And in thinking about the value of care and labor—this 1941 photo essay from LIFE magazine, detailing the day of a white suburban wife and mother of three—made me exhausted and angry by the time I had read through it—what shellac. And still.
And less angrily, loved reading this essay by George Saunders—with thoughts on the what, why, and meaning of art. He always has a voice full of generosity and kindness, which is an antidote to the bile we are so often subjected to—and the angry monkeys are not to be missed! (see below)
Poets, prophets, and reformers are all picture-makers--and this ability is the secret of their power and of their achievements. They see what ought to be by the reflection of what is, and endeavor to remove the contradiction.
Saunders’ essay included this Charlie Chaplin short, and despite the world being what it is, I did find myself laughing out loud, by myself—and how art does offer a different idea of reality, a reminder that we can work to remove the contradiction between those realities, however briefly.
Commonplacing
Commonplacing
Commonplacing
com·mon·place book| ˈkämənˌplās ˌbo͝ok | noun: a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.
A fantastic essay by Jia Tolentino on motherhood as an act of rebellion, in her review of Angela Garbe’s new book Essential Labor.
And in thinking about the value of care and labor—this 1941 photo essay from LIFE magazine, detailing the day of a white suburban wife and mother of three—made me exhausted and angry by the time I had read through it—what shellac. And still.
And less angrily, loved reading this essay by George Saunders—with thoughts on the what, why, and meaning of art. He always has a voice full of generosity and kindness, which is an antidote to the bile we are so often subjected to—and the angry monkeys are not to be missed! (see below)
And not a poem this week, but a quote—about art, meaning, and its ties to hope—by Frederick Douglas:
Saunders’ essay included this Charlie Chaplin short, and despite the world being what it is, I did find myself laughing out loud, by myself—and how art does offer a different idea of reality, a reminder that we can work to remove the contradiction between those realities, however briefly.