Finding My Funny

The email from the Prairie Theatre Exchange acting school reminded me about spots left in some their winter term classes. I already took a 20 week, yup 20, acting foundations class. I learned my mind was Teflon at the time while memorising a monologue for the class but helped me get out of some areas … Continue reading Finding My Funny →

#MusicMonday: Let The River Run by Carly Simon

Carly Simon discography contains songs people will sing hum quietly or sing at the top of their lung years after charting. She's the woman behind 'You're So Vain,' writing songs about ex-lovers before Taylor Swift turned that subject into an album concept. She's not a stranger to movie soundtracks starting with 'Nobody Does It Better,' … Continue reading #MusicMonday: Let The River Run by Carly Simon →

A Fat Body and a Fat Mind: On Taking Up Space, Unapologetically

I read this essay and immediately shared it on Twitter. Lately, I have tried to reclaim my body after years of being ashamed of it. I still remember those times people took my name and said, "Fat-Fat-Fatima." The more I branched out, the more the teasing increased. One time, the vice principal at my elementary … Continue reading A Fat Body and a Fat Mind: On Taking Up Space, Unapologetically →

Only Connect

Longreads shared this article from The Economist about refugees and mobile phones. On the journey to a new life, phones feed the soul as the body goes hungry. The Economist reports on how refugees prize mobile phone connection — even over food. via Phones Over Food: Why Mobile Phones Are More Important to Refugees — Longreads

Post 550 Milestone: I Heart New York

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.”-Tom Wolfe, Author and Essayist One Year Ago today, I undertook a solo adventure with a bumpy start. I originally meant to land in New York on the 15th, but weather forced my flight to nearby Albany. … Continue reading Post 550 Milestone: I Heart New York →

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I couldn't resist. Plus the answer is yes, always, and let me read the map you get lost too easily.

#MusicMonday: When I Fall In Love By Nat King Cole

I got a lot of advice as a single woman. One woman said it's better to be single than in a loveless relationship (she was going through a divorce at the time); Another said God needed to make me more patient and keep praying for that right person; More than one person said if you … Continue reading #MusicMonday: When I Fall In Love By Nat King Cole →

Writing Our America

Can you stand another Longreads look at something else? Lately, many writers have wondered how they can create in American’s current climate. While it’s definately an American-based piece, the nuggets of wisdom about writing made me feel like I struck gold. It’s an essay I plan to read over and over again, like listening to a favourite song on the radio. Enjoy.

Longreads

Scott Korb | Longreads | February 2017 | 32 minutes (8,200 words)

The following essay is adapted from a talk presented at Pacific University’s MFA in Writing Program. It includes advice from writers of “YA fiction, writers for television and stage, of novels and essays, investigative journalism, and criticism” on how we might produce meaningful work in the next four years.

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I often teach a piece of writing by David Foster Wallace, included originally as the introduction to the 2007 edition of The Best American Essays. He called the piece “Deciderization—2007,” a title that jabbed at the then-current president, George W. Bush, who, in the midst of his second term—in the midst of the Iraq war, which as fought had been lost—reminded the country during a press conference insisting he would not fire Donald Rumsfeld, whom he would later fire, that he, George W. Bush, was…

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Take A Longreads Look At-Ireland’s Frogotten Women

Longreads publishes essays and features from short pieces to long-form like this one from Irish journalist JP O'Malley. I heard about the Magdalene Laundries and the iron-fisted control the church had over Ireland. What scares about this story, and stories of Indigenous children in residential school, is the belief the heinous acts pleased God. JP … Continue reading Take A Longreads Look At-Ireland’s Frogotten Women →