my library

here's a place where i'm going to collect pieces of writing, longform and shortform, that speak to me or hold value in some way. note this doesn't mean i agree with everything in these pieces (some i might completely disagree with), but it has some degree of intellectual or literary value that justifies its placement.

articles

who's afraid of amber heard?, rayne fisher-quann this was the essay that really got me into rayne fisher-quann. she skilfully unpacks the way culture acts to silence women and, as heard put it herself, "how institutions protect men accused of abuse".
rational magic, tara isabella burton as a silicon valley lover and hater, this is a really interesting look at the backlash to rationalism there. i think one of the problems with following a purely scientific/logical rationale in terms of belief is that inevitably you feel your confidence is too high and therefore start to enquire into the opposing perspective, which all too often leads to this sort of cyclical rationalisation where you rotate around various positions, each time feeling as though you've cracked it only to abandon the pursuit later in favour of the next big thing. i lean closer to the position outlined in the article rather than the rationalist one, so the idea of adding the sort of epistemological wonder back into the world is one i think is essential for social stability. still, i'm deeply sceptical of how any ethical rationale, when placed in the meatgrinder of silicon valley techbro land, could result in any meaningful social improvement. too individualist for my taste.

short fiction

why don't we just kill the kid in the omelas hole, isabel j kim love a good biting satire when you're not sure who's in the right, and this is just perfect for that. not the biggest leguin fan, though i don't mind omelas, so i think this elavates the work a little into something more tangible to sink one's teeth into.

longform fiction

lolita, vladimir nabokov

longform nonfiction

the culture of narcissism, christopher lasch insanely prescient - i couldn't believe it was written in the 70s. everything he wrote on has expanded and devolved in the digital age, and while i don't entirely agree with his perspective on gender, he's still an insightful and cutting writer.
all about love, bell hooks i don't quite like hooks as much as many others do, but this book hits so perfectly on the ethos i'm trying to cultivate. one of her best traits is being able to discuss the emotive aspects of morality without sounding cliche or trite, and the manner in which she grounds her commentary in reality allows her to be more responsive to the challenges we face in cultivating a love ethic in our current zeitgeist.

academic writing

writing as labiaplasty, allison pullen one of the earliest examples of fictocriticism i came across. influential in terms of my approach to writing.