Episodios
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Name: Freya
Reading: The Emigrants, W.G. Sebald
Why did you want to read this? Lately Sebaldās books have been exactly what I want to read and it felt like it would be really nice to share this one. I think thatās partly what I like so much about the podcast - people sharing what they love, in a gentle way - just putting it out there - and the intimacy of reading aloud.
How did you record yourself? Sitting on a fluffy rug on my bedroom floor with my laptop in front of me, it was a sunny morning.
*Content note: this episode contains mention of death by suicide*
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Name: Isha
Reading: Mirrors in the Earth, Asia Suler
Why did you want to read this? I discovered this book earlier this year while reading an article on intuitive plant medicine. The language had a vivid nature imagery, an openness and a tenderness that made me feel extremely safe and held. The book reads like a healing salve on a burning wound. I would usually read an essay and then keep the book down ā soaking in its essence. And after a few days or weeks passed the next essay would call out to me at exactly the right time ā as if it had been patiently waiting for me to be ready to receive its medicine.
How did you record yourself? I recorded this with a tentativeness as I explored what my voice meant for me, what it wanted to say and why it was afraid. I also had the Audacity app, my Mac, a lot of pillows and my auntās study desk to support.
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Name: Assunta
Reading: The Arcane of Reproduction: Housework, Prostitution, Labor and Capital, Leopoldina Fortunati
Why did you want to read this? I wanted to read this text to understand it more deeply and to be able to listen to it on my commute.
How did you record yourself? I recorded the chapter with my mobile phone.
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Name: Fathima
Reading: Traces of Enayat, Iman Mersal
Why did you want to read this? This was one of my favourite reads from last year. I had the chance to hear Iman read and talk about her work, and she read an excerpt from the first chapter. I was really struck by the story of Enayat, Imanās search for her and the questions it poses about who gets to be remembered, being a writer and trying to make a living for yourself. I felt a kinship with both Iman and Enayat and their ethos when it comes to their writing.
How did you record yourself? I recorded this at my desk, under the shade of my table lamp, at night. I was in my pyjamas and cardigan, as I am, most winter nights.
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Name: Julia
Reading: The Dud Avocado, Elaine Dundy
Why did you want to read this? Throughout the book, I enjoyed the frivolity and openness of the protagonist. I have an affinity with Sally Jay in the way she strives to feel things and live her life, even though at some points her naĆÆvety and impatience bring nothing but a series of misfortunes. This is a story to be read with flush on your cheeks, every time. Also, it evokes some Parisian longings.
How did you record yourself? I was sitting on my bed in polka dot tights to feel more exalted and recorded myself on my laptop, set on a red-brown chair near the bedside. Left alone in my communal apartment, I relished in reading out loud and taking sips of coffee when my lips went dry.
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Name: Anusuya
Reading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin
Why did you want to read this? I first read The Dispossessed during a family vacation when I was in my mid-teens. By that point, I was an avid Sci-Fi reader, and the vaguely alien-looking spaceship on the cover convinced me that it would be decent for the week. However, it took hold of me in a way no book had before, made me consider things I had never before, or consider further in-depth, and then later, unearth new considerations. I have returned to this book a few more times, and each time it leaves me with my head full, but buzzing with an undercurrent of hope.
How did you record yourself? On my bed with my laptop, with a blanket wrapped around my legs since it's been getting rather chilly this week. I recorded it during the night since I was unexpectedly busy the whole day.
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Name: Jaya
Reading: The Temple of My Familiar, Alice Walker
Why did you want to read this? I partly wanted to connect with my 21-year-old selfājust finishing college, already into meditation, and amazed by how this book transmitted a shamanic, transformative atmosphere. I bought copies for many friends, and even the mother of a friend, although I had very little moneyāand these gifts were hardcover copies because the paperback hadnāt come out yet. Even now, after decades of meditation, I find it more important than ever to share art that directly supports insight and awakening, rather than trying to address the mystery of life through the intellect.
How did you record yourself? I sat on the floor of my sonās bedroom with a Rode podmic on a short stand, and an ill-fitted pop filter teetering on the neck of the mic. The mic was plugged into my laptop USB port, where Audacity was taking it all in.
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Name: Rosa
Reading: Tell Them I Said No, Martin Herbert
Why did you want to read this? When you invited me to contribute, my first instinct was to say no. Gathering myself, I turned to one of my favourite books about artists refusing. We can learn so much from artists and how they approach work and the world.
How did you record yourself? Using my boyfriend's setup in our old house in Nottingham. We were mid-packing to move back to London and I wanted an excuse to have a break.
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Name: Caitlin
Reading: Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown
Why did you want to read this? I was a bit hesitant to read this actually. Itās definitely a product of its time, and in some ways hasnāt aged well. But it is also hilarious and heartbreaking and hard to put down. It's about staying true to yourself and your dreams from the first page to the last, even in the face of hate and judgement.
How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on my laptop, in my sonās ābook nookā which is just a closet with pillows and books, sweating profusely because itās 95 degrees here.
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Name: Jesse
Reading: Middlemarch, George Eliot
Why did you want to read this? When I was invited my first thought was, "Well, I can't read Middlemarch because the podcast is probably already 30 women reading the first chapter of Middlemarch." But then it turned out, no one had read Middlemarch! So obviously I had to read Middlemarch.
How did you record yourself? On my laptop at the table by the window.
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Name: Eleanor
Reading: Small: On Motherhoods, Claire Lynch
Why did you want to read this? Itās a really beautifully written book about queer motherhood, something that rarely gets talked about. Iāve found myself wanting to read a lot about motherhood recently, and itās been so refreshing and reassuring to be able to read about it from a queer perspective.
How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on my laptop, sitting propped up on my favourite end of the sofa. The curtains were closed, daffodils on the table beside me, and a pizza in the oven.
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Name: Jamie
Reading: Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid
Why did you want to read this? I loved this book - Jamaica Kincaid is deft and smart and her wryness made so many passages worth smirking at. She's unapologetic about how messy relationships can be, which I appreciate not being tidied into something that makes people feel like relationships exist for happy endings. And she's never afraid to question the idea of place as its own unique relationship in our lives - what it means to be who we are based on where we're at and where we've come from.
How did you record yourself? I recorded from a big pile on the couch: me (wearing one sock?), a hot water bottle, two blankets, my cat, pillows piled up with my computer on them, and Lucy all in front of the big window in my living room while it rained outside. A few bossy Stellar's jays were fighting for birdseed nearby.
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Name: Flora
Reading: Looking to Sea, Lily Le Brun
Why did you want to read this? I chose to read Looking to Sea because it is a thoughtful, insightful reflection on 100 years of modern art in Britain, written by the brilliant Lily Le Brun. As the daughter of an artist and a painter myself, the work of many of the artists in this book is intrinsic to the fabric of who I am. Le Brun's exploration of the practices and pieces of Vanessa Bell to Bridget Riley provides an insight into more than just the why or how of their art; Le Brun captures the very essences of the artists themselves.
How did you record yourself? On my laptop in bed/on the sofa with my cat curled up beside me.
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Name: Freya
Reading: Long Live the Post Horn!, Vigdis Hjorth translated by Charlotte Barslund
Why did you want to read this? I couldnāt stop laughing hysterically when I first read this, and immediately wanted to share it and talk about it with other people. I think I was originally drawn to it as the premise of finding an old diary + defending the postal service made it seem made for me (a bad-diary obsessive and snail mail fan), but really itās the deadpan, looping inner monologue of the main character clawing to grasp her life, life, meaning, that is such a joy to read.
How did you record yourself? With my laptop at home. Youād think Iād be better at this by now, but I had to redo the opening as I forgot to take off my loudly ticking watch : /
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Name: LoreĢ
Reading: Shmutz, Felicia Berliner
Why did you want to read this? When contemplating what to read, this novel instantly came to mind. I discovered it during the summertime and felt utterly swept up by Raizl's inner life. From religion and familial belonging to sex and friendship to the tension of figuring out one's identity, there are so many themes to chew on. Also, I'm a major slut for good prose and the lines in this book are just decadent. I want everyone to indulge themselves in this story.
How did you record yourself? I recorded myself via GarageBand and my roomie's microphone. It was my first time exploring this setup and I instantly (read: obnoxiously!) felt like a pop star.
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Name: Amy
Reading: The Shame, Makenna Goodman
Why did you want to read this? 'The weight of motherhood is a backpack full of stones.' This book messed me up -- but in a good way. I first read it very shortly postpartum. It felt like such consolation, after all the sentimentality and raw emotion of feeling motherhood suddenly happen to my own life, to read this wild, complicated book about a mother who loves her children entirely, and is entirely complicated, disappointed, competent, and failing, all at once. I'm obsessed with the idea of failure within ordinary committed motherhood, and in some ways that feels like the thesis of this book. It felt like it was written in a voice related to mine. Not the same, but recognizable to me. Like being accompanied -- that's a big thing.
How did you record yourself? I recorded sitting in our 'cozy corner' where my toddler and I look at his Richard Scarry and lift-the-flap books every day. It's a big floor pillow under our front window, with lots of extra pillows -- one big and round like the moon. The best light in the house. I had a cup of coffee that quickly grew cold because I didn't want to take breaks to sip it. My toddler is at the Children's Museum with my mom. Just me and the dog in the house, so quiet. I hadn't read this chapter in a while -- reading it aloud was a treat.
*Content note: this episode contains reference to sexual assault*
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Name: Yusra
Reading: Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Why did you want to read this? Braiding Sweetgrass is the last book I read. It's beautifully written and very tender, offering a different tone for discussing the climate and ecological emergency. Whilst reading, I found myself reflecting a lot about the phase of life I'm in right now, my relationship with the world and all that inhabit it. Although it is the only book I've managed to read since having my son last year, it has been wonderful to dip in and out of. Relearning is a big theme in the book, so for me it has been very timely. Reading what others have said about it online, the book has been described as āgrounding, calming, and quietly revolutionaryā. I think that sums it up pretty well.
How did you record yourself? I used my laptop to record myself, whilst my son napped. It took a few sittings but we got there in the end!
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Name: Ratnadevi
Reading: The Overstory, Richard Powers
Why did you want to read this? The Overstory is the most absorbing, courageous, wise, compassionate and skilfully crafted book I have read in a long time, a gift to the beleaguered world, particularly the trees. The novel weaves people and trees from very different backgrounds and geographies together, like mycelium connects root systems and fungi. It's deep-time sweep makes the heart ache: what are we humans doing, wrecking our beautiful home?
How did you record yourself? I recorded it on my phone, there was no option for quality when saving, hope it's okay.
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Name: Lindsey
Reading: The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf, Kathryn Davis
Why did you want to read this? I read Kathryn Davisās first novel, Labrador, earlier this year and felt like I was kicking the dirt off some kind of revelation Iād found in the ground. A few months later I was in my favorite used book store and saw this book, The Girl Who Trod On A Loaf; I read the back and though Iām not into opera (the central motif), I was immediately attracted to a story that seemed so unruly. Reading TGWTOAL, my jaw went slack nearly every page, in perpetual awe of Davisās precision and muscle. I want everyone to read her.
How did you record yourself? I recorded myself reading in the floor of my bedroom, wearing my favorite Pepto-Bismol pink shorts, with the curtains open.
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Name: Tanvi
Reading: The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak
Why did you want to read this? This book struck that evasive balance between the past and the present. It combines the ambition for a bright future with the yearning for a past we cannot seem to leave behind. It's told through the eyes of characters who are as captivating as they are diverse. It moved me to tears and then took me to new heights of joy. I just wanted to share this bittersweet experience with as many people as I could.
How did you record yourself? I recorded this at my study table with my garden behind me, which is fitting for the nature of this book. Once you read it, I hope you will see why this was true for me.
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