I’ve been wrestling with a post about teachers and education for the past 2 months but I can’t seem to get to the end of it. So while I continue to thrash on that subject, I thought I’d share some of the books, songs, and movies I’ve enjoyed lately.
Fiction: Ethan Canin’s America, America
I’ve loved reading ever since my parents first introduced me to the library as a young child. I find literature to be both a way to escape your physical and mental surroundings and a way to empathize with the world around you. I read America, America while on vacation in Corsica. Something about my gorgeous & peaceful surroundings and the way the story unfolds really clicked for me. I love novels that weave different stories together and jump between time periods.
Non-Fiction: Essays of E.B. White
It’s hard to believe most of these essays were written over 50 years ago. His perspectives are still relevant for the problems we face today, and his description of New York City and all its vulnerabilities is eerily foretelling.
Poetry: Yusef Komunyakaa’s Neon Vernacular
This collection is amazing, from beginning to end. Even if you don’t like poetry, you will find something to like here.
Movie: Where the Wild Things Are
Yep, just count me in the sea of masses who loved the book and movie. I felt like I was riding an unpredictable and thrilling wave throughout the movie that travelled through all of the emotions you wrestle with as a child, and most likely throughout your whole life. I love the depiction of the wild things, and how utterly human and authentic the movie felt.
Music: Miike Snow, The xx, Kid Cudi, Metric, Florence + The Machine, Amanda Blank
I’m copping out here because I can’t pick just one. Sometimes I need music to keep me going in a workout, and sometimes it helps mellow me out after a long day of work. Listed is a big mix of different styles, although if I had to pick the one I’m currently listening to most, it’d have to be Miike Snow. Download: A Horse Is Not A Home
So there you have it. I think art has the ability to revive, heal, calm, and generally have a magical effect on us. My high school writing teacher had this poster on the wall that he would point to repeatedly. It said “Life Imitates Art. Art Imitates Life.” And that’s all I need to say.
What did you enjoy reading, watching or listening to this summer? Would love to hear in the comments!
you’re sooo cool Lily! I didn’t know you minored in poetry… well ’til I just read over your page here. You must have written a lot of poetry then at some point, huh? I’ve been studying acting at the Academy of Art the past year and a half, it’s pretty good so far… I actually wrote two books of rhymes a few years ago.
happy holidays! kind regards,
~c