Things I Learned This Week
Tartt (again), Khalsa, Barnett, Dijon, and Nirvanna the Band the Show
Toiling over my last essay and waiting for the papers I need to grade to start flooding in—all of which were impacted by the fact that the major software universities use to track schoolwork were hacked. :( That said, I learned a shit ton this week, and said goodbye for the summer to some good friends, professors, and beloved buildings. My plan is to get a writing schedule down for the summer and stick to it. (Fingers crossed under the table here.) Anyway, here’s the deets!
My third read of The Secret History did not disappoint, and I might have a fourth go of it over the summer because it’s that rad. A nostalgia trip for sure. Our professor gave us an elementary school-era poster board on which to track narrative tensions throughout the book. I had to give a presentation with two other girls, and at some point during the semester, students started casting the film adaptations just for fun. The book has a notoriously cursed history in Hollywood, with more starts and stops than a game of Red Light/Green Light. In celebration of that notoriety, we decided to cast the film as if it had actually been made in the 1990s, with Tartt making a cameo. Heartbreaking to think that when (if) it ever happens, it won’t go down this way. Sigh.
I saw Nam Joti Kaur Khalsa on the Texas Country Reporter a few months back, and now I can’t stop thinking about her work. She has been weaving since 2016, following the tradition of Appalachian broom making, utilizing age-old techniques combined with a style uniquely her own to create what she calls “functional folk art.” Her corn husk dolls, in particular, are a celebration of her Native American and African American heritage, and every time I look at them, I think about how much my mom would have loved them. I’m going to take an indigo workshop with her this summer, and would buy every one of her brooms if I could. She is doing lovely and important work, keeping ancestral spirits alive and passing on tradition.
One of my favorite writers for children has his first adult book out, and it’s a stunner. Mac Barnett’s book Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children (with a lovely cover by Carson Ellis) is a celebration of art and imagination. A delight to read, it reminds us of the importance of storytelling, not just at the junior level, but for all. Love love love love love love love…
My son has been talking about Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie since last year, and my husband and I finally got around to watching. In a world of depressing news clips and big budget schlock, this sort of DIY, feel-good bromance is exactly the fantasy we all need right now. I didn’t know anything about these Canadian comics or their web series from 20 years ago. If you don’t either, don’t do the research in advance. It makes it way more fun. As a matter of fact, don’t even Google, just go watch now. Ten thumbs up.
Too, my son just informed me that one of the guys from the aforementioned film—Matt Johnson—is directing the new Anthony Bourdain biopic, and the other—Jay McCarrol—is composing the music. The trailer looks good. Hope they do Tony justice. It’s being supported by the family because of its untraditional take, and stars the kid from The Holdovers, so here’s hoping.
Not to go on and on about my son, though I’m prone to do that… he’s back on the music of Dijon of late. If you have 1 minute and 38 seconds, listen to his song “Scratching”—a little beautiful infusion of joy/melancholy/life—and thank us later. Then, watch his set from Coachella. 🔥
Quote of the week?
“There is room enough for everybody in the movement for justice rooted in love”.
— Justin J. Pearson, Tennessee State Representative
‘Til Tuesday, friends.
Burgin
(An MFA grad student at 50+… follow along and read my story here.)