Nothing says insincerity is endemic in today's world more than the existence of an 8-week course on offer titled “Radical Honesty”.
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Finding much resonance in Camus' BETWEEN HELL AND REASON, essays written for the “resistance newspaper” Combat between 1944-1947. This bit however had the exact opposite effect:
“The problem of our day is not how to speak with words from the heart, but how to think clearly.”
Things have clearly changed in that regard. My sense is that the greatest issue of today, very broadly speaking, isn't so much one of clear-thinking in as much as it relates to a widely adopted practice of insincerity.
“We make love by telephone, we no longer work with material but with machines, and we kill and are killed by proxy.”
— Albert Camus, 1946
Forthcoming in September, a comix exhibition in Italy:
”'Their gazes,' writes co-curator Alessio Trabacchini, 'render a multifaceted world, sometimes in dense ink marks, sometimes among fibers of ancient textiles, sometimes in the bright colors of the digital age. Reality and imagination intertwine with memories of troubled pasts and visions of dystopian futures, dreams of broken freedom, nightmares and desires.'”
Curators Alessio Trabacchini and Luce Lacquaniti handpicked a few comix-makers who hail from the Arabic-speaking Mediterranean to represent in this travelling exhibition.
”'This exhibition,' adds Luce Lacquaniti translator from Arabic and co-curator, 'Gives an account of the latest developments, brings together young women artists who, in many cases, are coming to Italy for the first time. Their stories cross more than one border, artistic and geographic, and take their cues from both the Tunisian, Egyptian and Lebanese coasts, and from overseas through artists of the Arab diaspora in the U.S., to land in Jesi, the birthplace of Frederick II, the protagonist of the exchange between the two shores of the Mediterranean to rewrite and redraw together a history of multiple, free and reciprocal crossings.'”
Humbled to be among the list of incredible artists; Deena Mohamed, Tracy Chahwan, Twins Cartoon, and Issam Smiri. No plans to be making a physical appearance in Italy, except potentially in December. Deets forthcoming on that front.
Full press release is here.
Back in Houston, slow and quiet, reeling from my time in New York which was marked by a great deal of socializing and subway rides. The latter allowed for ample reading, namely two books by Albert Camus I picked up from Book Thug Nation in Brooklyn (one of my favorite bookshops in existence), easily devoured over the course of my 10-day stay.
And somehow, in the cauldron of conversations, reading, observation, book-browsing, and general contemplation, an idea for a novel came to me.
This, of course, is a terrible thing. I'm still on the last chapter of THE SOLAR GRID, after which I should probably add a few short stories to TIMES NEW HUMAN. After which, and only after which, I should contemplate pursuing the prospect of writing a novel (or any other potentially draining project for that matter). One way of knowing whether or not you're passionate enough about a project anyway is putting it aside and revisiting your notes on it down the line, to see if you feel just as excited about it as when the idea first struck.
It is good to know though that I, sooner or later, will have a way to put my notes on writing a novel in one month to the test and see if they actually work.
Social media influencers based in India may be required to register with the government and meet with evaluation committees — Arjun Singh Sethi
Syd Mead's production design and concept art — Heth Madzo's massive Flickr collection.
Berlin’s culture budget for 23/24 is about £840 million. The Creative Scotland annual grant-in-aid from the government, to cover the whole of the country, is only £68.5 million as of 2024 — Heather Parry on how UK politicians are making life shit (wait till she sees America).
[Netanyahu] claimed, amid roars of cheers, that the number of civilians who have been killed in Gaza is “practically none,” echoing the genocidal mantra “There are no innocents in Gaza” that Israel has repeated throughout the war. — Seraj Assi for Jacobin
Second attempt to catch flight out of New York is fail. Can't help but feel the universe is insisting on extending my stay for some elusive higher purpose I can't quite put my finger on.
Newsletter drafted between airports and friends' crashpads. Scheduled to go out later tonight. It's a good one, I think.
Sold out of both issues of THE CURSE OF I from my end. Last remaining copies can still be procured however from Basket Books in Houston and Desert Island in Brooklyn.
Rain came down long and hard last night and I am getting notifications from the airline that severe weather conditions may impact my flight out of New York. Inclined to push it back a couple days to avoid any potential airport inconveniences and general fuckery.