removes the need for that trade-off. Kids and teachers see and hear each other, interacting in real-time like in a school classroom, but with participants from all over the world and from different backgrounds.

Live video chat on Outschool

The intentionally of curating a diverse library of content is a key difference between the new empathy technologies and social media. Newsela is a news platform delivering a bonanza of curated, leveled content to the classroom every day. It’s the antidote to the stale, single source textbook, refreshed once a decade. In the screenshot below, children are exposed to stories about Mexico, gun rights and Black women. Teachers often use Newsela articles as a jumping off point for a rich classroom discussion where respectful discourse skills are taught and practiced.

Newsela’s interface.

Business leaders are increasingly touting empathy as a critical leadership trait and using these technologies in their own corporate education programs for leadership and everyday employees. Google’s Sundar Pichai describes his management style as “the ability to trancend the work and work well with others.” Microsoft’s Satya Nadella believes that empathy is a key source of business innovation and is a prerequisite for one’s ability to “grasp customers’ un-met, unarticulated needs.” Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Apple’s Tim Cook round out a cohort of leaders who are listeners first and contrast sharply to the stereotypical brash Silicon Valley CEO.

To deepen employees empathy, cutting edge corporations like Amazon are using virtual environments like Mursion to practice challenging interpersonal interactions. Mursion’s virtual simulations are powered by trained human actors who engage in real-time conversations with employees. I tried it out by role-playing a manager discussing mandatory overtime with a line worker who was struggling to keep two part-time jobs. The line worker described to me how last-minute overtime requests threw his schedule into chaos, put his second job at risk and impacted his childcare situation.

[bigbooksandhottea-blog]

The Sick World and Ours

               The dystopia in Carola Dibbell’s The Only Ones is one that is very clearly the result of multiple, massive pandemics. In this way, it is reminiscent of other dystopias of the same genre, such as Emily St. John Mandel’s magnificent Station Eleven. However, unlike other books of this genre and many other books in general, Dibbel presents this world to us through a unique voice. I has the super-powered observational capabilities that most narrators have, but instead of conveying these observations to readers in an eloquent flow, she speaks bluntly and without grammatical convention.

               It is important to note I’s voice, as it is the vessel through which the reader perceives the world within the novel. Her voice is also constantly reminding us that although she is uneducated, she is not unintelligent. This is not only because of her keen observations, without which we would know very little about the world she inhabits, but also her comments on these observations. Her reaction when she sees a cow, for example not only does her reaction tell us that cows are rare in this world, but it also showcases her sense of wonder and optimism.

               I also want to take a look at her reaction to medical procedures. Speaking as someone who has gone through more medical procedures than average, her short descriptions of these procedures as “invasive” or “not invasive” stemmed from likely similar experience. It also shows a common phenomenon when medical procedures are a common occurrence. This can especially be seen when she talks about scraping the soma from her breast tissue no longer being invasive. I feel this way with blood tests, even though somebody who is afraid of needles may feel differently.

               Considering her widespread immunity and the apparent difficulty in conceiving a child that has become a hallmark of dystopian literature, particularly dystopian literature written by women, it makes sense that she would be highly sought after for passing her genes along. In fact, her immunity, or “hardiness” seems to be her defining trait when it comes to her reproductive value. The narration in her voice allows us to see past her exterior value, that is, as a provider for genetic material. Instead, we can follow her thoughts on the people around her, which are remarkably free of judgement.

               Additionally, her voice comes from a different perspective than many of those around her. Not only does she lack the formal education the others have, but she also brings a unique point of view because of her time on the mound and the fact that she was born into this world of massive, deadly pandemics. She glosses over things that readers would ordinarily be shocked by, but lingers on commonplace experiences. In this way, she brings a subtle nostalgia to the work that is often present in apocalyptic novels.

               We could certainly call this novel an apocalyptic form of dystopia. Society seems to be more or less unregulated and mostly privatized. There are the domes, of course, which do not gain much explanation, since I knows about them, but they seem to contain the more affluent/lucky vestiges of humanity away from disease. The quarantines are perhaps the biggest indicator of apocalypse. This idea that locking everybody in an infected area away together would take care of the infection, while effective (to an extent), is also a sign of hopelessness. It showcases a kind of defeatist attitude of “whoever will die will die,” something that shows up in many apocalyptic novels masquerading as survival of the fittest.

               A drastic reduction of the human population weeds out those like I, who exhibit immunity to these rampant diseases. This kind of future creates a new generation (over many generations, of course) of humans with increased hardiness to previously deadly diseases, in much the same way that we are creating anti-biotic resistant superbugs with our virulent use of things like antibacterial hand soap. The overabundance of strains that are supposed to eradicate always brings out the strongest of the species. However, human involvement in this tends to mess with this process, as with superbugs, and arguably the quarantines as well.

               When I describes the quarantines, it is generally in a positive light. She has food, clothes, a bed, even her and Ani’s own room. But at the same time, there is an acknowledgement, if not a description of death. Surely in some of these quarantines, I and her daughter were one of few survivors, which means Ani was exposed to more death than she ever knew. Indirectly, we as readers were exposed to it too. Death is always a looming feature of this book, except for I, who is less concerned with dying and more preoccupied with surviving and providing for her child.

               I’s attitude toward Ani is a strange one. Although she never seems to exhibit a fear of her own death, she is constantly worrying about her daughter’s. This is relatively common among parents, as are many of I’s experiences, but I is not a common parent. Because Ani is her genetic clone, I, logically, shouldn’t have to worry about her contracting anything that I herself wouldn’t, but parenting doesn’t work that way, and often, neither do diseases. I’m a living example of this, as I have an autoimmune disease that neither of my parents have (although my grandmother has it, so I guess that counts for something), so this kind of fear is not entirely unfounded.

               As we see from the other mothers in the book, fearing for your children is a regular part of parenthood. However, for all of I’s attempts to pretend her child is regular, her concern is absolutely genuine. This concern is also natural, as is the concern of strangers for her child. This is something that happens in our society as well, since it’s difficult for other people to resist telling you if they think you’re doing something wrong, particularly when it comes to children. I suspect this effect is amplified in a world where children, specifically infants are a rare occurence.