Can't Stop the Spring
plus museum bets on the Super Bowl, Constance Debré & Chris Kraus in conversation, the 10th anniversary of My Bloody Valentine’s m b v album, Patricia Engel on writing stories & novel, and more
The days are getting longer. I leave work in a little sunshine and walk out of my subway stop to see the sky gradiated in shades of blue punctuated with Venus as exclamation point. Spring is coming.
This New York winter has been gray. No snow (actually 0.4” fell earlier this month but melted in an hour or so, hardly worth mentioning). A couple of bitter cold snaps bookending unseasonably mild weather.
Crocuses are sprouting, as are tulips and other bulbs. There is promise in the land, even if that land is only a Greenpoint backyard. I’m looking forward to reading while the birds chirp, the Cooper's hawk glances over his dominion, and the breeze ruffles the pages and my hair.
In other news, happy Valentine’s day to everyone who reads this newsletter, who visits Largehearted Boy, and contributes to the site.
Largehearted Likes
My favorite source for aggregated New York City news.
Beautiful bespoke notebooks made from old book covers and recycled materials.
Vintage Classics’ Love Poems collection
“We wanted to celebrate some of the best love poetry from around the world and throughout time – to create beautiful editions, not just for Valentine’s Day but for all time,” says Vintage creative director, Suzanne Dean. The series spans thousand-year-old Japanese love poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu; Chilean Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda’s erotic masterwork, which turns 100 next year; and, of course, Shakespeare’s incomparable Sonnets. Each edition is introduced by a contemporary poet, who brings their own readings to the poems.
Win-win: how solar farms can double as havens for our wildlife
Clean, renewable energy + enhanced wildlife environs = a win for all of us.
The winning snowplow names from the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s contest:
Blizzo
Yer a Blizzard, Harry
Clearopathtra
Better Call Salt
Han Snowlo
Blader Tot Hotdish
Scoop! There it is
Sleetwood Mac
Hua Xi’s interview with sculptor Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong
Guernica: What role do you think public sculptures should play in the lives of the people who encounter them?
Wong: In my work, I think about everyday spaces and how we experience everyday life. Day to day, we go through this routine: we exit our homes, walk the same sidewalk. I started to observe myself and how I’m perceiving my environments, and started thinking more about how I might spark change. For me, my public sculptures are about creating an anchor moment to pause in. We often take everyday spaces for granted, but bringing in an artwork can disrupt that normal humdrum and create an opening for appreciation and/or activation.
For over 11 years, Leah Umansky has hosted New York City’s premiere poetry reading series, Couplet. I have discovered so many talented poets (and writers) through both the quarterly series and Leah. Much recommended, follow the series on Facebook.
Tacko Fall’s limited edition Tivoli bluetooth speaker
A speaker inspired by the basketball player’s home country of Senegal and his love for anime.
The first IPA Grimm ever brewed is back, somehow even fruitier and more refreshing.
Largehearted Links
Turning Nairobi’s Public Libraries Into ‘Palaces for the People’
“Our public libraries can be glamorous spaces of storytelling,” said Angela Wachuka, a Kenyan publisher. But, she added, “we are here to also reclaim history, to occupy its architecture and to subvert its intended use.”
The new online bookshop & book-recommendation engine Terulia
Inspired by the informal salons (“tertulias”) of Spanish cafes and bars, Tertulia is a new way to discover books through all the lively and enriching conversations they inspire. Tertulia serves up book recommendations and book talk from across social media, podcasts, and the web — all in one app which incorporates seamless book purchasing. If a book has moved someone enough to get them talking, you can find it, buy it, and share it on Tertulia.
Inside Book Twitter's Final(?) Days
The thought of Book Twitter going up in a puff of smoke because of one entitled man is upsetting to many people, myself included. In the words of author and writing coach Paulette Perhach, “It feels like the castle we made is being swept off the table by a billionaire's tantrum.” To get to the heart of what’s at stake, let’s look at the role Book Twitter plays in shaping the publishing process.
Authors Constance Debré & Chris Kraus in conversation
Debré: I never understand what the problem is with the truth. If we hide things, it’s because we think that we could not stand those things. I’m much more confident; I believe that everyone can stand the truth and I have no problem telling my son that love is complex. I think it’s the best thing you can say about love – yes, sometimes love is so strong that it approaches hate, or rejection. Love contains negative feelings too, although maybe ‘hate’ is not exactly the right word.
Steven Hyden on the 10th anniversary of My Bloody Valentine’s m b v album
Listening to that final third in 2013, I couldn’t help but feel wistful about a scenario in which m b v dropped in 1999 and wound up influencing the next generation of guitar bands. (It’s hard to believe “In Another Way” didn’t inform Radiohead’s work on Kid A — maybe Thom and Jonny secretly raided Shields’ vaults.) What’s apparent now is how far beyond the trappings of shoegaze — which remains a common go-to reference point for young indie bands — My Bloody Valentine had ventured by the time of m b v.
Patricia Engel on the difference between writing stories and novels
I love to read and I try to write stories that feel like tiny novels or, you know, that the weight of a novel in miniature. But I think we place the same responsibilities on voice, whether it’s a short or long form. Certainly when you’re writing long form, you know, it’s hard to sustain. You know, it’s a different process, it’s a different architecture that you’re working with. But I think that it needs to carry the same weight and even be distributed similarly. This is a short story.
Radiohead’s Philip Selway on the albums he cannot live without
An interview with Fucked Up’s Sandy Miranda
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Shapeshifting Melodic Punk Rock.
OTHERPPL’s interview with Ayòbámi Adébáyò
‘Big books by blokes about battles’: why we need the Women’s prize for nonfiction
Close your eyes and think of a historian, and most people see an elderly white man,” says classicist and author Mary Beard. This stereotypical view of what experts look like means that “there is a bit of a ‘big books by blokes about battles syndrome’” when it comes to acclaimed nonfiction writing. So, she adds, the newly announced Women’s prize for nonfiction will be “very useful”.
Last Week’s LHB Feature Posts
Daniel Torday's Playlist for His Novel The 12th Commandment
Geoffrey D. Morrison's Playlist for His Novel Falling Hour
Miriam Darlington's Playlist for Her Book The Wise Hours
Stephen Graham Jones's Playlist for His Novel Don't Fear the Reaper