Culture Consumption: April 2023

Hi, lovelies. Here’s my month in books, movies, television, and games.

Books

A House with Good Bones-T KingfisherT. Kingfisher never fails to craft books with darkly beautiful concepts that terrifying me, while simultaneously making me love the characters and feel for their journey. Her new book, A House with Good Bones, is no exception.

After her archeological dig site temporarily closes down, Sam returns to her family home while she waits for work to start up again. Her mom greets her with warmth and joy, but there’s something off. Her mom has repainted the house to bland neutral colors that she normally hates, refuses to curse, and is generally acting anxious and cagey — to such a degree that she begins to worry about her mental health.

But there are signs of other kinds of strangeness — vultures keeping watch, ladybugs swarming the house, among other things — signs that hint at something else, something ghostly and sinister going on in the background.

Like her other works, this book offers wonderfully wrought characters with solid, supporting relationships — along with a terrifying supernatural threat. It makes for a fast-paced and fun read.

M Archive-After the End of the World-Alexis Pauline GumbsM Archive: After the End of the World by Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a stunning collection of poetry. Inspired by M. Jacqui Alexander’s Pedagogies of Crossing: Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred, a transnational black feminist text, Gumbs envisions humanity at the end of the world. While there is struggle, this is not the typical depiction of humanity as viciously and violently struggling for survival, but a vision of humanity as transformational. As the environment and world shifts (due to human causes), humanity takes to the dirt, sky, fire, and sea, creating new communities and ways of being. It’s a beautiful, compelling and hopeful depiction.

“most of us got there naked, burnt, raw with rashes, scarred. we had put down everything that didn’t hold blood and some parts of us that did. we had brushed agains the jagged histories that forced us to travel our different ways out.” 
— from “Archive of Sky” p. 78

“there was never rain. but she waited for lighting to find her. the mercury of her veins aligning with the shock of being here after everything and before whatever. her heart was accelerated coal, growing deep dark and sharp. she kept on breathing, prostrate, burning, knowing soon it would be clear and unbreakable. her beautiful blackening heart.” 
— from “Archive of Fire” p. 91

“she had a self sharpening spirit. that’s how she would describe it afterward. everything that happened rubbed against her right in the middle until you could see her glint when she smiled.”
— from “Memory Drive” p. 188

Cover of City Witchery-Lisa Marie BasileIf you’re looking to put a little magic into your days, Lisa Marie Basile’s City Witchery is an excellent read. Cities are often seen as sleek, bustling, overstimulating, and soulless, not a place to find connection with the earth or magic — but Basile’s book offers a different perspective. Her words encourage readers to find ways to tap into the unique energy of a city by wandering its streets and crossroads, connecting with its history, art, and culture. In addition, she offering ideas for bringing ritual and sacred into your life, especially when dealing with tight spaces, like apartments, or limited privacy, like roommate situations. Whether you are witchy or not, Basile’s book is a wonderful read. Continue reading “Culture Consumption: April 2023”

Exploring the Self by Honoring the Magical: Lessons from Lisa Marie Basile’s Magical Writing Grimoire

Photo by petr sidorov on Unsplash.

I’ve long been fascinated by the concept of witchcraft  the idea that ritual, spells, and willpower can effectively shape the world around you. No doubt movies like The Craft and Practical Magic had a significant influence on this interest. As a teenager, I would roam through the public library seeking out some old leather-bound tome to guide me (something that always seems so easy to achieve in movies).

If it had existed back then, The Magical Writing Grimoire by Lisa Marie Basile would have been a book that I would have found compelling. Even as a teenager, I already had the sense that the written word and poetry in particular  had a kind of magic to it. Reading was empowering for me, conjuring up deep emotions and manifesting new perceptions of the universe around me. At a time when I was just starting to figure out who I was as a writer and a human, this book would have felt like a gift.

Continue reading on The Ascent