It’s time. Time for another volume of completely arbitrary things that I, D.L, recommend.
from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
Moone Boy
Pretty sure I have recommended this before. But I am going to recommend it again. Because it is even better when you watch it a second time and you actually start to understand the Irish accents/slang/inside jokes. Go watch it! (You can find it on Hulu).
James Agee
The ultimate War Photographer. You guys, I can’t even. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is bizarre and wonderful. In it, Agee goes to write about poor sharecroppers in the South and leaves a shaken man. It is lyrical and uneasy and so very worth reading. Now I want to read everything about this man who saw every human as being excruciatingly unique and worthy of honor.
The Empathy Exams
This book, by Leslie Jamison, is worth the hype (and it is what pointed me to James Agee). There were a couple of her essays where her self-consciousness was crippling, but I am all for anyone who is trying to feel it all. I read later that her mother is a pastor who works with the poor, and that influence to me could be felt rippling under the surface.
Planting Things in the Ground, Even though You Feel Skeptical
It really helps a tired soul find a few seeds of hope.
Looking at Pictures of Babies
Squee!
Lupe Fiasco
OK, OK I really only listen to one of his songs when I plod along on my jogs: The Show Goes On. What is better than a white girl sweatily running and singing about throwing her hands up in the air? A lot of things, actually. But this one consistently works for me.
Adult Bands Pretending to Be Kid Bands
Did you know this is a thing? It is. My friends are in an awesome band named Destroy Nate Allen and they do kick-butt shows for kids (Ramona loves them). And they introduced us to this band called Koo Koo Kangaroo which is basically like the Beastie Boys taking over Yo Gabba Gabba (complete with gold fanny packs). My husband is currently obsessed with their album which is all about cats.
Custard
Don’t ever go back to plain vanilla ice cream. Don’t.
Longform Podcast
I am loving this. It basically interviews an interesting long form journalist/writer/essayist and they talk about the craft. I have found some new favorites from this podcast (including Alice Gregory).
Fosterhood in NY.
The best, most honest, transparent, hopeful, exasperating, beautiful and tragic blog ever written on what it means to be a foster parent. I love how the author is SO committed to being in relationship with the birth parents and their extended families. I cannot stop reading this blog, and it is more gripping (and harrowing) than a novel.
Thunderstorms
Or, as I call them when I am pretending to be from Northern Ireland, “tunderstorms“. Being a transplant to the MidWest, I find a lot of pleasure in the wilds of the storms that we get here in the spring.
Image Journal
I wanted to think that this literary journal was a bit snobby, a bit elitist, a teensy bit out of touch. But I consistently sit down and find myself carefully absorbing every word in the latest volume. I highly recommend supporting this endeavor, and I wish it wasn’t such a rare unicorn of a journal.
Signing With a Literary Agent
It has been a long road to this point for me, and I can’t say that it has been easy. But I did it. Here’s to one more step on this adventure.
Applying for Crazy Things
I heard about the Collegeville Institute from a tweet; I applied for a summer workshop on a hope and a prayer. And now I get all-expenses paid week at a monastery where I get to hang out with awesome people like Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and have lots and lots of time to write. And be alone. Basically the dream of every poor writer. Take THAT, Donald Miller (or, as I like to call him: DonAHLD Miller). All the deadlines for this year have passed, but bookmark the site and apply for next year. You never know what will happen until you put yourself out there.
Taking Uncouth Selfies
Everyone should do it, or else you will get a big fat head.
dorkily excited about the article.
So that’s it. I haven’t watched anything great lately and I would love some recommendations there. Also, I need a few light reads for my summer. Hit me up, people!
D.L. Mayfield 