192. READ.LOOK.THINK.
The trauma plot, writing yourself popular, how to create sympathetic characters, Villy's teeth, yellow cupboards, desire, insomnia, the Old You has some pretty glaring issues.
'Order' by Yolŋu artist Dhambit Munuŋgurr depicts Julia Gillard in parliament during her infamous 2012 misogyny speech. “She is a woman, like me,” Munuŋgurr says.
Dear friends,
Here’s some stuff to read! All the stuff about my book is at the bottom..!
READ.
Alan Bennett's 2021 diary.
'Unlike the marriage plot, the trauma plot does not direct our curiosity toward the future (Will they or won’t they?) but back into the past (What happened to her?).'
A sympathetic character is ‘one whose true worth passes unrecognised by the world.’ (I just reread American Wife on the weekend: a perfect book.)
If you've ignored Australians saying how good Helen Garner is, here’s a nice summary from an American.
'Here I could write myself into popularity...' Pretending to be rich and cool on an online forum.
I found this piece by Caitlin Flanagan about her teeth very poignant and I remembered (do I ever forget??? Jesus) the devastation of Villy having her teeth taken out in the Cazalets.
Pose, a short story by Ana Kinsella.
‘She was shine theory in her head, but Sun Tzu in her heart.’ A profile of Alison Roman.
LOOK.
Bookcore: 'everyone is dressing like a bookstore regular.' / Alana Haim in two shirts.
Vivid yellow cupboards. I might copy this to make desks for the girls.
Consumed by Desire, a BBC radio show/podcast feat. Philippa Perry and Katherine Angel among others.
The house in the Tilda Swinton film I Am Love / “I don’t have anything to say. I don’t know anything. One thing I do know is I don’t want to even pretend I know anything. So let’s go for a walk with the dogs instead.”
THINK.
‘Schemes for constructing a New You are inevitably devised by the Old You, who has some pretty glaring issues.’ / Jeanette Winterson (in her Substack which I love, hilariously burnished with stock photos) talks about not coercive controlling the self.
I read this Darian Leader book Why Can't We Sleep? and found it helpful. Enjoying Losers by Joshua Cohen.
Your attention didn't collapse, it was stolen.
Should you start a family?
The origins of 'relatable' (now a thing I find odd is people saying "I resonate with that" - it always used to be "that resonates with me.")
Action on climate change: not because of science, but because of fairness.
“I regularly wished aloud for a mental health version of Dr. Fauci to give daily briefings.” / "Who is responsible for the protection and maintenance of public morale and the mental health of the wider population during a time of national crisis?"
“Declare and fortify our win. Vibe: confident, forward-looking, unified–NOT passive, anxious.” The secret history of the shadow campaign that saved the 2020 election
Chaos incitement is a strategy of last resort for marginalized status-seekers / sovereign citizens.
AOC's fans and anti-fans.
‘Where there is racism, we must assume there are racists; and when racism is being fought, we must assume the racists will fight back. However, while their attitudes are hardening, it does not appear that their numbers are growing.’
When it comes to democracy, children don’t count. Why not? Why we should lower the voting age to six.
People of all ages are having less sex.
Fantasy football can lead to mental health decline.
Please see below for book bragging.
Jess X
MY BOOK!
Incredibly it's now only 45 days (1094 hours... 65650 minutes) until the publication of my novel, A Great Hope! Set in Melbourne, between two landmark federal elections, it's a family saga with a mystery at its heart... It comes out on 22.2.22.
Pre-order from outside Australia. From Readings. Booktopia. Dymocks. QBD. Amazon Australia. Find your local Australian bookstore. Why you should shop at independent bookstores.
My beautiful new cover quote from iconic Annabel Crabb:
A suggested wine pairing in Gourmet Traveller:
Most anticipated in the Sydney Morning Herald and Vogue online.
And, most surprisingly and very gratifyingly to me, the subject of mild speculation in the Strewth column of The Australian: