READ: The Sunflower Cast A Spell to Save Us From The Void by Jackie Wang
Jackie Wang’s book of poetry captures the sunflower’s many dream guises―its evolving symbolism in literature, society, and her own dream life. Using the Fibonacci sequence (a pattern found in the seed spirals of sunflowers), Wang creates what she calls oneiric poetry: a poetry that attempts to speak in the language of dreams. Even though dreams are conceptualized as a window into the unconscious, Wang’s poetry emphasizes the social dimension of dreams, particularly the use of dreams to index historical trauma and social processes. Throughout the book are illustrations by Kalan Sherrard.
From the Publisher
The poems in The Sunflower Cast A Spell To Save Us From The Void read like dispatches from the dream world, with Jackie Wang acting as our trusted comrade reporting across time and space. By sharing her personal index of dreams with its scenes of solidarity and resilience, interpersonal conflict and outlaw jouissance, Wang embodies historical trauma and communal memory. Here, the all-too-familiar interplay between crisis and resistance becomes first distorted, then clarified and refreshed. With a light touch and invigorating sense of humor, Wang illustrates the social dimension of dreams and their ability to inform and reshape the dreamer’s waking world with renewed energy and insight.
Get it Here
WATCH: Deep in Vogue
‘Deep in Vogue’ celebrates the history of house and ballroom culture, specifically the powerful, queer, emotional and political stories of Northern Vogue in Manchester, UK and the black, gay ballrooms of 1980s New York City. Over the course of a year, documentary filmmakers Dennis Keighron-Foster and Amy Watson followed the buildup to the Manchester ICONS Vogue Ball and explore universal themes and the unique styles from both sides of the Atlantic including the sometimes-dramatic internal politics of Vogue to external politics including the disenfranchisement of black youth, LGBTQ+ issues, the dearth of art spaces and modes of expression, the over-commercialized gay scene, and the lack of safe spaces for the truly different.
The focus of the socio-political film was on two Manchester based Vogue Houses; House of Ghetto, an exclusively black and female Vogue House, and House of Decay, a trans and queer led Vogue House. Hear stories of people coming to love and accept themselves and finding a new family through the UK vogue scene.
Watch on Hulu
LISTEN TO: Chevere Means Cool
Knowing the story behind the brands you choose to support is important when shopping consciously. That’s why we love Chevere Means Cool –the podcast that celebrates independent brands and designers who stand out for their impactful missions and beautiful products.
Host Dani Bao is originally from Lima, Peru but currently living in NYC. She chats with the founders of these brands and shares their different stories. The brands Chevere Means Cool has episodes with are brands we already love (JRAT & aNYbag!) and also introduces us to so many more. Dani wanted to create a space that brings together the alternatives to fast fashion and curate them into one place so they are easy to discover. With that she digs deep into the mission behind the brands, giving the listeners proof of how chevere they really are.
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Socials @cheveremeanscool & @dani.bao
–Leah Flannery
