weekly wrap-up 2: video essays, comfort zones and my eternal hatred of reality tv
all this and more in this week's wrap up.
prelude
In all honesty, I’ve taken a few hits this week. My dark mood is at a stark contrast to the beautiful, bright weather, only exacerbating how I feel. I’m trying to step out of my comfort zone, and become more familiar with uncertainties. As a life-long perfectionist, a line from this week’s poem Wild Geese has played in my head like a mantra, “you do not have to be good.” That being said, I’ve tried to remedy my blues with some of my favorite things, many of which have been listed below.
reading
Wild Geese - Mary Oliver
This poem speaks to a softer part of myself, one that is locked up deep in my heart. I think it is the part of myself that is deeply human, indelible and unchanging. Recently, I’ve felt out of place in more ways than one, but this poem reminds me of my innate connection to everyone and everything around me. Beautiful.
A French Reproach to Our Big, Baggy American Memoirs - Katie Roiphe
The phrase “rejection is redirection” has never rang more true for me than right now. Stemming from a recent rejection in my life, I feel wholly inspired to step out of my comfort zone with writing. After speaking to a fantastic mentor of mine, I think that I feel incredibly familiar with literary analysis, so much so that I lack a creative source in my prose. This article provided me with insight into a less introspective form of personal essay, one that serves as narrative.
The Power of Hearing Family Stories - Isabel Fattal
The Atlantic’s Wonder Reader is one of my absolute favorite emails to receive. This week’s edition in particular really stuck out to me. As somebody with a complicated (to say the least) family history, I treasure any stories I’ve ever been told. The impact they’ve had on my life is profound, and this collection of articles inspired me to hold them even closer to my heart.
The Cruel Social Experiment of Reality TV - Sophie Gilbert
I’ll say it. I detest reality TV. I can appreciate TV that is my no means prestige (see my enduring love for Riverdale that has been mentioned in both of these wrap-ups so far), yet reality TV ignites a fire of hatred in me that is impossible to ignore. There is no artistry in reality TV, any shred of insincerity is not to portray a character or storyline, they are to further one’s own false narrative. I hate it. That being said, I love Sophie Gilbert and this article follows all of her fantastic pieces.
The Summer Reading Guide - The Atlantic
Yes, I do have a physical TBR of 10 books lying on my nightstand. Yes, I added 10 more to my amazon wishlist after reading this. Yes, I am utterly confident I can finish every single one by the time the leaves start turning copper. I am the most productive reader during summer, and lists like these only fuel my voracity.
listening
BIRDS OF A FEATHER - BILLIE EILISH
Honestly, I’ve never really gotten into Billie Eilish. I might have to now. Something about this song really strikes a chord with me. It’s reminiscent of Immunity - era Clairo in the best way possible. This just adds to the line-up of fantastic recent releases.
not a lot, just forever - adrianne lenker
I had a very sweet moment with this song serving as a soundtrack. A sweet spot in the midst of an otherwise shitty week.
Tennis Court - Lorde
Stepping out of my comfort zone with writing is only the most recent move in my New Year’s resolution. To me, this is the year of “yes”. So far, this almost-unconditional agreement has turned various quasi-strangers into friends, randomly inspired a niche interest in computer science and filled up my bookshelf with various titles from a teacher who will volunteer every book I glance at. This song encapsulates the heady exploration of youth I’ve been trying my best to tap into.
watching
Sex and the City
Like everybody else, I am currently watching this icon of a show. I think it’s a quintessential girlhood experience to assign yourself and your closest friends to one of the core four (I’m a Miranda). Eternally quotable, relatable and bingeable.
There is nothing I eat up faster than a long-form video essay obsessively detailing the events of a cultural phenomenon TV show. I first fell in love with Carley’s channel for her book reviews, many of which have led me to my own favorite books. Her shift into commentary is hilarious, and she talks at the perfect speed for me.
This is my comfort video. Not much to say about this, but anybody in the UK must have become entranced by the Wagatha Christie story at one point. An essential pillar of British hun culture.
obsessing
Bella Hadid
She is an actual angel on earth. I think she is just the coolest.
@databutmakeitfashion on ig
My recent foray into computer science makes this account perfect for me. I think it’s really interesting how the echo chambers of our own internet algorithms convince us that some trends are all over the place, while in reality they are reserved for your little corner of the web. I also love the way each post is laid out.
Writing without a fear of being wrong
As a writer, I think I feel very at home with literary analysis. I want to branch out into cultural analysis, or even creative writing. I feel most creative when I am writing in verse, but I want to harness that sense and pour it into prose. Watch out for some more creative writing on this page. Let me know if there’s anything you think it would be interesting to hear from me about.
author’s note
This concludes this week’s installment of my wrap-ups. As you can probably tell from the blurbs above, I am in a liminal state, hopefully towards something better. I definitely want to branch out what I post on here, so be prepared to see more of me. As always, thank you for reading <3.