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Or, A Round of Robins

Reader,

Some bookish things happened this week, art was seen, I barely remember what happened generally, today is a public holiday in Kenya, and here we are. Let’s see what we can rustle up, outside of event and reading updates, shall we?

The International Booker Prize shortlist was announced this week and I’m excited to get to them at some point this year (didn’t see that excitement trajectory coming, did you?) because there’s just something about writing in translation. There seems to be a new Prize longlist or shortlist coming down the timeline every time I log on to Twitter lately and I increasingly understand why folks focus on one or two. As for me and my house, the Prize I’ll be focusing on for the next few years is the Pulitzer Prize for Drama after the delight that was reading August: Osage County, (I also tried listening to a recording but the audience reactions were super distracting - is this what watching a stage production is like? *heads off to YouTube, never finishes the newsletter, &c*) whose film adaptation is beloved by Don and me. Recent winners sound so interesting and it’ll probably be my entry into the world of August Wilson.

I’m back to walking and running (there’s a thread) and I’m sharing here that I intend to (finally!) finish the Couch to 5K NHS programme so that I can run a 5K some time after June. I’ll keep looking at this race calendar so that it can act as my motivation as I seek to reclaim the self that once ran half marathons. Wish me luck, especially accounting for the vagaries of the body. One thing I will say is that being out is always a great way to listen to audiobooks with few distractions so I’m excited for the days ahead.

This was also the week that saw writer and podcaster Virginia Sole-Smith release an audio excerpt from her upcoming book Fat Talk. It was quite the experience to listen to this consideration of fat in kids, diets, and how the dominant culture influences these things. As a person who sometimes needs a strong talking to to have a sober view of their body (what counts as a sober view?!) and avoids body talk at all costs, I’ve found her podcast and newsletter a great resource in teasing out what it means to have a relationship with food as an adult and as a person who feeds children on occasion. 68 minutes of these insights are such a gift and I can’t wait for the book to land so that I can borrow it from the library.

Lastly: Check out this library account (I imagine they’re also on TikTok) which proved to be a delightful time sink on Sunday. It gave me a burst of library envy and reminded me that libraries can be and do so much if we fund them well and give workers space to be imaginative. In the spirit of supporting local media, check out this article that has lots of links that contextualise the state in which this content is being created. My favourite so far is this one (also the one that introduced me to the account), if you’re wondering.

Quick news/ things that may be of interest:

• Wanjeri Gakuru will be screening 2 films at Eastlands Library (location here) tomorrow. You can find a list I made of some previous ones here.

• Comrades Book House and friends will be hosting a Kiswahili event focusing on Ken Walibora tomorrow

• YB seeks a team for Abi’s Quiz Night next week. Please write back if you’re interested

• Sujay Shah’s show, Forgive us for our Skins, is on at Circle Art Gallery till 20th May - you can RSVP here.

• I have a new address, begging for content haha: you can send me books, postcards, letters, and assorted gifts via PO Box 102439, Jamia Posta 00101, Nairobi, Kenya (I write back!)

I have finished six books since I last wrote, reviews forthcoming. I did hybrid reads of Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo (narrated by Robin Miles) and Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (narrated by Robin Eller), listened to Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler (narrated by Robin Miles), How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis (narrated by Dr. Raquel Martin and the author), and I read the ebook edition of August: Osage County by Tracy Letts as well as the paperback edition of Nimita's Place by Akshita Nanda. 

I resolved to not release videos without edited subtitles going forward so, while I have a few videos on deck, none are ready to be watched. I’m not going to lie, making accessibility a core part of one’s work can be time-consuming (especially when the machine doesn’t hear your accent as clearly as it would, for instance, an American one) but I have been enjoying putting that [CC] after titles, for any d/Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing folks on BookTube. Related: If you’re looking for a Deaf BookTuber to watch, I suggest Rogan Shannon who I found via looking for a Deaf person reviewing True Biz. Before then, subscribe to the channel if you haven’t yet!

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.

Enjoy the rest of the week and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!