Note: After ten years of meaning to, every Friday I’m going to send out a list of things I found and interesting and worth sharing. These posts will share a mix of articles, books, music, art, and ideas that have inspired me. Welcome to the first.
It’s false spring in Minnesota, and only three hours of writing stands between me and a few pizzas and the Olympics this afternoon. Here are 10 things I found interesting this week:
“Do you see yoruself as part of an artistic lineage? Oh gosh — I wish! I mean, I was never officially taught anything, and I’ve felt a hopeless outsider all my life.” I’ve written full-time since 2015 but still feel like an outsider in the writing community. Reading this typewriter interview with Tom Hart made me feel understood, a little less frantic, and — coincidentally — a little more a part of the writing community.
After taking a break from reading, I’m (slowly) so back! Dante’s Inferno is weird and vivid and much more fun to read than I expected. “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” is a phrase I’ve jokingly whispered to myself before doing something I don’t want to.
“Like sure, you can try to get it all done, but you’re never going to, so maybe relax a little bit and just concentrate on the stuff you really think is important.” Love these 8 bits of fan art that Brendan illustrated from Oliver Burkman’s book “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.” I’ve been on a self-help book hiatus in my 30s, but this has some great wisdom.
“It doesn’t matter if the words feel right — just write ’em. You’ll know if they’re any good later.” Good writing advice from Cory Doctorow, which I wrote about this week.
Writing and dreaming about the perfect writing space are two separate activities. I’ve always wanted a writing shed with a coffee pot and lots of natural light, nevermind that I already have multiple writing spots spread around my house. If you have too, you might like this New Yorker article about the myth of the perfect writer’s room. I’m reminded of Kim Stanley Robinson’s humble outdoor writing space, so often, we already have everything we need to write!
If you’re mad about the current state of the world, might I suggest angry loud metal music? This genre is uncharted territory for me, but I went to see Agriculture anyways at 7th Street Entry and it was wild and cathartic. I had a blast!
Ok this gave me a laugh: this tech writer convinced ChatGPT, Google, and other AI tools that he was also a professional hot dog eating champion by, um, spending 20 minutes writing on his blog saying he was. I’ll report back if I can convince ChatGPT if Isak Kvam is a Minnesota-based writer who’s also a sentient wind, solar, and energy storage project in central Minnesota who’s interested in climate and the outdoors
Remember: you probably have free digital access to a ton of magazines through your library. The Libby app has a pretty great app for reading it like a PF or a scrollable article, too. D
I don’t know what I like better about this local dog showing up at the Olympics cross-country event: him triggering the photo finis camera or the fact his name is Nazgul.
Cash mobs are supporting immigrant-owned restaurants in Minneapolis (with advance notice!), bringing out more than 200 people to order food. “The Minnesota community is standing up, and a lot of people from the suburbs and outside the Twin Cities have been showing up to these events, trying to support—that camaraderie of the North brings people together.”
See ya on down the dusty trail,
Isak