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Reader,
I returned to the Big Bad Wolf sale at Sarit Centre on Mashujaa Day and any joy I obtained had to do with being there with my cousin, YB, and my friend Angie. For Angie and me, the highlight was some Star Wars tins that were 100 KES apiece - for the tins, like the African Aunties we are. They’ll be coming to a book haul on the channel early next month (subscribe if you haven’t). Mama Mike often comments on how we make books a site of connection despite reading being a solitary pursuit and I was reminded of this when my friend Winnie told me going to the sale reminded her of going on MV Doulos when it docked at Mombasa years ago. This was the first I’d heard of the ship and the organisation that ran it in that iteration, Gute Bücher für Alle, and now my youthful dream of working on a ship is reignited (maybe that should be what my first immersive season is about - ships).
As you can tell, I’ve been looking for something to make a season of - challenged and/ or inspired by Rachels Syme’s on hotels which is off to a lovely start. I thought I’d focus on drawing and painting but I’d like to make a lifelong practice of those so maybe modern art? *looks at Don and other artsy friends* We’ll see. Before then, here’s a conversation I moderated featuring the Kenyans who took part in Documenta 15. My connection, of course, chose that day to be glitchy but it was lovely still.
On the topic of art, I went to GoDown on Saturday for the Open Studio with a friend. It was a visit to a world I haven’t been to in a while - that of art production, not exhibition. The friend was, surprisingly, not Don so this shifted my experience in not-insignificant ways. It was lovely to see art, meet new artists, catch up with old friends and acquaintances, make new ones, and remind myself why I love art.
I watched the last of the films Jackie Karuti was curating at Unseen Nairobi - Ralph Lemon's How Can You Stay In The House All Day And Not Go Anywhere? - before going to GoDown and it stumped me. I fell asleep at some point in a moment of something that melded confusion, exhaustion, and that feeling one sometimes has that the material is beyond them. I want to stay open to new opportunities, though, so I’ll keep that openness going into this weekend with this series of events:
An interesting conversation over the weekend was about books being written with an eye towards adapting them into films. It reminded me of advice along those lines in Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell, which I read earlier this year. It had me wondering what it means for literary production to approach one’s practice from this perspective, and what stories get foregrounded (or not) when this is a concern. And speaking of films, come with this weekend if you can:
Earlier this year, I subscribed to Brooding, the Cut's biweekly newsletter interrogating modern family life, by Kathryn Jezer-Morton and the latest dispatch (sent while Jezer-Morton was on a break) brought with it a link to this article on children’s podcasts. A great way to catch short stories if you like content aimed at children, kids’ podcasts have been a great escape from adulting. In the process, I learnt about a bunch of cool podcasts and devices to play them; one of which - the Yoto Mini - this kid is now hankering after. My go-to, if you’re curious, continues to be Chompers.
Speaking of podcasts, huge congratulations to Kevin Mwachiro and all the people who make Nipe Story possible on winning one of the inaugural grants issued by the Spotify Africa Podcast Fund. A bunch of faves have been featured and it’s a great discovery tool for those of us who love short stories - check it out if you haven’t.
Now for the bookish stuff:
Please send non-fiction recommendations; I’m looking to move towards non-memoir content and two titles I’ve read recently - Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence by Rachel Sherman (the bibliography was an education as with all good academic writing) and Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott (I’ve been bingeing interviews since, and it was an interview on The Stacks podcast that led me to it) - have reminded me what good research and storytelling can do.
Some recent reads: Fight Night by Miriam Toews (narrated by Miriam Toews & Georgia Toews), Himawari House by Harmony Becker, Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing, Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (read by the author), a parallel read of Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence by Rachel Sherman (narrated by Liz Thompson) and a parallel read of Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott (narrated by Adenrele Ojo)
New video! In it, I invite folks to start a Friends of the Nairobi Area Library group with me so please reach out if that’s you. Mama Mike said to put out content more regularly so a new one might just come your way soon. Before then, please subscribe and take part in my first poll.
Last, but definitely not least, Khadija Abdalla Bajaber was awarded the Ursula K. Le Guin 2022 Prize for Fiction for The House of Rust. I’m so so glad I worked my way over my initial hurdle because now I would press it into everybody’s hands if I could.
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!