Poems on tape in SUDS Zine

For Teruko Azevedo + Bon Tempe Lake

So thrilled that two of my poems, For Teruko Azevedo and Bon Tempe Lake, are out in the world via the LA-based cassette, SUDS Zine. These poems are some of my favorites and most dear to me, and it was very special to be able to read and share these poems in this format. To record the reading for Bon Tempe Lake, I went back to the spot at Bon Tempe Lake in Marin where I wrote the poem, wind and all. For Teruko Azevedo was recorded in the bedroom the poem’s about, my grandmother’s “sewing room turned into hospice room / once of lace, buttons, & crochet” — my mom vacuuming in the background.

SUDS Zine Issue Two is available here in full for free / donation-basis on Bandcamp, so please head on over and give it a listen! But if you know what’s up you will also buy a copy of the cassette! Some of the proceeds will be going to fundraisers for victims of the LA fires.

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Recommendations:

• How To Not Always Be Working by Cody Cook-Parrott (Morrow Gift, HarperCollins, 2018). Honestly, the book inspired me to focus on my work more, but by helping me intentionally define what my work actually is (anything to do with my writing and creative output that will eventually be read or seen by other people), and to set aside time that is very explicitly obviously not working at all. I’d been meaning to read this for years and found an $8 copy at a used bookstore a couple weeks ago. The book feels very timely for me in my work-journey right now, and reading this along with some of Cody Cook-Parrott’s other work (their newsletter and podcast) are helping me bring the work that’s important to me back into focus. Taking their newsletter class was one of the main driving forces that prompted me to launch this newsletter a couple years ago, so finally picking up a book of theirs (and picking up a book that wasn’t only about grief) was very comforting.

• This Common Shapes episode on self-publishing and quitting social media with Cody Cook-Parrott and Nic Antoinette.

• Deeply funny and existentially true, Mo follows a Palestinian family as they seek asylum in Houston, Texas, and all their struggles with the immigration system, work, relationships, addiction, occupation, and making ends meet. Written, directed by, and starring Palestinian-American comedian Mohammed “Mo” Amer, the second and final season released on January 30th on Netflix, and I binge-watched both seasons in two days. It’s that good. Really, watch it.