In honor of a week since Hurricane Beryl swept over Houston, Texas, I am sharing some musings I wrote while I was without A/C, power, and cell signal. I also took pretty pictures... At least, pretty to me.
Complexities of Being an Artist in We Play Ourselves
Jen Silverman’s novel "We Play Ourselves" is a sharp, humour-filled exploration of the human condition... specifically pertaining to being a queer writer navigating scandal and ambition in her thirties. Running from New York to L.A., Cass encounters a diverse cast of characters, including a filmmaker documenting teenage girls' reinterpretation of the cult classic Fight Club. Silverman skillfully weaves themes of success, joy, criticism, and being human, keeping readers; attention while questioning the nature of good intentions against the backdrop of life's complexity.
11… Moments of New Self-Awareness After Getting Engaged
If you're wanting an engagement story, this is about as close to it as you're going to get not directly from my mouth to your ears until I write the fairytale novel that seems to be my life now. What a love story this is. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be living it with the most extraordinary woman I've ever met.
Sappho to Shakespeare to Sparks; We Write of Love
Oh good lord, do I want to be one of the great writers to really get it right. I probably won't be. The fact you, dear readers, know my name is quite baffling to begin with. I don't write for you. I write for me, but I also don't necessarily want to be lost in the ever gnashing maw of time. What a balance I'm striving for.
Lesbian Love, Affair of Poisons, and Abuse in The Disenchantment by Celia Bell
The world needs more queer literature, so I'm glad this exists and was published. Ultimately, I'm disenchanted with The Disenchantment by Celia Bell. Muddy and meandering, it leaves the reader bored and a little confused.
11… Unexpected Joys I Found in 2023
2023 was quite the year. Nothing went as planned. Normally, this would be terrible, but the reality is I'm the happiest I have ever been because I decided to prioritize myself and make hard decisions that bring me joy, love, adventure, and security.