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u̇-təm-ä

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Project Tag: short story

Painting hook

Grinch in Girighun

Closed doors

Blind Spot

For anyone who wants to rewrite a narrative that’s holding them back. Bringing this book recs series back for a time when many of us are struggling to make sense of the world. When we write against our impulse to resolve or justify ‘bad’ behaviour, compelling stories arrive. In fiction, I uncover the most when I let characters (and myself) engage with discomfort, leave things in question, avoid playing nice. I carry tension with me from chapter to chapter the way others might a beloved handbag. I know what it’s worth, and I know you’ll notice. Need I say more about how fun this class at @poetswritersinc will be? Link in bio to register https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVPzG86E2-C/ Korea, in threes “Swimming is probably the most antisocial sport, and that’s exactly why I enjoy it.” Unexpectedly came upon an exhibit of @werner_bronkhorst in Seoul @groundseesaw and started imagining sinister backstories for each of these swimmers. I stood there delightfully creating fiction in silence, and thought about how the best ideas come to me while I’m underwater, how writing is also an antisocial sport, and how my need for both activities must come precisely from that solitude. Meanwhile, Zaya was face down on the gallery floor shooing off strangers and insisting all tiles except the blue were lava. Of all the questions I’ve been asked on tour, this one was most unexpected, and revealed to me just what I needed to hear. Thank you @imamaafzal for asking it. What debut authors don’t want to say, but thankfully many have, is that the first year after publication is hard. I felt elated and anxious; fulfilled and yet in constant anticipation; proud for beating the odds and guilty for not being perpetually grateful. For an introvert, I talked a hell of a lot this year. In public. About the book, yes, but also about myself. Entering any stage is a step towards scrutiny. An honour that requires a vulnerability, which has a weight. To lighten that weight, and to lighten up, I spent a few days amidst the desert, the sea, the mangroves, the kingfishers, the crows, the turtles, the gazelles - returning to a pace and place that seemed to relish in its quiet, quite like I do.
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