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Or A Visit from that Goon Squad
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Reader,
If you’ve been in certain corners of the internet, you’ve probably seen the gooner article that’s doing the rounds. I wrote a little about it over on the blog, where I’ve been posting daily for almost 2 months (please clap) so this isn’t only about the article but also about the stories being told regarding community.
Discord (where I think about writing in multiple servers filled with folks who love to read) keeps coming up in conversations about where gooners congregate and there is a non-insignificant number of people whose introduction to the platform is an article about masturbation so their perception of it is definitely being coloured by that. Far be it from me to run to the timeline or skyline or whatever we’ll be calling the feed next week to “defend” Discord — I don’t go to so many places on that platform (realistically, there’s a limit on how many servers one can join) — but I think we all need to live in reality together, as Jourdain Searles once said.
I think it’s striking how folks in gooner spaces have gained a sense of community around a solitary pursuit, even meeting to enjoy it together. This feels just like literature in some ways — a solitary pursuit, something that some people are embarrassed about (ranging from the content or genre of books to the conversations about fanfic, for instance) — but it’s framed as a bunch of…shall we say…odd folks doing weird stuff by the discourse.
I wonder how much of gooning has to do with the pandemic and its attendant isolation as keeps being suggested and how much has to do with the lack of community in what may be one of the most hyper-connected eras for people with access to certain technology. I’ve seen people who love media - books, films, games - discussing how building community around them is a corrective to gooning. I don’t know if it’s that simple (sorry!) — I love reading (it’s a core part of how I navigate the world, as old hands know) but if I’m touch-starved, if I seek certain connection, sorry books aren’t enough!!!
I have no solution; I just find it interesting how sex and sexuality are framed in a world that values consumption (including of media — porn in this case) and how the realm of the acceptable is constantly shifting (how shall we look back at this article, for instance). I am curious, though — how did you find the gooning article, what opportunities exist for folks looking to explore their sexuality in community (I’d love to read writing about this) and are books are substitute for gooning? Please write back and let me know!
Quick news/ things that may be of interest:
Kulture Klub, African film screenings at The Space, Amee Arcade, Nairobi twice a month. Next screening tomorrow, showing Mandabi (1968, directed by Ousmane Sembène)
Treat someone you like (me, for instance, I have a Switch) to the Tiny Bookshop Game (which is also on Discord)
Subscribe to my WhatsApp channel for texts I find while I spend time online
Add me to your New York Times Crossword leaderboard!
If you’re in the Global North and would be open to engaging in the North-South solidarity that is sharing a library card, please email or message me so we can figure things out. Thank you!
Join us for these Laps & Livres meet ups this month (sign up here, feel free to reach out for more information via lapsandlivres@proton.me)
Film folks: The Japan Foundation has newly launched the JFF Theater online streaming platform
A bunch of (mostly American) short stories if that’s your jam
Software resources for audiobook management. Especially Audible-centric, including organization and removing DRM from Audible files
A thread for folks looking to support Usikimye’s work
The Queer Liberation Library 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️, which is free to join here
Digital Library of Korean Literature, which is free to join here
How to Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the visually impaired
Links to Reading Lists, Free Books, Book Recs, Book-related Items, and Calls for Submissions in this document (most recent links at the top)
Since Elon seems to want (some of) us gone, I’m trying to post more often on Bluesky. Follow me there if you’re on it!
You can send me books, postcards, letters, and assorted items via PO Box 102439, Jamia Posta 00101, Nairobi, Kenya (I write back!)
I have finished the following books since I last wrote to you: Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki; translated by Polly Barton (paperback and audiobook narrated by Hanako Footman) and Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry by Austin Frerickc(e-book and audiobook narrated by Stephen Bel Davies). I’m primarily using Storygraph now (passively updating Goodreads as I read most e-books on Kindle via the library) and I hope to get back to making videos soon.
As ever, please write back to me and tell me what books you’re reading or looking forward to reading — it’s always a great time talking about books.
Thank you for reading 🙂
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Enjoy the week ahead and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!