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Reader,
Give me that good stuff (discourse), they said, not knowing the gravity of their ask (shenanigans). By the time you read this, you’ll probably have seen the Hobart Pulp interview that has literary Twitter ablaze. Dude says there’s no room for masculine fiction, hijinks ensue, and it brings up all sorts of questions about the machinery of literary production (who gets in, who’s locked out, who gets to be regarded as a tastemaker). Of course I turned it into a pdf…for…archiving purposes. A lot of the literary world depends on forgetting, and I think it’s important for us to not allow it to happen. It’s also a weirdly framed interview, to ME.
I just wanna read (to the tune of this song) and this drama, especially the way Iowa shows up, reminded me that the books that land in my hands and ears are the last step in a large effort that, like life, is coloured by small and large decisions. Here I am being so-so about MFA writing as a whole while a man whines about how much better the old days were in a conversation that should have stayed in the drafts (never have happened).
Sick leave comes to an end Monday and I have a chance tomorrow to swing by Maktaba Kuu to follow up on the donation and app conversations I had with them during the Nairobi International Book Fair. I’m especially doing this in the context of recently catching up with my 2 USD/ book finished being put away in a fund.
The amount is slightly more than KES 33K right now and maybe if I make a case to some bookshops and/ or you, my reader, I can top that up at year’s end and donate to the library. Beyond that, I think it would be great to have a Friends of the Library group; especially as my spoons clearly did not allow me to marshall a group in time to put together a memorandum on the Policy and Bill for Library services in Kenya.
Speaking of libraries - I’m changing my approach to library loans. Going forward, I’ll send back books with less than 7 days left every Sunday if they have holds and renew those that can be renewed. The goal is to work towards 10 or less loans per format (bar magazines) at a time, opting instead to deliver later if there are already 10 loans. With my audiobook count at 20 and my e-book count at 39 (with 7 parallel reads, i.e. audio+print); it’s going to be quite an interesting couple of weeks. I think it’s worth it for the lower pressure it will afford me (read: it’ll teach me not to be greedy haha or do we say “to delay my gratification”?)
Last week Friday & Saturday was a reminder of how much I love films & the banter that comes after. It reminded me of a time ages ago (2015/ 6) when I was part of a film club that would meet and partake in a movie and a meal once a month. Those were good times and the dinner I had with friends old and new after watching Manthia Diawara’s A Letter from Yene on Friday at Unseen made me want to recreate them. The next day, I watched John Akomfrah’s The Stuart Hall Project (part of the films Jackie Karuti is curating at Unseen; register here if you’re keen) and now I’m tempted to make a season & festival of Hall's work, per this Rachel Syme tweet. If a film club is something you’d be interested in, let me know and we could make something of it.
Something you can join me in doing this Saturday if you’re in Nairobi: going for the Big Bad Wolf sale at Sarit Centre. It feels like just the other day I was at their section at the Book Fair and I’m hype. It opens tomorrow and I would go if it wasn’t for the fields and commitments I have. Do I intend to get that book-buying high there and at the sale Half Priced Books currently has? Yes, yes, I do. And if you’re keen on watching films together, come along for Karuti’s screening on the 22nd (I’ll miss this week’s - Yugoslavia: How Ideology Moved Our Collective Body - because of the sale) as well as the next film Wanjeri Gakuru is curating. Here’s the poster!
I’ll keep sharing the poster and the link to Jackie’s screenings, in keeping with the brand. Before then, Calendar them in and Telegram me if you want to make a time of it with me.
Now for the thing you came for: books. I’ve listened to quite a few audiobooks since I last wrote to you. Maybe the only e-book I’ve finished, in a parallel read, is Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda (translated by Polly Barton, narrated by Sarah Skaer) which I had a lovely discussion about with MJ. The audiobooks I finished: Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo (narrated by Chipo Chung), Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola (narrated by Weruche Opia), I'm Glad My Mom Died Book by Jennette McCurdy (narrated by the author) and You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience, edited by Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown. I’d have finished more if it wasn’t for those meddling kids the fact that I’ve (once again!) given myself permission to DNF. Lastly, I put out a new video last week. Nothing too fancy but it’s good to have put a toe in that YouTube water.
As ever, please write back to me and tell me what books you’re reading or looking forward to reading this week — it’s always a great time talking about books.
Enjoy the rest of the week and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!