Mid-Year Musings
Here's a list of what I consumed/created so far this year. Lots of recommendations in store!
Hey folks,
It's so tough to believe that it's already June! I was looking back at my year and I thought of sharing what I've been consuming and creating! A lot of what I consume subconsciously feeds into my creative work. I thrive on content that makes me think, and challenges my approach to storytelling.
I especially admire filmmakers/musicians and their entire crew for making things happen. It’s challenging to create audio and video content as it’s mostly a collaborative effort. If you think about it, publishing is also a collaborative effort that requires cooperation from various parties like publicists, artists, editors, writers, beta-readers and so forth.
Here are some recommendations across different forms and genres that might spark some creativity in you-
Part 1
Consumption of Films, News, TV shows, Music, Podcasts, Stories and more
Films:
Hard Candy
If you’re an Elliott Page fan, you must have already seen this film. This story about a teen vigilante kept me on the edge of my seat as I kept wondering what’s going on in the teen’s head. What’s next. What’s next. Who is she??? Highly recommend this for fans of thrillers.
Old Boy
This Korean film completely shook me. It’s an old film but I’m only discovering it now. If you are into intense films that make you second guess the character’s motivations, the next scene in the plot, and question the biggest things in life we take for granted like love and family, then you will like this. It can be a bit too intense for some viewers. Please exercise caution.
Innocence
I’m drawn to stories set in boarding schools. I guess my fascination began from watching Cracks- story set in a girl’s boarding school. Innocence might not appeal to every viewer as the film is sort of dreamy without a coherent story. It revolves around young girls and their coming-of-age. Its eeriness reminded me of Such Small Hands by Andres Barba.
The Lost Daughter
This film is an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s book. Having loved the book for its dark undertone and unreliable ‘mother’ protagonist, I was drawn to this. It is a little slow in places, which might make some viewers impatient but if you put yourself into the character’s shoes, you really get to feel her loneliness. Brilliant acting and cinematography!
The Great Indian Kitchen
This Malayalam film brings patriarchy’s ugly side to the forefront. There are scenes of labour performed by the women that call out to your conscience. These repetitive actions are taken for granted by the men in the household. It’s hard-hitting focus makes the viewer squirm in their seats.
Twyla Moves
Twyla Tharp is known for her choreography and her book The Creative Habit. I was really curious to watch this documentary about her life as I love creativity and dance! It left me brooding for hours. Questions like- What is work-life balance? Is it necessary to sacrifice everything for your art? What does it take to perform at that level? A must-watch for anyone who wants to know what goes into sustaining a lifestyle around what you love.
Funny Boy
Based on Shyam Selvadurai’s novel, this film offers a peek into a queer boy’s growing up years in Sri Lanka. It documents the civil war. Having read about the war in Anuk Arudpragasam’s novels, I wanted to see how Selvadurai has approached the subject. I was taken in by the story and the acting. The film has recently been criticised for its lack of Tamil actors in lead roles.
Turning Red
I’m a big fan of animated films and shows. Having grown up on Disney fairytales and cartoons, I find myself incredibly fascinated by animation. Turning Red was so refreshing for the way it covered a young Asian girl’s experience with puberty in Canada. It makes you embrace your flaws.
Our Father
Being a big fan of medical thrillers like Robin Cook’s books that often cover the evil side of the medical industry, I watched this. It brings chills to your spine, as you get to know the story of an infertility clinic through the eyes of the children who have been born through this clinic’s ‘miracles’.
Animated TV Series:
Family Guy
This is an animated series for adults. I love this and hate this in equal measure. The show is problematic for various reasons. Peter’s idiotic man-child behavior annoys me for the effect it has on his wife Lois’ psyche, but I find myself returning to it for the ‘family’ in it. I’m drawn to domestic stories. The dynamic between the baby ‘Stewie’ and the dog ‘Brian’ is something I enjoy the most because they are best friends.
Art:
The Museum of Christian Art
I recently visited Goa. I’m so glad I took the break. I stopped by the Museum of Christian Art in Velha, Goa. The guided tour really opened my eyes to Christian art. One can see the influences of Hinduism on Christian statues as Hindu artisans were employed to make these. Here are a couple of examples-
Eunice De Souza’s mural
I also happened to pass by poet Eunice De Souza’s mural in a small lane in Saligao, her home town. I was visiting Goan family friends from Bahrain while I spotted this beauty. This mural is based on a very famous photo of hers. It also serves as the cover to one of the most interesting collections of poetry that came out recently from Penguin India.
Songs:
Levitating by Dua Lipa
I have been addicted to Dua Lipa’s songs since ‘New Rules’. ‘Levitating’ has all the right vibes and beats to put me in a good mood.
Pasoori
This Ali Sethi song popped up on my Youtube suggestions. I was curious about it, I clicked on it and now I can’t stop listening to it. If you like this song, you might want to check out his sibling’s work. Listen to my conversation with Mira Sethi here.
Short Stories:
As a writer of short stories and a creative writing mentor, I’m always on the lookout for stories that will stay with me. Every Sunday, I will share stories I’ve been reading and re-reading on my blog. Here’s the first installment- Short Story Sunday #1.
Poems:
Immunodeficiency of Love by Kinshuk Gupta
Make-A-Wish Vacation by Shalini Rana
Titanic by Laura Lamb Brown-Lavoie
Podcasts/Interviews:
I find myself returning to interviews of these writers who bend genres.
Kelly Link’s interview on Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy
Robin Cook’s interview at the Boston Public Library
Literary news:
(Amazon owned) Westland’s shutting down was one of the saddest news in the publishing industry recently but the team of Westland found a new life through Pratilipi so that’s good news.
Videos:
This agency comes out with very informative videos on the nature of publishing and agenting. I return for the hosts’ rapport. I follow them for insightful literary content.
Part 2
Creation of prose, poetry, podcasts and more
Fiction
-Wrote a novel
-Working on some short stories across genres
-Short story ‘Clyde’s Calling’ accepted for publication in Out of Print’s June issue
Poetry
- Poem ‘The Exploitative Art of Collecting Shells’ accepted for a Climate Anthology edited by Vinita Agarwal
-Poem ‘Somniloquy’ published in Yearbook of Indian Poetry, Hawakal, 2021
Non-fiction
-Food essay published by The Soup and featured in Memoir Monday’s newsletter
Podcast
-Books and Beyond Season 4- Horror, Food Writing, Feminist Romance and more.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter! Please feel free to let me know what you have been upto!
Have a great weekend!