Greetings,
Sometimes, life gets in the way of creation. Sometimes, one is a little lazy. Sometimes, it is both. Sometimes, it is more. This is my way of apologising for missing a week. Did you even notice? I know how newsletters can pile up in a couple of days. I often set aside time to try and go through two to three weeks’ worth of newsletters because, when they come in, there are other things going on. This usually means an intense period of reading, outside of the books that I read regularly.
1
Reading has always been a part of my life. It ebbs and flows but, especially in the last decade, I have been very consistent with my reading. Signing up to Goodreads did help because I use it for both accountability and to find out about books. I also found that my writing suffers when I don’t read enough. The one thing I have often grappled with is reading as writer. Sometimes I underline, sometimes I don’t. I always say I will make notes when done with a book, then I don’t. How to read as a writer.
2
I love Farnam Street for, amongst other things, the focus on reading better. It has influenced how I read immensely with a variety of articles, like Why Read? Advice From Harold Bloom.
3
I may have come to him late, but I am a Sun Ra fan. I get Jackie McLean’s frustration with the student’s response. Sun Ra was an Afrofuturist before it was the rage and his influence is far-reaching.
4
Great piece by Nelson George on Angela Davis: Before the world knew what intersectionality was, the scholar, writer and activist was living it, arguing not just for Black liberation, but for the rights of women and queer and transgender people as well. (Photo by John Edmonds)
5
Headphones have destroyed our sense of common purpose. Truth be told, I am one of those who, wherever possible, usually have headphones when out in the world. Sometimes it creates a little separation plus there’s something fun about walking to a soundtrack that only you hear. Kinda like the scene from I’m Gonna Git You Sucka!
6
The (Mostly) True Story of Vanilla Ice, Hip-Hop, and the American Dream is a dope piece by Jack Weiss on a rapper that many who were around at his height will often deny listening to.
I was 18 years old and living in Germany when Ice Ice Baby came out. I spent many a night on the dance floor, at the club, doing the running man and the like to the song. It was also the era of MC Hammer.
7
Mongezi Mtati recently invited me onto his podcast The Lead Creative to chat content, creation, process and everything in between.
That’s it for this week. I will definitely be back next week. Thank you for the messages and comments I have received from some of you.
Easy
Kojo