And on that note today’s digest is short and sweet, because I’d rather keep this project going than overthink it and paralyze myself! So here are seven things I’ve enjoyed lately, that I hope you will too.

Keeya

One

Queenie

I have to drive about an hour each way in traffic to get to my MPA class (state and local taxation) on Monday nights, and I’ve made that less painful by assigning it as dedicated audiobook time. The first book I finished using this process was Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. It is a great novel, made even greater by the voice acting of Shvorne Marks. It became an immersive experience, with every character given life, and every joke having a more palpable sense of humor. Audiobooks feel like some kind of medium in-between literature and theatre in my mind, and this epitomized how well that form works when done right. Queenie is an extremely funny but dark tale about a Black woman in her mid-twenties navigating a break up, friendships, and her career in London. It explores interracial relationships, fetishization, sexual trauma, consent, female friendships, workplace norms and other complex topics in nuanced ways that at times felt uncomfortably real, which I think is the marker of great storytelling. If you have the stomach for a very raw, dark comedy, with important messages layered within, I highly recommend.

Two

French Exit

In September when I flew back to Atlanta from London, I watched this wonderfully weird film starring Michelle Pfeiffer, about a widow and her son who leave New York City for Paris, mired in scandal and out of money. At first it seems like a piece set in realism, but as it goes along it becomes more and more absurd, then hits a surrealist crescendo where all assumptions go out of the window. I can’t even really tell you what the takeaways were (especially without spoiling the plot), except that it was very out-there, and I loved it. Probably because Pfeiffer was fantastic as always, and I could watch her all day.

Three

Lemony fish with nori

Cold weather means warm food. That’s just math. Around this time of year when the mornings become frosty and I have to keep a down jacket by the door for morning runs to the mailbox, I shift all of my cooking efforts to producing comforting meals. Soup, ramen, stew, pasta - all the good things. This lemony fish with nori is a delicious addition to this repertoire. Super easy to make, healthy, and a little bit interesting. Delicious served over creamy mashed potato or rice.

Four

Lupin

My husband Alex and I really go nuts for a charismatic character who pulls off heists and has an agenda. Not since Neal Caffrey have we been so enamored with a character as we are with Omar Sy’s Assane Diop, the lead character in the French Netflix show Lupin. Assane is the son of a Senegalese immigrant framed (and murdered) for a crime he didn’t commit, who has become a master criminal set on finding justice and revenge. It’s full of twists, turns and reveals that make every episode extremely fun to watch. We are waiting with bated breath for the season three release date!

Five

Dorland v Larson

I read this buzzy NYT piece last month when it came out, and I keep thinking about it regularly. It’s very long, clocking in at 70 minutes if you listen to the narrated version, but fascinating and utterly worth the time. In a nutshell, it’s about a complex legal case, and a range of wild behavior, between two ‘friends’ - one who donates a kidney and another who writes a short story based on that idea. If do you read it (or listen to it), hit reply to this email and let me know what you think. There’s a lot to unpack, ethically, and people seem to land squarely on one side or the other… which in itself I find extremely interesting.

Six

Somebody’s Son

Being a longer-term Tiwa Savage fan, I love to see this crossover into more mainstream pop music in this duet with Brandi. It’s a fantastic song, with a simple but beautiful video.

"Tired of getting it wrong. This won't be another heartbreak song. Somebody's son gone find me one day."

Seven

Sam Cotton

100% of this guy’s videos are funny, so I randomly chose one to make you smile. It might be a little too Australian for my international audience, so for context, ‘chips’ are thick potato fries we eat at the beach with salt and vinegar - and are constantly accosted by seagulls for. Also as a kid in Australia, whenever we saw a seagull with one leg we always assumed ‘a shark ate it’, as a kind of common cultural legend. Anyway, go laugh!

A few little updates from me… I’ve started my part-time MPA, and am taking a class on state and local taxation every Monday evening. I find the content terribly interesting—dare I say exciting—which speaks a lot to how I’ve grown over the past decade. Teenage-me would be horrified.

I’m also off to London on Wednesday! Only a 4 day trip. I’ll be joining my best friend’s wedding celebrations, and speedily seeing some of my colleagues and friends. Honestly, the whole thing is rather daunting because of COVID. But, I am trying to remain optimistic because if everything goes well, and everyone stays safe, it’ll be a spectacular time.

I’ve also finally conceded that this digest is better as a monthly output - the first Sunday of every month, to be specific. I consume plenty of content I wouldn’t recommend to you, but want to keep this digest to things I especially enjoyed and think you will too. Quality over quantity, as is my general motto in life. Given my restrained recreational time, this means I need a full month to dig up these seven gems for you.

I hope you’ll continue to enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy sharing them!

With love from Atlanta,

Keeya

One

Locally-led crisis response

There are so many acute humanitarian crises ongoing at this moment, and I know it can feel overwhelming as a bystander, not knowing how to help effectively. Financially supporting trusted locally-led organizations is one way we can help to make immediate impact.

I have personally made recent donations to five organizations:

• The Bayou Community Foundation’s Recovery Fund helping local residents most impacted by Hurricane Ida, specifically serving Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish,  and Grand Isle in coastal southeast Louisiana;

• Slow Factory Foundation’s Superfund. I donated to honor my Lebanese best friend Sarah Almahmoud’s birthday last month, as the Lebanese people need our help now more than ever;

• The Watan Project and Children Without Border’s joint fundraiser for Afghanistan; and

• The Ayiti Community Trust’s Earthquake Relief Fund for relief in Haiti.

If you have supported different locally-led crisis response efforts (in these or any other crises) please hit reply to this email and send me the information. I’ll include in next month’s digest, and share info about each and every recommendation on social media more immediately.

Two

Cruella

Why did nobody tell me about this movie? I did not read one review, recommendation, see a post, anything, beyond the standard Emma Stone trailer with this white cape-dress getting lit up. My husband Alex and I only watched this because it became available to stream on Disney+, and I was so extremely delighted by the entire thing. I was not expecting a Devil Wears Prada-esque/heist movie/murder mystery genre mashup set in 1970s London? With epic servings of classic punk fashion? I am mad at every single person who had seen this gem and not told me. This is the only big-Hollywood film I’ve truly enjoyed in a long time.

Three

Mare of Easttown

I had seen a fair few tweets about this show being brilliant, not to mention its whopping sixteen Emmy nominations, so needed to check it out myself. Kate Winslet absolutely triumphs in her lead role as a tough, wise-cracking detective dealing with overlapping personal traumas in a tight-knit Pennsylvania community. It’s a beautifully produced show that skips showy effects in favor of brilliant writing that serves up complex characters and a layered plot (plenty of red herrings and genuinely shocking plot twists). But do be warned that there are a few shocking scenes including graphic violence. Rather than being gory or gratuitous, they feel extremely raw and necessary. The subject matter is heavy all-around, and touches on drug addiction, suicide, custody battles, abduction, sexual abuse… almost the whole gamut of human trauma. It’s not light watching, but so worth it if you have the emotional capacity to get sucked into binge-watching all seven episodes and remerging in a more sullen (but satisfied) mood.

Four

Point and Kill ft. Obongjayar

I very recently (in May’s digest #28) shared a Little Simz video, but can’t help sharing this one with you, it’s just so damn good. It’s a video you’ll want to watch a few times to really visually absorb and appreciate, and the kind of song that I’m bound to keep on repeat for days at a time (what Alex calls my '“adult Frozen songs”). It’s got a groove and funk vibe that will make it impossible not to do a little dance or tap your toes, gorgeously dreamy vocals from Obongjayar, and Little Simz’s unparalleled flow to spellbind you. Have a listen! I’m going to go back to listening it for the next hour or two ;)

Five

Sherry vinegar, mustard and red onion vinaigrette

I’m going to let you in on a guilty secret. Even as a relatively experienced and (self- described) competent cook, I love using meal kits from time to time. I cook a lot—and by that I mean that I cook 6 lunches and 6 dinners a week from scratch—so it’s incredibly easy to fall into a rut and make the same things over and over. Ordering a meal kit once every few weeks helps me mix it up a little and use ingredient combinations I might not have otherwise considered. For me, (unsponsored opinion, as always!) Blue Apron is by far the best choice for both quality of meals and price. Sometimes a little part of a meal is so good that I integrate it into my usual cooking routines. The vinaigrette from this recipe is one example of that. It’s so easy to make from simple ingredients, and tastes particularly amazing on salmon and trout. You’re welcome in advance.

Six

Shadow and Bone

In Digest #27 back in May, I wrote about the Netflix series Shadow and Bone and mentioned it desperately made me want to read the young adult fiction series it was based on. Well, now I’ve actually finished the first two novels in the trilogy! They were great reads, but they also made me appreciate the show significantly more. A number of great writing decisions were made for the screen, like combining the first book of the trilogy with the first book from The Six of Crows Duology (which I’m yet to read) as a parallel timeline. Another stellar choice was making the title character, Alina Starkov, mixed race after casting English-Chinese actress Jesse Mei Lei to play her (cementing her narrative as an outsider, and allowing her character to further develop in the show). I’m excited to keep reading these, and for season two of the show to be released. It’s nice to look forward to a new things from a franchise! I’ve missed this feeling, and first felt it for the Buffyverse, and more recently Game of Thrones. If you’re looking for a fun fantasy world to immerse yourself in, I highly recommend the Grishaverse!

Seven

Toddler catwalk

This is definitely my favorite viral post of the month. The ballroom track makes it magical, but this little girl undeniably knows how to serve looks.

With love from sunny Atlanta,

Keeya

One

Tahini salmon with sumac and za’atar

This weeknight dinner recipe is too yummy not to share. The salmon came out of the oven really tender, with a thick and bubbling tahini sauce baked right onto it and a delicious crust, from the sumac and za’atar (a spectacular Middle Eastern spice blend of ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and salt). I served it on a bed of creamy mashed potato, because that was what I had on hand, and it was a smash hit. Even my 19-month-old son Leo was a fan, and ate everything on his little plate (then demanded blueberries, which is typical). Super simple and easy to make, you’ll just need to source some good quality tahini, sumac and za’atar — I get mine at my local farmers market. But if you start to cook Ottolenghi recipes, as I basically beg you to every month, you’ll need those on hand!

Two

Too Good To Be True

This week I made it a priority to get some recreational reading time in during Leo’s lunchtime naps, and finished this thriller novel by Carola Lovering. The plot centers on 29-year-old Skye Starling, who has a mental health issue that has prevented her from forming lasting romantic connections. When her much older boyfriend, Burke, proposes to her, she thinks she’s finally getting her happily ever after. It’s quickly revealed that he’s actually married with kids, and his reasons for lying lead down a pretty wild path that doesn’t end up where I assumed it would. The novel interweaves the perspectives of three characters, and as the reader you aren’t sure whose narration is reliable. A few things about the novel irritated me, which I can’t reveal without spoiling it, but the plot was compelling in a way that has led my mind to return to small elements of it over the days since I put it down. It’s fundamentally about rich white East Coast Americans, and other people aspiring to be rich white East Coast Americans, but layered with trauma and serious explorations of mental health issues. It’s also important to flag that this book contains depictions of sexual assault and other traumatic events that are quite graphic. They’ll come from left-of-field if you aren’t expecting them.

Three

Freaky

My husband Alex and I watched this last weekend for date night, our welcome reprieve from toddler-friendly content, and it scored highly with both of us. The film is a twist on the mystical body swap convention (i.e. Freaky Friday), with a teenage girl inhabiting the form of a serial killer after he is interrupted while trying to murder her. It has your Scream-esque teen slasher conventions, but with a huge amount of humor and some more heartfelt subplots to make you care whether the main characters make it or not. In many ways, it’s a predictable ride, but it’s extremely fun all the same. Vince Vaughan and Kathryn Newton both give absolutely stellar performances though, which knock this one out of the park and make it worth your time.

Four

Mike’s Mic

I’ve been watching Mike from Mike’s Mic (that’s a mouthful) for a little while now. He managed to successfully hack the YouTube algorithm by posting consistently over the past couple of years, and has gained a huge number of subscribers over a relatively short timespan because of that. He deserves all the attention he’s getting because his content is golden. I don’t even want to point you to a specific video (though this one is sooooo me and this is a true classic), because whatever you randomly click on is going to be enjoyable. He has a sense of humor that is perhaps distinctly Australian, but also has a wide-reaching kind of relatability. He’s whip smart and makes hilarious pop culture references, while never taking himself too seriously. This is what the internet is for my friends, its ability to make stars out of mild mannered 20-something queer boys in their living rooms. You’re welcome in advance.

Five

Lost Girl

I recently started to rewatch Lost Girl, a show I streamed weekly over the five seasons it aired from 2010-2015. I described it to one of my best friends KaM as “a Canadian fantasy show I used to watch where a bisexual succubus has a werewolf-guy love interest and a human lady scientist love interest, and quirky best friend sidekick”. It’s the kind of show that is usually centered around a ‘mystery of the episode’, a la early Buffy seasons, but with the kicker that one of the main characters (said werewolf-guy) is a cop so it’s also kind of detective procedural, a la early Angel. It might sound overstuffed, but it’s self-aware and campy in a way that makes it all super fun. It was also one of the first times I ever saw truly positive depictions of a bisexual character, without being reduced to tropes, and also functional polyamorous dynamics. If you’re into these types of fantasy shows, I highly recommend it! If you’re in the US, the show streams free on CW Seed (no sign up required).

Six

Freedom

My friend Ceri sent this to me a while ago and I have returned to it with joy this week. It is one of those beautiful music videos I could watch a hundred times and not get sick of. Makes me want to drive to New Orleans today. Maybe in the Fall. Play this and try not to dance. That’s a dare.

Seven

Flies at a light club

This is a very silly video but it made me laugh. Hope it makes you laugh too!

Yes, I’m still alive! But barely. I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me (49 days to be exact). A lot has happened. You can scroll to the end for the micro-version and The Seven content is below as usual.

Our whole household has been sick — first Leo, Alex, Mum, and then me. Despite all adults being fully vaccinated since April, I suspect it was COVID, given Mum had a lingering cough for about five weeks and Alex still can’t taste properly.

And on top of that, last week my poor Mum broke her ankle! I’ve been helping her with daily tasks since she has limited mobility, and also feeding and walking her two dogs. Mum usually takes care of Leo during the days, so we are now trying to also arrange alternate childcare. On top of full-time work… it’s been a lot! But mostly I’m grateful Mum’s so close by so I can support her.

I’ve also realized how hard it is to consume new things to share in this digest with such limited time available, and a toddler who is almost always with me. A toddler who likes to close my books while I read them, insists we only watch The Wiggles, and doesn’t much like my music taste. I could probably write a very good weekly digest for a two-year-old demographic, though.

All that aside, I haven’t had a chance to tell you about my fellowship! I was accepted into the Georgia Women’s Policy Institute’s 2021-2022 Reproductive Justice cohort. After having my own child here in 2019, with the backdrop of the "Heartbeat" laws trying to limit women's access to safe reproductive healthcare, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to move beyond discussion and try to do something about it. It will be a huge challenge, especially with everything else on my plate, but I look forward to learning about the state legislative process and trying to become an advocate for women and girls in my home state.

tl;dr - My family’s been sick/injured, consuming media is challenging with a toddler, and I’m going to be even busier soon.

Doing my best to share things with you, but if you don’t hear from me for a hot minute, please assume I have a good reason (or three) ;)

With love,
Keeya

One

All of the Above

Can you watch a show about the climate crisis without getting depressed? Yes! Céline Semaan and Sophia Li have teamed up to create a fun show that still thoughtfully tackles the most important issues of our lifetime — climate change and social justice. It’s solutions-focused, and instead of focusing on problems that feel insurmountable, it talks about what we can actually do, right now. The first episode I'm Just One Person, What Difference Can I Make? is only ten minutes long and is entirely worth your precious time. If you’re only going to take one thing away from this digest, I hope it’s watching this today!

"During the pandemic, everyone was like, 'Oh, humans are the virus. Mother nature is healing.' And we're like, 'Well, no.’ Humans are not the virus because indigenous communities have been living in equilibrium with mother nature since the beginning of time. It's capitalism, consumerism, colonialism. That is the virus."

Sophia Li interviewed by Harper’s Bazaar

Two

Barry Lyndon

Unpopular opinion: most of my favorite films are extremely slow-paced. There’s something I find so engaging about cinematography that quietly and firmly holds its own space and power without flashing around trying to snatch our attention. Maybe its because it’s the antithesis of our loud, ad-filled world, but slowness brings me a lot of calm satisfaction. A few weeks ago, my husband Alex and I watched Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 period drama based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon. It’s incredibly long for a film (187-minutes), so we watched it over two sittings. Alex doesn’t appreciate the slow burn like I do, so got frustrated with the pacing at times, but was invested in the plot enough that he wanted to know how it ended. The costuming, cinematography, plot and acting were all brilliant. It was very different to the other Kubrick films I’ve really enjoyed (A Clockwork Orange and Lolita for example) and I was surprised by his ability to so well-execute this genre. If you like faster-paced plots, I don’t recommend it. If you’re more like me, enjoy!

Three

Poetry is Not a Luxury

I’ve finally been reading the works of Audre Lorde, and finding much comfort in the way she expresses her ideas. I suspect I’m not alone in this, as culturally we in the West have elevated the views of a rather small demographic (cis, hetero, white men) for a very long time… I can’t relate to those experiences, and nor can the majority of humanity, statistically. One essay of Lorde’s that I found particularly striking is called Poetry is Not a Luxury — I’ve left two small excerpts below. The essay is quite concise, and I highly recommend reading it through for yourself. Perhaps aloud, as I did (to my son Leo) as it felt more powerful verbally resonating than simply floating around in my mind.

“The white fathers told us, I think therefore I am; and the black mothers in each of us - the poet - whispers in our dreams, I feel therefore I can be free. Poetry coins the language to express and charter this revolutionary awareness and demand, the implementation of that freedom.”

“Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives.”

Four

Devs

I’ve verbally recommended this show a lot recently, and realized it’s probably time to add it to a digest. I’m a huge fan of well-developed time travel plots and am invested in exploring multiverse theory right now, deep-diving into the relevant concepts of quantum physics, and good sci-fi world building, hence my recommendations of Dark Matter and Dark in the last digest. Devs explores these themes, in ways I don’t care to spoil, while also examining the concept of the power of tech company CEOs, and the way they can come to be deified. The name of the show is clever, as Devs is both a play on ‘developers’ and in latin (where the letter v is a u) it says Deus - or God. That’s all I really want to say about the show so I don’t ruin it for you if you watch it, but it gets pretty extreme and throws you in the deep from episode one. If you’ve seen the film Ex Machina, it’s by the same creator, and the series and film are intended companion pieces… that’s right… Deus… Ex machina. Nerding out over here.

Five

Gone

This song is just beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Jorja Smith herself. I love everything about her so much that I was inspired by her to briefly get box braids a few years ago. The racial experience I had to navigate after that was a little too complicated for me, so I think I’ll stick to my wash-and-go for another decade, but that’s completely another story for another time. Listen to the pretty song for now.

Six

Tomato and roasted lemon salad

My love for Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes seems to only intensify as time passes. I am enamored by how fresh everything is and how the bold flavors always come from plant-based ingredients (currants, chili, lemon, herbs and more). But especially I love how openly he encourages substitutions and experimentation. I saw this amazing Instagram reel and had to make this tomato salad immediately, but used a number of substitutions based on what was in the fridge. I aggressively encourage everyone I know to grab one of his cookbooks and use it as inspiration to learn some new flavor combinations and start making some kitchen magic. Or at a minimum, just follow him on Instagram because his team’s new reels have been drool-inducing. This recipe is from Plenty More, which is my favorite of his books alongside SIMPLE and Jerusalem, the latter of which is co-authored with his business partner, amazing Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi.

Seven

A f**king goat

It’s meme time! The highest-clicked part of this digest is always number seven, which probably is a surprise to nobody ;) Another one supplied by my friend Max (‘the Meme King’), the highest-cited referral source in this digest to date. I also don’t know why I put asterisks above. I’m Australian, I swear plenty. Maybe for those of you who are more language-sensitive, I want to respect your sensibilities. Or, likely I’m thinking about Leo ending up like this girl because of me.

Share

(I wrote the below this morning - turns out it’s very hard to properly format this on my phone 😂 Had to get back to Atlanta and send from my laptop. Sorry for the delay, love y’all!)

As I prepare to hit send on this digest, I’m sipping coffee in Salem, Massachusetts (yes, that Salem with the ‘witch trials’). It’s the end of our ten-day family trip, and we are catching a flight back home to Atlanta from Boston in two hours.

We’ve driven up and the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire, stopping in cute towns and eating lots of seafood. We were blessed with mostly sunshine, and had a lot of great hikes.

We also had some cringe-worthy travel moments that will make good memories later. Like accidentally stumbling into a literal “tick habitat” (as bad as it sounds), and getting turned away from our prepaid room at an inn because they don’t accept kids under seven…. despite that being written nowhere.

But overall it’s been a lot of fun. We learned a lot about travel with a little person, and about navigating the US in this late-COVID early-vaccinated transitional state.

If you’ve got any tips for toddler travel or other ideas for semi-COVID-safe getaways, or want any of mine, hit reply!

Keeya

One

Dark Matter

This book was so enthralling that I read the entire thing in a single sitting. It’s a brilliant kind of science fiction book that has a compelling plot and well-developed characters, but also crucially the science is on point. In simple terms without ruining much of anything, it’s about the many-worlds theory and explores inter-dimensional travel in a totally pared back and approachable way. If you nerd out on quantum physics, you won’t need to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this novel, it’s solid. If you don’t, you won’t get confused because the momentum carries the story extremely well. As far as novels go, this is a cinematic mental experience, tightly edited and each scene beautifully woven into the next. Pick up a copy if you see it! Only a matter of time before this is adapted as a film or a series.

Two

Introvert

I cannot get over this video. British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz deserves so much more attention and respect than she currently receives. Everything about this masterpiece of a music video exemplifies why. The visuals, the fire lyrics, the instrumentals… it is a masterclass in powerful modern hip-hop. Her new album is coming out on September 3rd and I am already way too excited. Even if this isn’t your genre, watch this clip and see if it convinces you just a little. This is special.

Three

Pepper Teigen’s Krapow

I’m a fan of Chrissy Teigen (because why wouldn’t anyone be?) and that love has extended to her mum, Pepper, for years too. Her delicious Thai recipes have made their way into Chrissy’s wonderful cookbooks, but I still always find the intricate ingredient sourcing and prep process intimidating. When I saw that Omsom had released a krapow starter by Pepper, I leapt for joy! This is so yummy, and makes such a quick and easy dish when fried up with some ground meat (or veg), and served with rice. I’m going to buy a few more boxes incase they sell out.

Four

The New Mutants

So this film got terrible reviews. Like, terrible. And I don’t get it at all. Compared to your typical X-Men/Marvel franchise output I love how pared back this film is. There are action scenes of course, but for the most part this film is about character development and plot, in a slow-building and elegant way. I became invested in all of the characters and genuinely cared about what was coming next. I love that it was all shot in one location with a fixed number of characters too. It was so refreshing for this genre, one that admittedly I love a whole lot, and I look forward to seeing what other films come out of this next generation of superhero films.

Five

Dark

I really try to balance out these digests thematically, but I’ve been on holiday for ten days and instead of watching things we want to, we’ve watched a Netflix movie called Pets United that Leo loves literally about 40 times. So, I’m sharing another excellent sci-fi piece, a German Netflix original series I recently watched called Dark. It is one of the best written time travel narratives I’ve consumed, and I’m someone who picks apart plots for inconsistencies and any tiny elements that don’t make sense. There’s so much going on between characters and time periods, plus it jumps all over the place. But once you get into it, you will realize how well thought out the entire world is. The show is also incredibly well cast for past, present and future versions of the same characters. I loved it.

Six

@anubhamomin

I am utterly distressed and disgusted by the discovery of 215 indigenous children’s bodies in a mass grave in Canada. Being Australian, first nations kids being ripped from their families, mistreated and killed is a horrific reality of the nation I’m from as well. It seems to come from the white settler-colonist playbook. Frankly, Justin Trudeau’s comment about this being “history” was also far beyond disappointing; it was enraging. The last residential school closed in 1996, but they want to act like that’s some bygone era? Right. Fellow settler-colonial nationals hear this: we all need to do so much better, right now. This TikTok video (shared as Instagram reel because I don’t use that app) articulates these views and more really clearly… please share.

Seven

Salsa dog

I’ve been on vacation so my meme consumption is lower than usual… but this silly video of a dancing dog made me light up in a big beamy smile today. Maybe it will make you smile too.

Keeya

One

Shadow and Bone

This show is SO good. The best fantasy show I’ve seen in years. I hate spoilers so I’m not going to tell you what it’s about, and I think you should jump in and discover that for yourself. I went in blind and came out with zero regrets. The lore is complex, but easy enough to get immersed in quickly because the show is extremely well written. The plot is tight and makes sense, despite moving at a good pace, unlike many complex world-building fantasy-genre shows. There are several ongoing narrative threads with different sets of characters, all likable, many lovable, who get you invested in the show very early on. I haven’t been so attached to fictional characters on the screen for quite some time and I was so into it. If you love the fantasy genre, or even if you don’t but you’re open minded, you need to get on Netflix and watch this show. Like many good television offerings, this is based on a young adult book series, which I’ve just started and am way too invested in already.

Two

Ties That Tether

I recently finished this novel by Nigerian-Canadian author Jane Igharo; a sweet, funny, heart-wrenching, and emotionally complex story that examines themes like interracial/ intercultural relationships, grief, trauma, culture, familial obligation, and the psychological pressure that social norms and family customs can place on us. The book passes quite quickly through time, moving between pivotal scenes with momentum. You get right to the core element of the plot quite quickly, and then get to work through all of the multifaceted elements that surround it in 300 pages and change. If you’re looking for a romance novel with a twist, especially one that doesn’t center on exclusively on Western/Eurocentric cultures and norms, this is a delight.

Three

Okonomiyaki

I love making okonomiyaki, colloquially referred to in English as savory Japanese pancakes, as a really quick lunch with pantry staples and whatever green vegetables are on hand. All you need is flour in the pantry, some eggs, some vegetables (ideally cabbage, leafy greens and shaved carrots) and some okonomiyaki sauce. A big squirt of Japanese mayonnaise (we keep Kewpie on hand) seals the deal. The concept might sound intimidating, but you’ll realize with practice that it’s not. It’s a matter of carrying basic staples to make this fresh, healthy, absolutely delicious Japanese dish whenever you want it. We have it around once a week for lunch and I’ve never had a complaint. My 16-month-old Leo is also big fan, so it has the kid stamp of approval.

Four

The Tragedy of Harry Uzoka

This article was a long, intricate and devastating read. It outlines the tragic murder of rising star and popular male model in the British modeling world, Harry Uzoka, by another Black male model. It unpacks ideas around Black masculinity, toxicity, poverty, identity, the fashion industry, competition and expectation with underpinnings of racism and classism. Nothing in this world worth discussing is simple, and this is no exception. This might be a story you’re already familiar with, but this article explores the added complexity of competition and pressure on Black male models in a world that only creates so much space for Blackness. This piece gave me a more layered and nuanced understanding of the psychology that created this horrible situation.

Five

What We Do In The Shadows

I really hope you’ve already seen this movie, so you’re side-eyeing me right now like “duh”. But on the off chance that you haven’t, YOU’RE WELCOME. No matter how much time passes, this movie never stops being wildly funny whenever I watch it. It’s the specific kind of dry, ridiculous humor we have in Australia and New Zealand, plus vampires, as a mockumentary. And if you love the film there’s also a TV show that’s been running in America a couple seasons now which is actually just as good as the movie. Likely because it isn’t a remake, but a continuation that takes place in the same universe, by the same creators. Start with the movie, then watch the show, and get ready for loud cackles.

Six

@thatsinglemum

I’m sharing this (embedded below, and link in title above) with you because I think it’s so important, and so obscene. Many people’s reaction to this entire email is “this can’t be real”, but that feels a lot like minimizing marginalization. It is real and that’s the problem. Many people do think and behave this way. It’s not enough to just be shocked. We all need to be mindful of the ways that different people experience the world so that we can be more effective allies, no matter what the topic or the type of identities a person has. I hope that you read this post, understand why it’s so problematic, and then take some action to learn something or to do something to become more empathetic. If you live with a disability and have experienced this kind of language (which unfortunately I don’t doubt you have) I’m sorry that you have to endure this crap. But I know being sorry doesn’t achieve anything, so I’m going to keep trying to learn. Again, I need to insist you click through to read the full post (multiple images) because when you think it can’t get any worse… it does.

thatsinglemum

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Seven

Jesus turns water into wine

This absolutely cracked me up. I’ve played it a dozen times. All the wine snobs (or people who’ve ever had the unique joy of passing time with a wine snob), this is for you.

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A post shared by @adrianbliss2

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One

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

This is, and will maybe always be, my favorite show. Not simply for nostalgic reasons, as I grew up watching the show, but because no other show I’ve seen balances emotional impact and comedy like Buffy does. I’ve seen every episode (there are 144 in total) upward of ten times. Each episode has a runtime of around 46-minutes, which means I’ve spent at least 1,104 hours of the last 29-years watching Buffy. I regret not one minute of that! The real monsters are never supernatural, but societal, which the show explores from hundreds of angles over its seven seasons. Female power, grief, misogyny, slut shaming, human sexuality, lesbian love, school shootings, sexual trauma, classism, depression… the show covered a lot of ground, never shying away from tough topics. Buffy is also the most widely studied pop culture property in academia, and for good reason. I could link any important issue to an episode of Buffy, and probably espouse an impromptu essay about its symbolic value. It’s also quick-witted and funny as all hell (pun intended). But the main reason I love Buffy is each of its characters. You grow incredibly fond of them as you watch the show, and even when you know exactly what’s going to happen as I do, you still care. It feels familiar to watch an episode of Buffy and see the old gang, and that kind of comfort is always a lovely thing.

Two

I’d Rather Dance With You

When I was in my final year of high school, and early university, I loved this song. It brought me a certain kind of light, happy serenity, so I played it a lot. It was on my iPod back when those were a thing, and I’d play it on repeat over and over. One year when I looked at my total played list on iTunes, this track had over 10,000 plays (really) and the next-most-played song only a few hundred. I’d be remiss not to share this as the song in this list, given I’ve listened to it more than any other song made. You’ve probably heard it, and you mightn’t connect with it in the same way. But if it induces a gentle kind of warmth in even one of you, then I feel like I’ve done a good thing today.

Three

Clueless

This is the only film I can quote in its entirety from start to finish. Clueless was released in 1995 and I first saw it on VHS while living in Singapore when I was four. I remember it vividly because of its iconic costuming and how it felt like the Barbie dolls I was obsessed with had come to life, and even though 99% of the plot went over my head, I fell in love. I ended up taping a copy when it played on TV sometime later, and watched it over and over again, for years. Interest naturally waned over time, and I went through my exclusively ‘serious’ film phase as a teenager, but I don’t actually recall a 12-month period passing in my life where I haven’t watched it. I’ve proclaimed that Clueless is my favorite film for many years, despite the chagrin that induces in people who reduce it to something trivial and unimportant. It’s a film that, perhaps ironically, is always underestimated because it deals with young women and adolescent subject matter. The film is full of so many genius details that lie under its shiny, Beverly Hills teenage surface, which is part of why it’s so subversively brilliant. Amy Heckerling, the female director (a very big deal in the 90s, and still kind of a big deal now) created new slang and fashion for the film that is totally its own, intentionally so that it would sit slightly outside of time. While it is a quintessentially 90s film in many ways, it also occupies its own universe which makes it so special. It’s also jam packed with witty quips, pop culture, literary and political references, and no matter how many times I’ve seen it (thousands). If you love it already, you get it. If you haven’t seen it… correct that. If you have and feel a little whatever, maybe parse it with a more critical eye and ear again, for me.

Four

Lobster mornay

This is my favorite sentimental-fancy dish. Whenever my family would have a really special dinner, we would go to an Italian restaurant by the sea in my hometown, Perth in Western Australia. I would look sheepishly at the menu, noting the ‘MP’ beside this item (market price, which is restaurant-speak for probably very expensive). If my mum ever said I could have anything, and I knew she meant it, I would get this. It was extremely rare, I probably had it three times, but every time was meaningful to me. Now that I’m an adult with the income to indulge my whims, I try to embed it into family specialness too. For Valentine’s Day this year, I whipped up a seafood feast for Alex, Leo and I, and made sure this lobster mornay dish was on the menu. It was a hit, which made me feel warm and fuzzy in a sentimental way. But I suppose, what kind of monsters would complain about cheesy, buttery shellfish? No family of mine.

Five

Ozymandias 

I only know a few poems by heart, and this is one of them. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s words capture something about the ephemeral nature of life, and of power, in a way that has stuck with me for many years. Ozymandias, the fallen king, frowning and sneering half buried in the sand, alone. It reminds me that greed, arrogance, asserting oneself above others at any cost… none of these things last. Nobody who seeks them is worth attention. I thought of this, often, refusing to read certain tweets or sensationalist news headlines for four years… while I quietly worked in my community and did what I could to mobilize others to resist and to vote. My own kind of resistance involves not breathing life into the things I oppose, but not burying my head in the sand (yep - pun intended!) either.

OZYMANDIAS
BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Six

“My Nanna had a stroke this morning”

As a general rule I don’t share my own content in The Seven, but this is an exception. Sometimes I google my own name (auditing for professional purposes, etc) and I have an old blog from when I was a teenager that still always ranks relatively high up. I wrote this piece about my Nanna’s stroke in 2008. I used to be so critical of my own writing, and as a sixteen year old I felt like I could barely string a sentence together and everything I produced was trash. Now, with more self love and kind reflection, I’m proud of myself for articulating something painful so well. It’s powerful to read this now, because I don’t remember the details this well, and the prompts bring a painful but important time back to life for me.

Seven

In meme terms, this is an old favorite. It’s super-silly but it makes me giggle every time. Never thought you could do a Glaswegian accent? Try it. If you can’t get it, here’s will.i.am for reference.

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1. I applied to graduate school to earn a second Masters degree! This time around, a Master of Public Administration focusing on nonprofit management and public policy. If I get in, I’ll be studying part time and going to one evening class a week for the next four years. I’m also extremely excited about elevating my management skills and applying these to leadership roles within cause-led organizations in my future. As an American who didn’t grow up or study here, having a college affiliation also feels like a big deal. Wish me luck!

2. This, as you’ll know from the subtitle, is the 25th digest of The Seven. I’ve tried a few things out with the timing of these digests since launching in June. I started out sharing consistently on Sundays, then slipped a few days out, sometimes coming biweekly, and had a few more pauses. With renewed fervor, I moved from the old platform (Tiny Letter) to Substack, and introduced a second digest The Sunday Chew as an experiment. The results of that experiment are in… I’m canning The Sunday Chew, and I’ll be bringing this digest to you biweekly. Between my family, my full-time job, and hopefully soon my continued study, trying to consume enough content to refine into a curated digest every single week is too much. But every two weeks? That looks manageable to me.

Much like my previous Patreon account which many of you supported, paying for a subscription to The Seven is an entirely optional way to support this work. This grants you access to the full archive of posts and gives you the ability to post comments online and engage with the wider community. But receiving the email digest is, and will always be, entirely free.

I’m also happy to finally announce the winners of the February book giveaway! Anaïs Effort (is that your real name?!) and Suzi McKenzie-Clark, I’m beyond pleased to send you both copies of Another Country the 1962 novel by James Baldwin discussed in digest #22. I’ll be in touch shortly to arrange postage, or e-book delivery, based on your preferences.

With warmth and sunshine from Atlanta,

Keeya

One

Home, a film by Kyoko Takenaka

I first saw the trailer for Kyoko Takenaka’s film Home after my friend Evey shared it on her Instagram stories. In the film, Takenaka shows us an audiovisual exploration of what it means to be Asian-American in this country, including references to whitewashing, anti-Asian rhetoric, sexualisation, exoticism, cultural appropriation and racist imitations. It’s creatively experimental, using poetry, original song, video, and real-life audio clips. In Takenaka’s own words:

“These are real-life audio recordings from men who came up to me in bars. I made this film, HOME, encapsulating over 7 years of recorded micro-aggressions. It's a visual + sonic collage of my experiences growing up in America as an Asian-american femme.” - from Instagram caption.

I highly recommend watching the full film, but if abstract multimedia art isn’t your thing , definitely still watch the short reel of real-life micro-aggressions. It’s so effective to hear the real clips played over footage of her re-enacting what it was like having to listen to these first hand. From experience, I’ve found that retelling stories of micro-aggressions makes people work overtime to minimize them (“Are you sure you aren’t just being sensitive?” “Maybe they meant XYZ instead”). In this example, you can’t do that: the statements are what they are, and you can’t hide from their reality. I cringed the entire time.

Two

The Irregulars

Okay straight up I’m just going to say that I love-hated this show. It’s not well written. From episode one there are just so many plot holes, that I won’t outline because of spoilers. But if you pay attention, you’ll find yourself asking how characters showed up in certain locations despite having no reason to know that’s where the action was. It’s also not historically credible, but by the end I found myself thinking they never actually tried to be. The show centers on impoverished, working class teenage Londoners in the 19th Century, and yet somehow they are all pretty well educated and can read. The basic premise is that they do investigative work for Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes, while the latter steals the credit, but spooky supernatural things are going on. It’s the Netflix algorithm gone mad, spitting out a bunch of popular keywords into one show. And yet in spite of all of that, it was a super fun watch. I was annoyed by the writing but I loved the characters, the racially diverse casting, and how silly-fun the premise was, that I couldn’t stop binge-watching it until it was done. Don’t blame me if this show annoys the hell out of you, but if you’re looking for something very watchable, this is it.

Three

Nasi lemak

Because of the time I spent living in Asia as a kid (Singapore, Malaysia and Japan), my childhood cravings usually surface as very specific cravings from these countries that aren’t easy to satisfy unless I figure out how to source ingredients and prepare them myself. All last week I had a hankering for nasi lemak, the de facto national dish of Malaysia. I decided to make it for family lunch on Sunday, so mid-week I went online and purchased a bag of ikan bilis (little dried anchovies), pandan leaves, sambal, and packets of kari ayam (chicken curry) paste. I made the coconut pandang rice in my Instant Pot, and fried some chicken drumsticks in the curry paste on the stove. Topped off with halved boiled eggs, sliced cucumber, and peanuts from the pantry, it hit the spot. If you’ve tasted it but never made it yourself, go ahead and try! It’s not as hard as it sounds if you source the right ingredients. If you’ve never had it, next time you see it on a menu or walk past a Malay food stall (one day), please do yourself a favor and try it.

Four

I’ve been playing the Mass Effect trilogy for the past month, and now that I’m on the final game (Mass Effect 3) I’m taking my time because I don’t want it to be over. I remember way back in my second year of university, my best friend Nicole told me she was playing these games and raved about how amazing they were. I wasn’t as into gaming then, and remember being bored out of my mind from the conversation. Now that I’m closer to 30, and almost a full decade after these games were released, I finally get it. Anyone who games is probably reading this laughing at me because ;DUH Mass Effect is amazing, that isn’t news to anyone’. But if you game and you for some crazy reason haven’t played it, like I hadn’t… you need to, but probably wait for the remaster to come out. The story is phenomenal, and I’m far more stimulated by this alien world than any sci-fi novel I’ve read in a long time.

Five

Jeremy Dutcher

Over the past month I’ve been listening to the music of Jeremy Dutcher, a two-spirit Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) member of the Tobique First Nation in North-West New Brunswick, Canada. I’m generally ignorant about Canadian First Nations culture and history, despite having studied briefly in Montreal years ago, and I’m actively trying to learn more. I recently watched a Canadian supernatural TV show about indigenous Haisla characters in Kitimat, British Columbia, called Trickster (which was great, by the way) and I came across Dutcher’s music on the soundtrack. Dutcher’s voice is spellbinding, and compositions are exquisitely beautiful. This music video for the song Mehcinut is incredibly special, and an excellent first step if you’re unfamiliar with Dutcher’s work. The music, costuming, people, dance, everything about it feels transcendent. More people should learn more about Dutcher, and I hope you’re next.

Six

Get Out: the screenplay

I’m reading screenplays at the moment, as I recently realized I’d never done that before, despite loving literature (including stage plays) and film. Jordan Peele’s screen play for Get Out has been by far the most brilliant I’ve read so far. Peele is a genius, simply put, and his work speaks for itself. If you’d never seen the film, you could read this screenplay and vividly imagine it, in all of its beautiful and perverse brilliance. As a huge fan of the film myself, I love this screenplay particularly for Peele’s annotations throughout from directing it, and the deleted scenes contained within. His comments deepen the world he created, further explaining the layered symbolism, and the thought behind many of his choices as both a writer and director. An example of one I hadn’t visually clocked (that doesn’t spoil the film if you intend on watching it one day) - a shot of a buck’s head in a crucial scene was used as reference to the word ‘buck’ connoting a strong male slave. Whatever Peele comes out with next, I’m ready for him to get some more Oscars.

Seven

“Say perfect”

Kids are hilarious, mostly when they don’t mean to be. This made me laugh big time, and I naturally sent it to almost everyone I know. The big smile on her face at the end is what really set me off.

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One

Farmer protests in India

One of the largest civil rights movements in global history has been unfolding in India. Over 250 million people have gathered in India’s streets to protest three new laws passed in September. Many fear that corporations are being given too much power, and that they will lose their livelihoods and slip deep into poverty.

“Although they are being called the "farmer protests," the collective protest by millions of Indians — cutting across religion, caste and income lines — is about much more than any agriculture legislation. It is a coming together of desperate people to resist being subjected by their government to increased economic vulnerability.” - Supreet Kaur, assistant professor of economics, University of California, Berkeley (read more)

Right now as I write this, the Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, is hosting protesting farmer leaders at a lunch to discuss the three contentious Central agricultural laws and other related issues.

You can support the farmers, and this movement, by sharing information with those in your life, and on on social media. You can also follow hashtags such as #StandWithFarmers and #FarmersProtest.

Two

Delicious daal

In an effort to make sure our son Leo’s library reflects as many different kinds of people and experiences as possible, we have deliberately purchased an extremely wide range of narratives. I don’t want to even rely on the term ‘diversity’ here, as I see it as more of aiming for a holistic reflection of humanity. In our isolated COVID-bubble, it’s quite lovely to visit all of these story characters living very different lives to us whenever we open a book. One of Leo’s favourite books is called Bilal Cooks Daal, a story about a six-year-old boy introducing daal to his friends. It has a recipe in the back, so I made it (using this recipe) and showed him all of the ingredients. Daal is now Leo’s favorite food, and he scoffs it down unlike any other dish. Coincidence? Probably. Who knows. But I can’t say I’m mad I have a toddler with a decent palate. Daal is never a mistake.

Three

Three Identical Strangers

This description is a really tricky one to even approach. My colleague Kimberly recommended this documentary film to me, following a conversation about Leo that led to a nature/nurture heritability/environment discussion. On the back of this, she refused to tell me anything about the film when I asked, remaining stone faced and simply insisting I see it and that it was incredible. I found this kind of annoying (ha - hi Kimberly), but it turns out it was completely the right approach. The storytelling method is one that drops in new pieces of important information one after the other, so the less you know going in, the more amazing the entire tale is. If you’re happy to watch a documentary on nothing but my blind insistence that you should, please do. If you need more, Google it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when your viewing experience is less special because of it! It streams on Hulu in the US.

Four

Hunnybee

This is one of my favorite songs, from one of my absolute favorite bands, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (I wrote about this at length in The Sunday Chew last week). I used to think the video for this song was a bit boring. Watching it now, in a travel-free pandemic-ridden world, I can’t help but think it’s just perfect. I want to experience a simple moment like this, one of these ones that I used to take so completely for granted. The video offers a vicarious escape. Join me, and imagine for a few minutes that we are somewhere else. Sitting in this train window, watching the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand pass by, with a book in our hands and this song playing in our earphones… what could be better than that?

Five

WandaVision

As we have almost reached the penultimate episode of WandaVision, I have to comment on how great this show is. For any fans of the MCU, it was always going to be mandatory viewing. But I love seeing how well they’re translated the big-Hollywood-action thrills to the small screen. The way that the show bounces through decades and references tv classics is all kinds of brilliant, campy, and genius. It starts out kind of creatively insane, so if you’ve gone through the first couple of episodes and you’re confused, stick with it. It becomes less obtuse, and those big risks from the opener pay off. I’m so glad it hasn’t disappointed, and after this last major twist, I can’t wait for the last two episodes of series!

Six

The Outer Worlds

People are somehow surprised when they find out I’m a gamer! I’m not a hardcore gamer and I’d never claim to be, mostly because I suck at combat and always play in story/casual mode. But I love a well-constructed world and lore, and am a sucker for a great story. Games can have incredible narratives, on par with the best films and tv shows (I’m currently playing my way through the Mass Effect series which is the ultimate example of this - but more on that later). Last year I played The Outer Worlds, which was absolutely excellent sci-fi fare. I find myself thinking about the game’s storyline sometimes, and wish I’d have done every side quest and hadn’t burned through to the end so quickly. I’m waiting to forget enough of the plot that I can play it again and find delight in all the little details all over again. If you’re looking for something to play that has a brilliantly developed concept, landscape, and gameplay… you’ve found it. The hype is true.

Seven

What’s 1 trillion to the 10th power?

This is just fun. I also want to replicate this… I don’t use Siri but, does Alexa do this? On tomorrow’s investigation list!

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I seem to always want to start The Sunday Chew off with some very meta introspection, and today is no different.

As I am currently writing this at 11.19pm, I find myself thinking about those of you who I know are in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. It’s already Monday for you, so I’m pondering the point of a “Sunday” digest, and questioning why I titled it that.

Well, I suppose the point of this bonus digest is to share with you one big thought I’m having. Not as curated or well formed as The Seven, but more raw… ideas in progress. And as the deadline keeps me accountable, you find yourselves emailed a copy of whatever is going through my head on a Sunday. Whatever I’m chewing on, you could say ;)

I think it’s nice though, as it’s a much more intimate space than the larger mailing list, and I feel like we are having a conversation (even though I’m still whispering into the digital void). I hope you enjoy these. And as always, I’d love for you to hit reply and send some of your own thoughts right back.

Tonight I’m thinking about music that is meaningful to me. Specifically, I want to share with you a song I love: Hunnybee, by Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO).

I first came across UMO when I was nineteen, at a music festival in the Southwest of Australia, where I grew up. My best friend Nicole and I were really keen to see another band later on (though for the life of me I can't remember who) and we were planning on camping out in front of the stage for the less-popular sets beforehand so we would remain in prime position.

That exercise had us front and centre for one of the most incredible shows of my life. It was 2011, and UMO was on tour to promote their eponymous first album. The passion and skill of every single musician was electrifying, and the entire space became filled with a magnetic energy. During their set all kinds of other artists (some very famous) heard the chords and came from their private lounge areas to stand backstage and watch them jamming. They were nodding and appreciating the total bliss and instrumental mastery, just like we were. We could only see the others watching because we were right at the front, and I felt like we were in on some magical secret. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

The second and last time I saw them, I was many months pregnant and miserable, but Alex found out they were playing in Atlanta and got us tickets. I was in pain and was just sitting down uncomfortably the whole time, but loved hearing their later music, including Hunnybee, live. It was just as magical, but in a new way. That was the final live show I saw before giving birth, and before the pandemic, which has cemented how important they are in my personal cultural lexicon.

I used to think the video for this song was a bit boring. Watching it now, in a travel-free pandemic-ridden world, I can’t help but think it’s just perfect. I want to experience a simple moment like this, one of these ones that I used to take so completely for granted. The video offers a vicarious escape.

Join me, and imagine for a few minutes that we are somewhere else. Sitting in this train window, watching the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand pass by, with a book in our hands and this song playing in our earphones… what could be better than that?

I hope you love the song as much as I do, and I also hope you check out the rest of their music. It’s special.

Sending you love and happy vibes!

Keeya

The hardest part of building The Seven is finding content that I feel perfectly balances. My method is usually something like: one recipe, one book, one show, one film, two other types of randomly interesting content, and one meme as number seven. But for the first time, I’m sharing three different things to watch—a film, a TV show, and a film-like documentary episode of a TV series—because each has had a profound impact on my thinking this week. As usual, I’d love any and all feedback on the content. You can hit reply to email me directly!

With love from Atlanta,
Keeya

One

Fashion and Colonialism

I studied fashion history as an elective during my Arts degree at university, and found it absolutely fascinating, with a sociopolitical depth I hadn’t previously considered. From the deliberate nature of fashion used as a propaganda tool by the Nazi party, and Schiaparelli as an important impressionist artist in her own right, the intellectual importance of fashion is often overlooked. With this in mind, I signed up for Slow Factory Foundation’s Open Education Winter/Spring 2021 Semester.

The first class on Fashion and Colonialism was held today, and my mind is burning. We know the cotton empire was established on the subjugation and enslavement of African peoples, but do we all think about the fact that legacy continues today? Likely on most of our backs, right now. Modern fashion routes still use the exact same colonial trading routes, and colonial powers still oppress the same groups they did hundreds of years ago through much of the modern fashion industry’s practices. In practice, colonialism has deep roots in our economic systems. Cultural erasure happens every day when we see a very narrow type of Western dress as “appropriate” in professional, recreational and other settings. “Oppressive aesthetics” a term coined by Céline Semaan, who led this class and founded Slow Factory Foundation, affect us all. These are only a few of my takeaways, as there was so much content to process, and a lot of follow-up reading I’ll be doing.

Every Friday at 12pm US Eastern Standard Time (5pm GMT) the Open Education series will be diving into a new topic. Next week we are looking at Fashion and Waste. I’ve put the class schedule below. Taught by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color), and intended for BIPOC students. I encourage you to sign up and join me on this learning journey! You can also donate to help The Slow Factory Foundation continue this important work on their website.

Two

Framing Britney

"The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears" is a documentary that aired last Friday on FX in the US. It follows Britney Spears’ career from childhood, and the harassment and media pressure that led to mental health issues. Britney, a 39-year-old adult woman, has had no control over her own career, financial, or any other decisions, since in early 2008 she was placed into permanent conservatorship by a judge. She has to get approval for anything she does from her father, who had little involvement in her life before this appointment. It’s very sad stuff, and makes you question the entire media landscape, misogyny (Justin Timberlake, ughhhh) and complete disregard for mental health issues that created this situation. The media is the beast, but society fed it, and Britney has paid the price. As far as I’m concerned, #FreeBritney is a human rights issue. And if this is happening to a celebrity of her stature, imagine who else it might be happening to. You can watch it on Hulu, if you have it, or on Youtube (I won’t post the link because I don’t think it’s there legally, so you might want to hurry before it’s removed).

Three

Rosemary chickpea pasta

I made this strangely delicious pasta for family night on Sunday as a matter of necessity. I was on the clock, hadn’t prepped in advance, and was facing the pragmatic cook’s core questions, “what’s in my pantry, and what can I do with it?” My salvation came from a can of chickpeas and a box of pasta. To get fresh rosemary, I sent my husband Alex and my son Leo off on a collection to our neighbor’s giant bush that grows in the street. Pasta, chickpeas, rosemary - check, check, check. I also threw in some vegetables I had on hand (mushrooms and butternut squash) to add some more nutritional value. Topping it off with extra grated cheddar and a bunch more garlic than the recipe called for, it was a winner. Leo loved it, which is my litmus-test for all recipes these days, and fundamentally all that matters, right? ;)

Four

Destroying rape culture

Promising Young Woman is a 2020 film that premiered at Sundance to widespread acclaim. It stars Carey Mulligan as a woman seeking to get justice for her friend who was raped in college. Its name is a play on the way society and the media often describe (white, cisgender, usually hetero) men accused of sexual assault, i.e. as “promising young men” whose futures are being ruined. It’s a brilliantly written, acted, shot and directed film, that asks (and answers) a lot of tough questions about consent, power, misogyny, and rape culture at large. I consider it mandatory viewing, and I urge you to seek it out whenever you can!

I went into this discussion in a lot more detail for last week’s edition of The Sunday Chew. If you are a fan of The Seven and you’re curious, you can click the button below to try it out for a month, which gives you access to the full archive of The Seven as well. You can sign up for this offer by the end of the month.

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Five

Upload

My Mum recommended that Alex and I watch a show she found on Prime Video, and it was a real gem. Upload is set in the year 2033, where humans are able to ‘upload’ their consciousnesses into a virtual server, to live a kind of digital afterlife simulation in a software program run and maintained by tech support staff. When a software designer named Nathan is in an accident, his rich girlfriend coerces him to get uploaded to a snooty expensive community called Lake View. But as she’s paying the bills (and is still alive in the real world), he ends up under her control. Nathan and his customer service rep Nora (who is real, and very much alive) end up bonding, and working together to solve the mystery of his death, a suspected murder. I love science fiction that’s grounded in a kind of comical realism (/cynicism), and this show is very much that. The way that everything comments on modern society is very tongue-in-cheek, and I let out some very hearty laughs throughout. You know I don’t like to give away spoilers, so in short some of the best laughs come from moments like the uploads not being able to access their virtual minibars without paying (with real money) and ads are embedded into their daily experiences. I highly recommend watching it for something funny and relatively light, that still has substance and provokes thoughtful reflection. 

Six

North Korean abductions of Japanese people

I know this digest is pretty serious overall so far, but I genuinely cannot send the digest without sharing this completely absurd story I read this week. “Snatched from a beach to train North Korea's spies” written by Rebecca Seales and Hideharu Tamura and published this week by the BBC in Tokyo, absolutely blew my mind. It tells a tale that starts in 1977, when 13-year-old Megumi Yokota went missing in her quiet port town of Niigata in Japan. What follows is an unbelievable tale involving a string of seemingly unconnected disappearances, espionage, diplomacy, international pressure, faked deaths, and answers that still haven’t come.

“The Japanese government says that from 1977 until at least 1983, North Korean agents abducted 17 Japanese citizens. Some analysts believe the true figure could be more than 100.”

It’s a story that won’t be done any justice by my summary, so you need to read it yourself. But strap in.

Seven

“I am not a cat”

This video has blown up, and I know it’s been on a bunch of news programs internationally because it’s that funny. Can I also just make note that the invisible ‘m’ on Zoom also makes this more hilarious to me, because it’s like the cat-lawyer is looking at the word ‘zoo’. If you haven’t seen this somehow, you’re welcome. If you’ve seen it… watch it again. We all deserve a laugh.

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If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s a 2020 film that premiered at Sundance (pre Covid lockdowns) to widespread acclaim. It stars Carey Mulligan as a woman seeking to get justice for her friend who was raped in college. Margot Robbie produced it through her LuckyChap Entertainment production company, and I have honestly never been prouder (I feel a certain pride for all fellow-Australians in the entertainment industry, it’s a whole thing with me 😅).

The name of the film is a play on the way society and the media often describe (white, cisgender, usually hetero) men accused of sexual assault, i.e. as “promising young men” whose futures are being ruined.

“It’s every guy’s worst nightmare, getting accused like that”

“Can you guess what every woman’s worst nightmare is?”

This isn’t the kind of femme fatale, ultra violent revenge film you’ve seen before (like Kill Bill or Teeth, for example). Those films include scenes of graphic violence that feel satisfying (if maybe a little gratuitous), but this film sits in its own subgenre perhaps because it is restrained and it withholds itself from going for these more visceral scenes. Mulligan’s character, Cassie, shows power and strength through her dialogue. Through eye contact. Through her presence. She is unafraid, and stands strong. (There are two exceptions to this, where she does become physically violent, but I won’t detail them lest I ruin the plot for you).

In general with this film, any discomfort is the result of the subject matter discussed, not by seeing or otherwise experiencing on-screen violence. And these discussions about power, consent, culpability and accountability are important, and extremely relatable.

The most violent scene in the film plays right into the idea of the “promising young man”, the man who is defended and upheld at all costs. The man who is said to have made a mistake, or to have done something terrible “by accident”. The violence shown in this scene, towards the end of the film, is necessary because it shows that his decision wasn’t accidental at all. It was long, slow, and intentional. So when he is immediately protected, defended and consoled right after committing this act, the absurdity of his sanctity is even clearer.

These men are not making light mistakes. They are not inflicting violence by accident. They are compromising others bodily autonomy, for their own gratification. They want to do it, and they expect to get away with it. Like this scene depicts, each choice is intentional.

The film’s major takeaway for me was how beautifully it destroyed the idea that a man’s future, his promise, and his character, should be protected. And that anyone who tries to protect it, is a part of this, and they deserve blame. We can not stand by and allow anyone to espouse the idea that male, particularly White straight male, lives matter above over all else. We cannot ever act like their right to continue living life as they did (eating steak, for example, if you’re the rapist Brock Turner) is ever more important than the harm they’ve inflicted on someone else. 

The sociocultural importance of this film is rooted in playing these scenarios out, making the argument against these types of defenses as plain as day. This is the kind of fiction that is critically important out in the real world, where these kinds of disgusting, horrific things happen all the time. I’m sure we all know someone, or heard a story, or been involved in a story in some capacity. I have a friend who had a very similar, life-destroying experience in university, and the entire time I felt sick thinking about how she was, and continues to be, treated (while her attacker continues to thrive out in the world).

The film made me think about why exactly the burden is always placed on the survivor. When people don’t want to be made ‘uncomfortable’ by the situation, or worse they want to make light of it, while the person who was attacked is pressured to swallow it and carry on less they make everyone else feel uncomfortable. The root cause of this discomfort is not the survivor, is the perpetrator of the attack. We need to place the blame squarely where it belongs. The film says pretty clearly, don’t protect the fallacy of “promising young man”, do the hard thing and protect the survivor at all costs.

It cost $20 for us to rent this film because it’s a new release. I’ll be honest, paying that was hard to make that decision given there’s so much wonderful content to stream free (well not free, paid for by other subscriptions) but it was completely 100% worth it.

This film, I think, is mandatory viewing. If you’re worried about being upset or triggered by it… if you are a survivor or know someone who’s been in this situation, I think it just brings to light the power in these situations in an incredibly delicate, well written way without being shock-jockey or violent. It didn’t make me look away, it made me lean in.

Alex and I watched the trailer before viewing the film (because, you know, $20!) and I wish we hadn’t because it spoiled a lot of the plot, as most trailers do. If you trust me and love to be brilliantly surprised - just jump in.

If you’ve seen it, please reply to this email and tell me what you thought because it’s the kind of film that I desperately wanna discuss with other people. If you haven’t seen it yet, try to, and message me all the same because I’d love to hear your thoughts.

One

28 Days of Black History

I’ve been eagerly following the first three days of Anti-Racism Daily’s 28 Days of Black History project. This is a month-long (28 day) series celebrating Black history in the United States. Each day the team shares different pieces (art, books, plays, songs, etc) that honor and celebrate the multiple facets of Black identity and Black experience. The exhibition also intentionally centers the voices of Black leaders who aren’t given the historical attention and respect they deserve because of their intersectional identities; in particular, LGBTQ+ people and those with disabilities. It is curated by Camille Bethune-Brown, a queer, disabled, Black History Curator working at the intersection of race and disability studies and Shanaé Burch, artist and educator passionate about leveraging arts and culture for public health.

In the words of the editor, Nicole Cardoza, from day one:

Each day will include a work, the historical context, and questions for individual reflection and group discussion. Today's art resonated with me because it holds a devastating part of our history with such grace and care; literally taking the pieces of the past and creating something anew. What can we learn from this today, as our nation faces yet another health crisis?

This series is 28 days long. You can expect one email each evening (or a weekly recap each Sunday, if you prefer). But remember that this work should continue for your lifetime. Let this be the start to your ongoing celebration of Black history.

I highly recommend you sign up for the digest by visiting 28daysofblackhistory.com and view the archive to catch up on the first few posts.

Two

The Flight Attendant

Kaley Cuoco has surprised me in all the best possible ways. If you don’t know who she is, this article brilliantly summarises her television career, and the masterful way that she’s built her own reality as an actress. Her most famous role was as the token dumb-blonde character Penny, on the ‘adorkably misogynistic’ show The Big Bang Theory. Leaving this 12-year endeavor behind her, and taking all the cash it gave her, Cuoco founded her own production company and has started to create roles for herself that are worthy of her talent. The first of these, The Flight Attendant, was a wonderful watch from start to finish. A neo-noir kind of dark comedy murder mystery, but delightful and unpredictable. It manages to be original in a TV landscape that’s hyper competitive and oversaturated. The show also has the same energy I loved in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but with a strong female lead and compelling, well-developed characters. Cuoco’s acting is also impeccable in it, and I’m genuinely very excited to see what she does next. You can stream the show on HBO Max if you’re in the US.

Three

Another Country

This novel is one I love very much, in a dark, deep and multifaceted way. At the time of its publication in 1962, it was exceptionally controversial because it covers topics like homosexuality, bisexuality, suicide, domestic abuse, infidelity and interracial marriage. At its core, it interrogates the oppression, subjugation and alienation of Black people in America. The relationships between the novel’s characters are beautiful and complicated. Baldwin referred to Rufus Scott, the central character of the novel, as "the black corpse floating in the national psyche." Internalized racism manifests in this work as a deep self-hatred, and as a desire for Rufus to possess and control whiteness, through sex and through violence. It’s heavy reading, and it for me explores the deep complexity in Black American identity, and the ways that power and pain manifest within us. I consider this book essential reading, which is why I want to make sure two copies make their way to readers for Black History Month. Enter the giveaway here.

Four

Alphabet Aerobics

One of the most obnoxious, overbearing things all of my close friends tolerate about me is my obsession with learning rap lyrics. I get into phases where I manically pour over lyrics until I can perfectly rap a song that I particularly love, or excites me because it is particularly challenging. My mastery list gets longer over time. This is probably my proudest, and nerdiest, semi-secret talent: I can perform this Blackalicious song from top to bottom. I realised over the weekend that I had gotten rusty and couldn’t do it perfectly, then practiced in a fervent loop until I nailed it again. Daniel Radcliffe has done it live on television, which is cool but I mean, I’m pretty confident I could beat him in a rap cover battle. If you know Daniel please pass on my challenge and you’ll see how ridiculously serious I am about all of this.

Five

Seared duck breast with fried potatoes

This is an utterly indulgent, impeccable, special-dinner winner. If you’re looking to make something amazing (and are of the duck-eating persuasion) I highly recommend following this recipe for some incredible results. It follows the general principles necessary for making perfect duck: drying the skin, scoring, thorough seasoning, stove-to-oven cooking, and complementary sauce flavors to balance it out (orange, honey, rosemary, and red wine). For any less experienced home chefs, I love that it also has really clear and simple video footage you can follow, along with the step-by-step instructions. I’m going to be cooking this for date night on Saturday, and will pop pictures in my Instagram stories so you can see how well (or how poorly, time will tell) I execute this. Plating isn’t my thing generally… which in other words means I make ugly food that tastes good, but I’m working on it.

Six

A Gossip Girl reboot

Words cannot express how irrationally excited I am about Gossip Girl 2.0. This piece by Vulture summarizes what we know about the reboot so far, and all the queer, Black glory of the new cast. It’s first two sentences are also a perfect punch in the gut:

Ready to feel old? The original CW Gossip Girl ran for three full seasons before the invention of Instagram.

For better or worse, this show was a big part of my late teens and early 20s, and I’m invested in seeing where it goes in its refreshed iteration. I am unashamedly interested in the drama of fictionalized entitled rich kids living in NYC (let me live).

The updated show is also being developed by HBO to air on HBO Max, and since they have some pretty high standards for quality… let’s just say, my expectations are high for an elevated GG experience. Give me a release date HBO, for the love of all that is holy, I need to block my calendar in advance.

Seven

@mamasgotproblems

I’ve watched this clip on Instagram way too many times. Everyone I’ve sent it to has laughed. But hey - the poor kid’s little mishap has at least created joy for all of us laughing at their expense 😂

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I’m by no means an expert on Freud’s work, so I was only superficially familiar with Dora’s case study before watching the film. I still greatly enjoyed watching it, as I generally think modern social and cultural critiques of (old white men’s) work accepted into the canon of knowledge are very important. If you are more familiar with the central material, I’d love to hear your perspective when you watch it!

In terms of style, I find this short interesting because it uses a range of shots, from both stock and popular media, to tell the story next to the fictionalized narrative. These curated shots, of places, of people, through photography and film, add richness and layering to complement Dora/Ida’s piece to camera. The modern clips, especially those documenting highly public sexual harassment and assault cases, presented clearly beside Freud’s and Dora/Ida’s words, makes the critique clear and compelling.

I also think it was a really interesting creative treatment to open with an extended candid of the actress playing Dora/Ida. This doesn’t fit with the rest of the style, but makes it clear upfront that the actress is not her character. She clearly says she’s nervous and it’s her first film, before she launches into the monologue. I can’t quite figure out why this choice was made, or what it brought to my viewing personally. I’m intrigued all the same.

Word of warning - the NYT Op-Docs site is not mobile friendly at all, so I had several failed attempts to watch this on my phone. The subsequent laptop viewing was much less frustrating!

One

Alice in Borderland

This show is like nothing I’ve seen before but has a kind of brilliant familiarity at the same time. It’s a Japanese Netflix original based on a manga series, that follows a stereotypically deadbeat gamer-guy named Arisu (i.e. the ‘Alice’ in the Wonderland parallel) and his friends as they enter a strange alternate version of Tokyo. Here there are (almost) no other people but instead a series of intense, often extremely violent games, they have to play in order to survive. The show gives hints as to where the players could be, which is the main mystery that makes the show so fascinating. Are they in a virtual reality game, some kind of high-tech fantasy test scenario? Have they been transported into some other, dark dimension? It isn’t clear in the first season of this show, however the delicate balance between life and death and the way that the players need to play games to stay alive creates a visceral sense of urgency and existential panic. This existentialism and otherworldliness actually reminded me of Waiting for Godot (a classic drama nerd play that I studied in high school) if the intentionally-mundane elements of that play, were exchanged for psychological warfare and graphic violence. The parallels to Alice in Wonderland are also brilliant, and this show has a lot of literary value. I’m going to track down the manga in English… because although I actually studied Japanese for seven years, my kanji is rusty as all hell and I’d only understand the parts about food. That’s apparently where my language-retention priorities lie. You can watch the trailer here.

Two

Dream City

I was recommended this book by a colleague years ago when I was first playing with the idea of living in Washington DC. It’s our family’s plan to move to DC in maybe a decade (yes I know, I’m a hardcore long-term planner) because the city is the perfect balance of things we love in one place. It has international influence while being very much America’s city. It’s walkable has great restaurants and cafés, but very little traffic. It combines all of my favorite things about big cities we’ve lived in - like New York and London’s culture, art, food, and interesting people - with the things we love about Atlanta - nature, hikes, affordable homes, and strong Black history. Marrying that concept, the one of my idealized DC, with the reality presented in this book, was quite an arresting cognitive process. Dream City is a dynamic nonfiction read because it tells the story of a city filled with race and power issues that are barely hidden yet also hardly discussed today. I learned so much from this book about segregation, class, power, and what it means to be Black in America, through the lens of the nation’s capital. I highly recommend this book for anyone who interested in dissecting these complex issues, but especially anyone outside of America who, like me, hadn’t heard of DC’s former mayor Marion Barry before. Buckle in for a wild ride. And remember to enter this month’s giveaway if you want a copy!

Three

Instant pot pho ga

I’ve had a special fondness for pho ga (chicken) ever since I first visited Vietnam in 2012. I was naively led to believe by my travel companion (an ex boyfriend) that all of Vietnam was hot and tropical during the Australian summertime. With our home Australia, being a country in the Southern Hemisphere, and Hanoi, our destination, being quite far north and on the other side of the equator… I found myself with a suitcase of summer holiday clothes in a freezing cold city that was mostly closed for Tết (Vietnamese New Year). We couldn’t buy new, warm clothes because everything was shut, so the only way we kept warm for those few days was drinking this warm, delicious broth in the streets. It’s been my number one comfort food in the years since this travel faux pas occurred. I made this dish a few weeks ago for the first time, because in spite of my deep affection for it, I believed it would be almost impossible to make myself. All of magic of pho is in the broth, and I would never claim to be able to intricately balance the flavors of the dish like those amazing women in the streets in Hanoi who literally warmed my belly and my heart. However, I was feeling brave, and I found this instant pot recipe so approachable and easy to follow. I was also empowered by my Instant Pot (my favorite being-a-mum material object) because it is such a brilliant convenience appliance, and it has so far never led me astray. This came together so beautifully and my husband Alex, my Mum and Leo all absolutely loved it. If you have an Instant Pot, or a different pressure cooker, this is so easy and so worth it. You’ll thank me once you try doing it yourself!

Four

Love and Monsters

Alex picked this movie for us to watch on date night this weekend, and I’m so glad he did because it was amazing. It’s one of many movies that were buried because of the madness that was 2020 and didn’t get cinematic releases, so we had to rent a copy on Prime for $4.99. It’s an incredible genre mash up and mixes the best parts of romance and post apocalyptic dystopia, to create a Bildungsroman-type coming of age adventure story. The plot follows a guy, Joel, who is pining over a girl named Aimee who he loved as a teenager, before the world “ended”. He’s living in a bunker with a survivor colony because all the world’s cold-blooded animals mutated into deadly monsters after we shot weapons at a meteor heading for earth to break it up, and the chemicals rained back down on us and messed up the environment (this is explained very promptly in the exposition so I really haven’t given anything away). Joel leaves the safety of his bunker to trek 85 miles to see Aimee again. But like any good modern romance, the story isn’t too predictable and it’s not wrapped up neatly or easily. The plot is really fun, action scenes were exciting and as someone who is generally triggered by both post apocalyptic fiction and by bugs (I hate them, and this is full of giant killer ones) this wasn’t always easy to watch, I had to mute a lot of scenes, but it was amazing overall. If you want to part with a little cash to watch it, I think it’s worthwhile, otherwise I’m sure it’ll show up on a streaming service at some point.

Five

Is this the end of the buffet?

I’ve been thinking a lot about buffets in recent weeks. This might sound strange (of course it does) but as a child I took great comfort in visiting buffets with my family and really loved being able to eat whatever I felt like, without any pressure or expectation. Those rare nights where my Mum, Nanna and I would go to Sizzler (and I’d often have to pretend to be younger than I was so Mum had a better discount - ha), were such highlights of my suburban childhood in Western Australia. So naturally I loved reading this article, shared by my friend Jihane on Twitter, because it shares a lot of thoughts I hadn’t fully explored myself but which completely resonate with me.

But I think the real core of buffet, and what makes it such a cherished and magical treat, is the way it inverts the eating experience. When you go to a restaurant you are handed a menu and asked to read and imagine what you might eat. The Buffet attacks you with visual stimuli and asks you to reach into the outer reaches of your own hunger.

Buffets show us a mirror image of ourselves - our deepest, truest desires. We see what really lies beneath the surface when we’re able to make garish choices like eating a bowl only of different types of cheese (something I’ve definitely done). A really funny and insightful read.

Six

Billie Holiday

My most played artist of 2020 was Billie Holiday, whose voice I absolutely adore. It’s no surprise, really, as I ask Alexa to play her music whenever I’m looking for a glimmer of beauty in an otherwise dull hour. I also recently realized that I was first introduced her music to as a child in the film Clueless, which I unashamedly love and discussed in a previous digest. There’s a strong social consciousness in Holiday’s music, which makes it that much more powerful. Maybe today, or later this week when you’re in the mood to hear something particularly lovely, you might pop this on, drink the beautiful notes of her voice in deeply, and enjoy.

Seven

Turning random internet drama into songs, part 1 and part 2

This wonderful, wonderful guy Lubalin, who it turns out is a great musician in his own right, brought me so much joy this week. I’ve watched these two clips he made turning random internet ridiculousness into music videos over and over because they’re hilarious, but also the music is really damn good. If you haven’t seen them yet please do it. Now. This is why we love the internet.

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Digest #20, November 15th 2020

Happy Sunday dear readers,

I hope you've had as great a week as possible, wherever you are. We continue to wade slowly through the thick waters of these unprecedented times, and we may not be getting every single thing done. But we're doing our best, and that deserves celebrating.

This month's book giveaway is only going to be open to entry for two weeks, thanks in large part to the abyss I fell into around the US presidential election. If you'd like to win a copy of the fun, lovely, and mentally-lingering book The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany that I describe below (number two) please enter ASAP! E-book or paperback (your choice), posted free anywhere in the world.

Sending sunlight from Atlanta,

Keeya

One

If you read the plot of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri you'd think it was one of the darkest, most horrific films you could possibly see. And yet, I'm here to tell you that my husband Alex and I watched it and can firmly attest that it is side-splittingly funny. There are no perfectly sympathetic lead characters in this film, each one has human flaws. You'll find yourself cheering for someone in one scene and hating them in the next. The subject matter couldn't be darker, and yet there are thoughtfully delivered laughs in every corner of the narrative. This is a masterfully dark, dark, dark comedy that takes impeccable writing, acting and direction to pull off. Which was recognised by critics, as the film has won a slate of awards. I'll admit, I hadn't actually heard of it in spite of its widespread acclaim, and watched it last week on a friend's recommendation. If like me you hadn't heard of it, or like a better-informed person you have, but haven't watched it... I strongly recommend you fix that as soon as possible.

The film's theatrical release poster.

Two

I recently read The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany through Book of the Month before it was publicly released, and can't stop thinking about it. The plot involves three second-born daughters taking a trip across Italy to pursue love and break a curse, and it reminded me of my own travels there with a specifically intense, pandemic-induced yearning. This story is interspersed with flashbacks from post-war Italy, and stories from East Germany. Right from the beginning this novel grabbed my interest, which is rare (I can take a while to get into stories), and it was a page turning book that I got through very quickly. But what started as something fun and light, and very much like a quirky romantic comedy/road trip/bildungsroman, ended as something very different for me. I don't want to spoil the book, but I will say that the final twist offered such a profound reflection on identity, family, motherhood and love (in all its forms) that I have thought about it every single day since I finished it. I'm giving away a copy of the book this month, as I want one of you to find the same joy reading it as I did.

The cover of the book.

Three

I know a lot of people who paint the American South with a broad brush, picturing our region as wholly conservative and Republican, overlooking the experiences and the resistance of many marginalised people. One group of people consistently erased by this kind of thinking is poor Black Southerners, who continue to occupy the very lands our ancestors were enslaved on and who are often "trapped in conditions no one else would put up with". This opinion piece by Catherine Coleman Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ), painfully articulates many of the injustices faced by rural, marginalised and poor Black Americans. Homes without plumbing, heat, or sewage systems. Homes growing mold, bacteria, and toxins. Long-term mortgages that trap people in homes that have become uninhabitable. This piece is important, eye-opening, and it doesn't have a happy ending. This fight is ongoing.

Art is from the article, by Katherine Lam.

Four

Once my pre-ordered copy of my favorite chef Yotam Ottolenghi's new cookbook Flavour arrived at my door, I excitedly opened it and flipped through the pages to see what I could prepare immediately with ingredients I had on hand. I landed on this Israeli cous cous and squash in tomato and star anise sauce, and got to work. I even spent time properly plating and photographing it so I could show you! It was delicious, and Alex and my mum both agreed. The star anise adds an interesting richness, the tomato lends a beautiful acidity, the squash and spinach keep it fresh and nourishing. The balance and depth of flavour is exactly what we expect from an Ottolenghi recipe. I'm excited to prepare and taste the other gems in this book... stay tuned.

A photo I took after I prepared this dish. Others are on Instagram, in my story highlights.

Five

The TV show Superstore is generally hilarious and a fun, smart look at the diverse lives of working class Americans. A recent episode "Essential", which looks at the role of big box store workers during the pandemic, is a perfect example of everything genius about this show. If you haven't seen Superstore before, the format is a 30-minute weekly slot on NBC, and you can stream it on Hulu in the US. If you have enjoyed it but aren't up to date, do yourself a favor and watch this episode. It made me laugh even more than normal, particularly at commentary on corporate responses to Black Lives Matter. One zinger from a character in the show, Garrett, about the fictional corporation that owns the store they work in: “Zephra believes in the Black community? What are we, ghosts?”

The poster for the most recent season.

Six

My dear friend Ceri shared this interview with me yesterday, and I encourage you to open it when you have about ten minutes to focus and absorb the content. Sociologist Jessica Calarco brilliantly articulates how hard it is to be a mother in the US right now, and shares some very interesting original qualitative research about a group of women in Indiana living through this pandemic. I am trained in sociology and studied these theories and methods (along with cultural anthropology) for four years, and yet I haven't seen social norms and systemic marginalisation explained in such a straightforwardly excellent way before:

"In the U.S., most of us aren’t taught to use our sociological imaginations. We’re not taught to think about social problems as structural problems. We’re not taught to see the forces that operate beyond our control – forces like capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy. And we’re not taught to see how those forces create many of the challenges we face in our lives and constrain our ability to make choices that could help us overcome those challenges.

Instead, we — especially women and people from other systematically marginalized groups — are taught to self-help-book our way out of structural problems. To believe that all our problems would go away if only we were to strictly follow some seventeen-step plan."

There's also a lengthy discussion on the enforcement of social norms, and how these maintain power for the ruling groups (in the case of this analysis, men). Worth your time, and very accessible for an academic discussion.

Seven

Everyone involved in this prank deserves an Academy Award (or maybe a Daytime Emmy), and possibly some less favorable consequences for causing emotional trauma. This video is both hilarious and upsetting at the same time. I've personally alternated between being outraged and hysterically laughing. I'm not sure how I feel about it in the end, but I'm not the one who will be paying the resulting therapy bills.*

*Let's play "guess the lifetime therapy cost".

The Seven is a weekly digest sharing a collection of seven carefully curated stories, recipes, images, movies, essays, books, songs and other content. Thoughtfully contextualised and passed along with consideration, for your mental nourishment.

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To keep The Seven entirely free of advertising (or any other form of paid promotion) both now and in the future, donations are welcome. These will support the time and energy spent researching, editing and sharing this project. This will also support the monthly book giveaways, and may allow me to further expand these in future. This content will always remain free to all, and contributions from supporters are welcomed and voluntary.

Digest #19, November 8th 2020

Happy Sunday wonderful people,

It feels nice to breathe again, doesn't it? What an intense week this has been. An intense four years, actually. I didn't realize how heavily the darkness of this administration had been weighing on me personally, until finally it was lifted.

Last week, I wrote an entirely different Digest #19 for you, but it didn't feel right to send it with everything going on. I was distracted and you were distracted, as the fate of our democracy (and all the countries we have undue influence over) was in the balance. It also doesn't feel right to send it now, with all of the fantastic memes, articles, hope and catharsis currently circulating. So, this week's edition is instead a round up of the best post-election content I've seen so far. Next week, you'll be back to the usual Seven you know and (hopefully) love.

You may also notice throughout this edition that I apply Voldemort logic and avoid saying 'his' name at all costs. I've done this since his election. He gets his power from attention and I won't give it to him. I respond to policy, I participate and organize at a grassroots level, but I don't feed the circus animal. Not even now. I instead use '45' because he was the 45th President. I love using past tense there - my word it feels good.

I'm also pleased to announce the two winners of October's book giveaway, Bee Boileau and Ronda Zelezny-Green! I'll be in touch with both of you shortly to arrange shipping of your copies of Hood Feminism! A critical text, now more than ever, as we rebuild this country, and each shape the future of the West in particular. The struggle isn't over, and we can't let the well-intentioned folks think that it is. One symptom is gone, but the underlying condition is yet to be treated.

Happy reading, watching, crying and laughing. We've earned it.

Keeya

One

Stacey Abrams deserves your time and attention. And your money, too (if you're American and can legally contribute to political fundraising). We Atlantans have known and loved her for a long time. She gained national prominence in 2018 when she ran for Governor for the state of Georgia, and was narrowly defeated by 45-fanboy Brian Kemp. Rather than be defeated, she used what she learned in the race to mobilize and help disenfranchised Georgians to overcome the systemic, deliberately racialized barriers to voter registration that had been gradually imposed by the GOP. 800,000 new voters were registered thanks to her efforts, and the results of this are obvious (bye 45). Black voters flipped Georgia and Pennsylvania. Native voters flipped Arizona. The same conservatives continually go out of their way to prevent marginalized groups from using our rights, but thanks to leadership from pioneers like Stacey, we always find a way. But the fight isn't over. We need to keep this same energy to flip the senate blue.

This British Vogue profile is simple and succinct for non-US audiences, so if you find our systems overwhelming it's a good place to start.

Two

Maybe it's because I love Whoopi Goldberg, and I re-watched Sister Act 2 so many times on VHS during my childhood, but I think this is the best election process meme out. I think I also love it because it's full of optimism. That future-facing twist at the end made me break out with a big smile the first time I saw it. I've replayed it probably 20 times now. It's circulating all around the internet and I haven't been able to find out who actually made it. If you know, please tell me! This clip perfectly captures my joy, and if you haven't seen it yet, I'm so grateful to be the one to show it to you.

This video wins the internet this week.

Three

One of my main reflections from the era of 45 is that a lot of political jokes stopped being funny, which was a true shame. I used to love comedy-news shows, but stopped watching them because you can't satirize someone who is already a walking parody of themselves. The truth is far stranger than any fiction we could concoct, straight from his reality-tv past, his ridiculous tweets and his orange face. What a fitting end to this ridiculous reign: a sad press conference in the car park of a landscaping company, next to a porn shop and a crematorium. Perfectly poetic. Too perfect. Makes me feel like reality isn't really-real and we're living in someone else's novel. I'll stop there, else I bore you with one of my philosophically existential mind melting freak outs (see Plato's Cave allegory, and the theory of forms).

I had to see it to believe it.

Four

I've watched this video way more times than the 'Oh Happy Day' clip above, because it's so short it needs to be replayed to be fully appreciated. And replayed, and replayed, and replayed again. "Who is this masked, sunglassed hero" indeed (update: his identity is revealed). The reporter also doesn't get the 'omelette du fromage' joke from Dexter's Lab on Cartoon Network, and starts to talk in French about the guy's interest in breakfast foods. It's funny in both languages, on so many levels. But it's his shimmy at the end, his escalating "hon hon hon" French noises, and the reporters inability to contain himself that really caps it off. Thank you, internet.

Omelette du fromage! (It should actually be au fromage, but whatever).

Five

This one hits deep. 45 isn't just a buffoon who does wild things, making a joke of himself and this country on television and on Twitter. He has caused real, irreparable material harm. Death, terrorism and destruction, on a massive scale, for so many people. This one woman's complete relief and tears after seeing that Biden has been elected is probably the most touching response I've seen, and I'm not ashamed to say I spilled tears all over my phone when I saw it.

“Thank God. I’m so happy. I get to keep my social security and medicare.”

Six

The Navajo Nation turned out in record numbers to vote, and was absolutely crucial in flipping Arizona blue. Yet, they are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, and are about to go back into lockdown. Rather than just being grateful for their vital role in ousting 45, you can donate to one of the biggest fundraisers for Navajo Nation COVID-19 relief here.

"The Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation are extreme food deserts with only 13 grocery stores on Navajo to serve some 180,000 people and only 3 small grocery marts on Hopi to serve some 3,000 people. These communities also have high numbers of elderly, diabetic, asthmatic, and cancer-afflicted (i.e., high risk) individuals. These communities could be devastated by coronavirus and COVID-19."

This is also a great option for overseas subscribers who want to meaningfully support marginalized communities in the US right now, but are banned from making political contributions.

Artwork from the fundraiser page, artist unknown.

Seven

This one's just for fun. BYE FELICIA.

"You about to lose yo job."

The Seven is a weekly digest sharing a collection of seven carefully curated stories, recipes, images, movies, essays, books, songs and other content. Thoughtfully contextualised and passed along with consideration, for your mental nourishment.

If you enjoyed this digest of The Seven, the most valuable way to show your support is to forward it to someone else you think might enjoy it too!

Did someone forward you The Seven? Sign up!

I'd like to take a moment to thank my patrons Katie McAllister, Sarah Almahmoud, Hailey Schmidt, Ceri Howes and Hether Scheel Warshauer. Thank you each so much from the bottom of my heart for your monthly support! I'd also like to perpetually thank my friend KaM Schoer, and my husband Alex Frankcombe, who dedicate time every week to the review process.

To keep The Seven entirely free of advertising (or any other form of paid promotion) both now and in the future, donations are welcome. These will support the time and energy spent researching, editing and sharing this project. This will also support the monthly book giveaways, and may allow me to further expand these in future. This content will always remain free to all, and contributions from supporters are welcomed and voluntary.

Digest #18, October 18th 2020

Hello my fantastic readers!

Today you're in for a special treat. My five incredible patrons (Katie, Sarah, Hailey, Ceri and Hether), plus my two regular reviewers (my wonderful friend KaM and my husband Alex) have taken over The Seven for a special guest edition. I may be biased, but I think there's a certain magic in sharing interesting content with other people, and condensing your many thoughts into a digestible, bite-sized paragraph. It was a delight to review and edit this content, and I'm pleased to be able to share this platform with The Seven's major supporters this week. And there are seven of them! Which was just serendipity, really.

Read something eye opening lately? Watched something weird, in an intriguing way? Heard a wild fact? I want to know about it! Please send me your content pitches by filling in this form. All selected contributions will get a shout out, including the hyperlink of your choice, sent to the full audience of The Seven. An opportunity to promote your business, a charitable organisation, share your social channels... whatever you like.

Also, remember to enter this month's book giveaway! Two copies of Hood Feminism are up for grabs.

Happy reading.

Keeya

One

By Hailey Schmidt

As I pine for the day when I can once again settle into an aisle seat at a local venue and enjoy the art of live performance, I’m settling instead for the ways theatre companies have gotten creative and shifted their art form onto the internet. This play titled The Party Hop (starring Beanie Feldstein, Ayo Edebiri, Ben Platt, and more), which was written to be performed on Zoom, is one of my favorite examples of digital theatre so far! Playwright Natalie Margolin asks us to look 3 years down the road to a world where we are still socially distancing and staying home (I KNOW, but just roll with it). It explores if there is a way to forge real personal connections during a time when next door neighbors haven’t seen each other in years and classmates have never met. While the circumstances are exaggerated (and pretty comical), it shows the way we humans long for those types of connections and how we will put ourselves into some pretty awkward situations to secure them.

A screenshot from the play.

Two

By KaM Schoer

As our fearless leader, Keeya, puts it, I have "a very low bandwidth for powerful things." Works about Black Americans and the struggles we have faced are hard for me to consume. But nearly 6 years ago, I was feeling bold. I visited my local theater on MLK day all by myself to see Ava DuVernay's Selma. The film chronicles Bloody Sunday, a peaceful demonstration that turned tragic on Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The event would prove to be a monumental turning point in the national perception of the Civil Rights Movement. Within 15 minutes of watching the movie, tears started pouring down my cheeks and didn't stop through the closing credits. I cried for what we've been subjected to, how far we've come, and how far we still have left to go. Most importantly, I cried because I was reminded how worthy, good, and resilient we are as a people. Selma is a fantastic depiction of historic events and people. But beyond that it's also a beautiful film with an incredible soundtrack and exquisite performances from the cast. Even if you have a low threshold for heavy things, I promise you won't regret this one.

The film's theatrical release poster.

Three

By Katie McAllister

Kiley Reid’s debut novel Such A Fun Age is unapologetically blunt in skewering white women’s selfish pursuit of wokeness. It made the 2020 Booker Prize Long List, and slips between the perspectives of 25-year-old Emira Tucker (English Major, typist, journeying through the existential dread endemic to the early twenties) who babysits Briar, the daughter of 33-year-old Alix Chamberlain (Instagram influencer). Alix develops an obsession with Emira, after she is accused of kidnapping Briar by a security guard in a supermarket because Emira is Black and Briar is white. Reid ruthlessly shows how good intentions of well meaning, guilty white people don’t matter when it comes to the outcome of everyday racial biases. At points, the synchronicity of characters’ lives felt too planned, which could be the product of a first novel. This did make it a quick read, though, and also made the book ripe for a TV adaptation. I read this book with my largely white, middle class book club and our initial feeling was that it was too blunt. After some discussion, it became clear we all just felt very called out by a very excellent social satire, and that Such A Fun Age is essential, funny, brilliant reading.

The cover of the novel, and the author, Kiley Reid.

Four

By Alex Frankcombe

When Keeya asked me if I'd like to contribute to The Seven, I knew I had to share an episode from my favorite podcast, 99% Invisible (or 99PI for those in the know) by Roman Mars. The show examines at the "unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world", giving new perspectives on everyday subjects, and places we take for granted. In August, they released an episode called "The Revolutionary Post". While the politicization of the US Postal Service may currently be a divisive topic among the left and right, its origins began as a way to unite the American colonies, and to provide people with news and information no matter where they lived. In 1831, the USPS was so remarkable that prominent French politician Alexis de Tocqueville was astounded by the levels of literacy and global current affairs knowledge he encountered in even the most remote areas of the country. This is a far cry from modern America, so much so that this episode also caused me to reflect on how this has completely changed, and how many institutions this country was founded on have eroded. Very interesting, and worth a listen.

Kelso, California frontier town post office in the Mojave Desert. Photo by Michelle Loeffler.

Five

By Hether Scheel Warshauer

On Tuesday, my mother-in-law waited in line for five hours to vote early in the US presidential election in Georgia. This isn’t new. Voter suppression efforts have disproportionately affected Black and Brown people for years, but now the problem is more visible than ever. Last month, the New York Times Magazine released an investigative report on voter suppression, focused on decades of GOP-led efforts. Trump isn’t the first, or the last, politician to oppose equal voting rights, but I appreciate the NYT’s humanization of the faces of this issue. The article highlights the stories of Georgians who waited in line during June’s disastrous presidential primary election, only to have their right to vote denied. I hope we do better by democracy this year and call out blatant voter suppression. Do you live in Georgia and have an interest in protecting your community’s right to vote? Join me as a poll observer on November 3rd.

A screenshot from the beginning of the report, which is interactive and uses multimedia storytelling.

Six

By Ceri Howes

Wherever you are in the world, this year has been tough in terms of being physically separated from family, and for some, a sense of home. For those of us that live alone, physically thousands of miles away from loved ones, it’s been particularly tough, and food has an undeniable ability to dredge up comforting memories when we need them most. As the nights are drawing in here in London, I’ve found myself back on the baking bandwagon, and these Welsh cakes (Pice ar y maen) take me right back to both my gran’s kitchen in Cardiff and my mum’s way over in Seattle. They’re simple and quick to make, with a moreish crunch from the sugar on top. Have one (or three) with a hot cuppa as a working-from-kitchen-table afternoon food hug.

Image from BBC Good Food.

Seven

By Sarah Almahmoud

Elsa Majimbo has been one of my favourite discoveries during the pandemic. Her content is hilarious, because it’s so relatable and has my friends and I laughing every time. It’s amazing to see her getting the recognition she deserves and landing a Fenty ambassador role. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Elsa but in the meantime, here’s my current favourite reel from her.

A screenshot from the reel.

The Seven is a weekly digest sharing a collection of seven carefully curated stories, recipes, images, movies, essays, books, songs and other content. Thoughtfully contextualised and passed along with consideration, for your mental nourishment.

Every month, I run a book giveaway that is free to enter for all subscribers. This month's book is Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall, discussed in this digest (#17). If you win, you can choose between ebook or paperback with free postage anywhere in the world.

This month, because this text is so important, I will be choosing two winners and giving out two copies of the book. The winners will be chosen at random on the last day of the month (the 31st, Halloween AND KaM's birthday!) and announced in the footer of the first digest of The Seven sent the following month. Good luck!

If you enjoyed this digest of The Seven, the most valuable way to show your support is to forward it to someone else you think might enjoy it too!

Did someone forward you The Seven? Sign up!

I'd like to take a moment to thank my patrons Katie McAllister, Sarah Almahmoud, Hailey Schmidt, Ceri Howes and Hether Scheel Warshauer. Thank you each so much from the bottom of my heart for your monthly support! I'd also like to thank KaM Schoer, and my husband Alex Frankcombe, who dedicate time every week to the review process.

To keep The Seven entirely free of advertising (or any other form of paid promotion) both now and in the future, donations are welcome. These will support the time and energy spent researching, editing and sharing this project. This will also support the monthly book giveaways, and may allow me to further expand these in future. This content will always remain free to all, and contributions from supporters are welcomed and voluntary.

Digest #17, October 8th 2020

Hello my wonderful readers!

I'm writing to you today from a lakeside cabin in North Carolina, sipping prosecco in the sunshine. This is the first holiday I've had all year, and it was long overdue.

Last week, I made an ambitious statement and told you I'd send this week's digest on Sunday. Given that it is now Thursday, that clearly didn't pan out. The Seven is something I pour a lot of time and love into, and I try to ensure it is always a very balanced and diverse list of recommendations. This means time is taken not just writing, but also mindfully consuming new content every week. To this end, I have realized it is counter-productive to commit to sharing on a specific day of the week. Please know this digest will always come approximately once a week, but the exact timing may remain a mystery to both you and me up until the moment I hit send.

This week, the October book giveaway is live, the public archive of digests has been updated through to August 2nd, and I've launched a new feature: submit your recommendation. If you have anything interesting you'd like to share, please fill in this form, and you may see it end up in a future digest! If I feature your recommendation, I'll thank you by name and link to whichever website or social platform you prefer.

Happy reading.

One

My wonderful friend KaM (who also reviews each of these digests) recommended Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall to me back in July, and I just finished it. It is a brilliant book that I now consider mandatory reading for everyone who claims to be concerned with feminism, and social justice. Especially white women. A number of Mikki's views won't be new to Black or intersectional feminists (regardless of whether or not you embrace the term), but there is a special power in words being given to ideas and seeing them laid out so clearly. This book powerfully articulates some of the reasons why many Black women feel like they aren't embraced by mainstream feminism. The entire book is full of quotes I know I'll be reeling off verbally for years to come.

“One of the biggest issues with mainstream feminist writing has been the way the idea of what constitutes a feminist issue is framed. We rarely talk about basic needs as a feminist issue. Food insecurity and access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. Instead of a framework that focuses on helping women get basic needs met, all too often the focus is not on survival but on increasing privilege. For a movement that is meant to represent all women, it often centers on those who already have most of their needs met.”

If your feminism focuses on 'all women', but doesn't directly consider the roles that race and class play in other women's lives, you need this book. If you think racism should be discussed separately to women's issues, you need this book. If you count women's progress based on the number of CEOs there are, without being concerned about whether other women are simply able to survive in the world, you need this book.

It's already quote-mania, but here are three more from the introduction that were so good I had to write them each down.

“We all have to engage with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be, and that makes the idealized feminism that focuses on the concerns of those with the most the providence of the privileged.” (xiv)

“No problem like racism, misogynoir, or homophobia ever went away because everyone ignored it.” (xvi)

“Erasure is not equality, least of all in a movement that draws much of its strength from the claim that it represents over half of the world’s population.” (xvi)

Because (if you hadn't noticed) I really want you to read this book, I'm giving away two copies this month in the October book giveaway. All subscribers can enter, and the books will ship for free to anywhere in the world.

My own copy of the book.

Two

Ego Ella May is a songwriter vocalist from South London whose neo-soul tunes are so obscenely good that it feels unjust that everyone doesn't already know her name. The music video for her song "Tonight I'm Drowning" premiered in August, and is as elegant and beautiful as the song itself. Big thanks to my lovely best friend Sarah for sharing! I feel warmer and fuller with her music in my life. Her Instagram is also stunning, her entire album Honey for Wounds is bliss, and her live radio show with Daniel Oduntan was brilliant. It's a rabbit hole of content I'm glad to have slid into, come join me.

A screenshot from the video.

Three

Emily in Paris is a new Netflix show about an American girl named Emily who goes to France for work. She can't speak French, doesn't understand the culture, and is just generally a caricature encountering a billion reductive Parisian stereotypes. It's by Darren Star (creator of Sex and the City) so you know it brings those basic white girl, aspirational-glamor vibes. This isn't something I'm at all above. It's really stupid but it's fun, and I've been waiting for a stupid show with gorgeous clothes and silly romance plot lines for ages. Perhaps ever since Gossip Girl ended back in 2012. I also love Lilly Collins, who stars as Emily. The most implausible elements are how someone with only 48 Instagram followers is somehow a social media aficionado, and how her selfies with dumb captions while holding pain au chocolat suddenly make her a viral sensation... but if you can get past this, you might enjoy it like I am. This show is nothing like real Paris, with all its diversity and visceral depth. It's what a 23-year-old marketing executive from Chicago would think Paris was, based on watching a bunch of movies in her childhood and looking at the paid posts of travel influencers. Think of it in only those terms and you might laugh along with it, as well as at it. Not everything has to be deep.

Emily wearing a beret at a cafe because of course she is. Screenshot from Netflix.

Four

Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) is a spellbinding 2006 film, set in Spain in 1944, that combines a wartime story with a fantastical fairytale. Both of these are made more unique by being experienced through the eyes of a child. It somehow maintains an air innocence and magic, while fundamentally being extremely dark, with many violent scenes. I first watched it as a teenager in 2007. At that time, while I enjoyed the special effects and the plot, I didn't wholly comprehend the layered brilliance of its handling of historical realism. Alex and I rewatched it recently, and I appreciated its beauty in an entirely new way. If you haven't seen it, add it to your list. If it's been a while, it might be time for a rewatch!

The film's theatrical release poster.

Five

This tuscan prawn dish with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, butter and cream is heavnly. It's one of those recipes that just works - everything works together in perfect palatable harmony. I love to serve it with wedges of lemon so people can up their citrus ante on demand. I also like to use whole prawns because they create a lot of delicious stocky goodness that rounds out the sauce, but this is a wholly unpopular decision with my family members who do not want to have to 'do extra work' while eating
(cough, Alex). Served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, this indulgent meal always seems decadent and impressive, even though it's a super easy one to whip together.

Photo of the dish from Salt & Lavender.

Six

I'm on holiday and food is on my mind in a big way, so I'm giving you a second recipe! This is my go to never-fail recipe for healthy-ish banana bread, with big ooey chunks of banana and honey or maple syrup as the sweetener (depending on what we have on hand). Like all my favorite recipes, this Cookie + Kate link is a base that you can customise how you see fit, and helpful notes are thrown in to allow you to make it your own. Want to use a substitute flour, a handful of pecans, something really whacky like rosewater? Just do it, and figure out what works for you. I'm actually really vibing this rosewater idea now... let's see how that goes. Probably not well, but nothing incredible was ever achieved without taking risks in this life ;)

A photo from Cookie + Kate.

Seven

I've watched this compilation of TikTok videos way too many times, and I wish every single shot was longer. The next time someone asks me what I want to do with myself long term, I'm sending them this video. If I reach my elder-years and embody this much style and glamor, I've done life right.

@fashion_grannies on TikTok, an instagram post by @estherkwek.

The Seven is a weekly digest sharing a collection of seven carefully curated stories, recipes, images, movies, essays, books, songs and other content. Thoughtfully contextualised and passed along with consideration, for your mental nourishment.

Every month, I run a book giveaway that is free to enter for all subscribers. This month's book is Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall, discussed in this digest (#17). If you win, you can choose between ebook or paperback with free postage anywhere in the world.

This month, because this text is so important, I will be choosing two winners and giving out two copies of the book. The winners will be chosen at random on the last day of the month (the 31st, Halloween AND KaM's birthday!) and announced in the footer of the first digest of The Seven sent the following month. Good luck!

If you enjoyed this digest of The Seven, the most valuable way to show your support is to forward it to someone else you think might enjoy it too!

Did someone forward you The Seven? Sign up!

I'd like to take a moment to thank my patrons Katie McAllister, Sarah Almahmoud, Hailey Schmidt, Ceri Howes and Hether Scheel Warshauer. Thank you each so much from the bottom of my heart for your monthly support! I'd also like to thank KaM Schoer, and my husband Alex Frankcombe, who dedicate time every week to the review process.

To keep The Seven entirely free of advertising (or any other form of paid promotion) both now and in the future, donations are welcome. These will support the time and energy spent researching, editing and sharing this project. This will also support the monthly book giveaways, and may allow me to further expand these in future. This content will always remain free to all, and contributions from supporters are welcomed and voluntary.

Digest #16, September 29th 2020

Hello my dear readers! Happy Wednesday. A quick note to say I appreciate your patience with this week's digest, as I've been swamped with work and family responsibilities. I know some of you (hi Natalia!) have been anxiously awaiting it, and I deeply value your support.

This weekend, Alex and I are celebrating our five year wedding anniversary (heteronormative milestone, hurrah!) and we're going to a lakeside cabin with our son Leo next week. I'm determined to pre-write the next few editions of this digest and am hard at work curating them even as I write this one.

Expect the next few issues to come through on Sundays as usual, and thank you sincerely for sticking with me through this busy period. I've also announced the winner of this month's book giveaway in the footer, so make sure you scroll to the end!

One

Zadie Smith's first novel, White Teeth, is in my humble opinion one of the most perfect novels that exists. It's so well written that it pains me, as a fellow writer, to absorb the prose. It's a beautiful pain, because it's so exquisite, and an envious pain because I know I'll never write even partially as well as she does. The novel was first published in 2000, and focuses on two friends who served together in war, Samad Iqbal who is Bangladeshi, and the Archie Jones who is English. The plot revolves around these two men and their families in London. It interweaves complexities about identity, sexuality, race and religion in Britain with a sharp plot and incredible wit. The novel explores the layered relationships of the United Kingdom and its relationships with those regions it once colonised: Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. If you've never read it, please fix that. I couldn't recommend any book more.

My own copy of the book.

Two

My enormously talented work colleague Zoe Hamilton runs a documentary film production company called Goat Tree Productions. Alex and I recently watched their 2019 film, Small Family, Happy Family, and were absolutely blown away. The central narrative of the film is well summarised by its official synopsis:

Mitilesh, a young woman from Central India, is recruited by local health workers to get sterilized in a mass surgical ‘camp’. As she decides to undergo the surgery, her narrative is situated in the larger context of population control in India - one that has for decades sacrificed women’s health and reproductive rights in the name of economic progress.

Like any brilliant documentary, it presents a clear and well-argued thesis, supported by a mountain of evidence. It enthralled us and had us commenting on the content out loud, remarking at how little we knew about reproductive control in India. If this topic is new to you as well, I highly recommend viewing the film. It has a running time of 39 minutes, and costs $5.95 to rent for 48 hours. On the topic of forced reproductive control more broadly, a wide range of supplementary resources are available on their website, including ways to take action!

The film's release poster.

Three

I recently learned about the fabulous South Korean indie rock band HYUKOH (혁오). They've been making music since 2014, and gained mainstream popularity in Korea the year after. Poring through their discography for the last few days, I have loved ever single track. The song Gang Gang Schiele is particularly beautiful. Listening to it, I feel transported to the seaside somewhere, like I'm living a montage of happy scenes. It reminds me of road trips down the Western Australian coast with friends, eating ice-cream and breathing in fresh, salty sea air. I hope you find a few minutes to listen and see if you love it too.

The band. Pictured from left: Oh Hyuk, Im Dong-geon, Lim Hyun-jae, and Lee In-woo. Photo by GDW, from Dazed Digital.

Four

Netflix's new film Enola Holmes follows the famous detective Sherlock's teenage sister as she makes her way into the world, uncovering her own mysteries and developing her own identity. It features Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven from Stranger Things) as the title character, with Helena Bonham Carter playing her mother and Henry Cavill as Sherlock. Aside from great casting, the film features smart dialogue, a tight plot without any obvious loopholes, solid character development, gorgeous period costuming, and fun action scenes. It's grade A, theatrical release quality, which makes sense because the distribution rights were only sold to Netflix from Warner Bros because of the pandemic. That means if you've already got a Netflix subscription you just saved yourself the cost of a theatre ticket. If you're worried you won't enjoy it, don't. It's really good. The film is based on a young adult book series, so we know this is just the first of many, and I'm already excited for the sequels.

The promotional poster for the film.

Five

As we enter Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, I'm turning to hearty stews with spices, slow cooked meats and delicious garnishes in the kitchen. Last night, I made a lamb tajine that was the ultimate satisfaction dish, with some dried dates, saffron, onions and almonds. If you haven't made tajine before, I promise it's extremely easy. This recipe serves as the perfect base, and I agree with the vast majority of the notes that precede the recipe on how to cook different variations. When my Mum, Kerry, and I travelled to Morocco back in 2014, we experienced just how seasonal their cooking is. It was olive and orange harvesting time during our week long visit, and we ended up eating fresh olives and oranges incorporated somehow in basically every dish we had. Don't be intimidated by making this. You can add a huge variety of fruits, meats and nuts to a tajine (either during cooking or as a garnish) and come out with something delicious. I recommend perfecting your base, and then having some fun experimenting. If you have a clay tajine pot, amazing. If you don't, a slow cooker or a big sturdy pot on the stove that can be transported into the oven will also do the job.

A picture of some delicious-looking tajine d'agneau, from Zeste.

Six

If you've subscribed to The Seven for a while, you'll know I love Tracee Ellis Ross a whole bunch. Growing up in Australia, I only had access to select Black American sitcoms, so I'd only ever heard about her classic 2000s show Girlfriends but never seen it. I am so stupidly excited that the entire show is now available on Netflix. It's hilarious, in a kitschy and sometimes problematic turn-of-the-millenium way, and I'm already hooked. The craziest relevation to me so far though, is how Ms Tracee (now 47) has not aged a single day since she was in her 20s. I will pray to the moisturiser, sunscreen (and melanin) gods, and hope I get an ounce of this magic.

A screenshot of Tracey from Girlfriends (2000) and a picture of hers from Instagram (2020). Right??!?! Queen.

Seven

I'm leaving you with something to make you laugh. This comedy clip about a dodgy PR-driven diversity stunt is so funny it actually had me in stitches. Unfortunately, the part about the black post boxes is real though.

A screenshot from the clip.

The Seven is a weekly digest sharing a collection of seven carefully curated stories, recipes, images, movies, essays, books, songs and other content. Thoughtfully contextualised and passed along with consideration, for your mental nourishment.

Every month, I run a book giveaway that is free to enter for all subscribers. This month's book is Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez, discussed in digest #13. The September giveaway closed this evening, and I'm pleased to announce that the winner is... Anna Hoffman! Anna, lovely to e-meet you and congratulations! I'll get in touch soon to arrange delivery of your book. To everyone else, I will be announcing next month's giveaway book this Sunday, October 4th, in issue #16.

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I'd like to take a moment to thank my patrons Katie McAllister, Sarah Almahmoud, Hailey Schmidt, Ceri Howes and Hether Scheel Warshauer. Thank you each so much from the bottom of my heart for your monthly support! I'd also like to thank KaM Schoer, and my husband Alex Frankcombe, who dedicate time every week to the review process.

To keep The Seven entirely free of advertising (or any other form of paid promotion) both now and in the future, donations are welcome. These will support the time and energy spent researching, editing and sharing this project. This will also support the monthly book giveaways, and may allow me to further expand these in future. This content will always remain free to all, and contributions from supporters are welcomed and voluntary.