I just want to meet real writers. Writers of serious intent.
Them's fightin' words, but I stand by them.
Emma Cline Exposes the Underbelly of Masculinity in “Daddy”
Unlike her Manson-inspired novel The Girls, the stories in Emma Cline’s Daddy explore the hard angles of contemporary life—from men grappling with a shifting sense of authority as their status dissolves to the young women who sell their panties to strangers online.
There Will Be Deviations: Peter Stamm’s Surreal Doppelgängers
The note arrives without a contact number or return address, signed only with Christoph’s first name: “Please come to Skogskyrkogården tomorrow at two. I have a story I want to tell you.” Thus Swiss author Peter Stamm’s The Sweet Indifference of the World unfolds with the simplicity and wild...
5 Black-Owned Businesses in Paris
Supporting Black-owned businesses in Paris is one easy way to put your money where your mouth is—especially when these entrepreneurs are offering up tasty plates, chic styles, and meaningful spaces.
Recommended Reading: Books in the Time of Corona(virus)
Greetings from the Great Indoors! During this time of confinement—whether it be self-imposed or government-mandated—a healthy stack of reading material can make the hours fly. Readers have always found pleasure and escapism in the pages of their books, and there is no better time to dust off your...
Reevaluating New Year’s Resolutions
Lately it seems like New Year’s Resolutions have acquired a bad rep. My inbox was full of newsletters extolling the death knell for the annual tradition and citing the hype around “committing” to unrealistic goals as responsible for our failure to live up to them. But I’m not sure overinflated...
Recommended Reading: All Hallows’ Eve
I’m not one for horror. In fact, my list of what I personally consider scary is probably akin to that of a six-year-old. Don’t ask me to screen your favorite Tarantino with you or binge-watch Stranger Things or spend the evening at Knott’s Scary Farm. In fact, I will need to get...
A note on stasis
You know what you shouldn’t do when you’re trapped in a holding pattern, and you’re sure of…absolutely nothing other than your cat’s undying love? You should not binge-watch The Good Wife. For the past few weeks while waiting for news of my PhD application, I’ve lived and...
Montmartre Coffeeshops
I’m unabashedly passionate about cafés. Spend five minutes with me, and you’ll know I thrive on the buzz of a good flat white in the company of perfect strangers. If you live with a pet, you too will know the perpetual distraction of trying to work with soft paws batting at your ankles...
Two Eves (and other weekend reads)
It’s been awhile, I know…blogging regularly just isn’t in me. I’m working on it. A lot has changed since I last wrote about life in Paris. Against all odds, I managed to score a B2 on the TCF French exam last May, which led to a last-minute scramble to apply to the Sorbonne...