January in Words, Images and Song
I thought I’d kick off the long-short month of February with some of what I’ve been using to distract, motivate and educate myself these last few weeks.
First off, recently released by the Memphis Music Initiative, this fun and apt “album” of tunes titled I Hope Like Hell We Get This Grant cracked me up.
And new to me is this lawsuit against Bad Bunny and other artists for copyright infringement. As a dancehall and reggaeton fan, I’m watching closely. And on the subject of reggaeton, my current on-repeat is Bellakeo.
Yesterday, I looked to Roxane Gay for inspiration and came across her 2018 essay You’re Disillusioned. That’s Fine. Vote Anyway. Painful but still true is this, from the essay:
“Voting isn’t dating. We are not promised perfect candidates. Voting requires pragmatism and critical thinking and empathy and now, more than ever, intelligent compromise.” I don’t like it any more than you do, but I’m hoping we can work together to get out every vote possible because also, to quote Roxane again: “If you remain disillusioned or apathetic in this climate, you are complicit. You think your disillusionment is more important than the very real dangers marginalized people in this country live with.” Fight me. Or give me something else, because I’m here for it.
When all else fails, there is art. It will not save lives or stop genocides. But it can foster understanding and empathy, show us parts of ourselves and others that may be buried, transport us to places that we can’t physically or spiritually be in. Recently, I read three books in one sitting (one day each, not all in one day!). Every time I finish a book in one day I feel like the little girl who used to spend weekends reading (Agatha Christie, Danielle Steele, anything I could get my hands on in 1980s Belize).
Behind You is the Sea is a powerful short story collection by Susan Muaddi Darraj, a Palestinian American author living in Baltimore. From the first story about the pregnant teenager Reema to the last about the police officer Marcus who visits his father’s homeland for the first time and falls in love, this collection broke my heart and filled it with hope.
Ayana Mathis’ The Unsettled moves back and forth between Philadelphia and Alabama, between the daughter Ava and her mother Dutchess, between a way of life that is emerging and one that is dying.
Finally, The Fetishist by Katherine Min is a page turner about a white man and his relationships to Asian women, or about an Asian woman and her relationships to white men, or … you get the idea. Come for the great taxonomy of white men interested in Asian women, stay for the beautiful writing and brilliant character development.
Sayu