vol #45: the bible, dolls & gossip rag radio
sent from reuben's iphone with love
reuben:
To whom this may concern,
The act of recommendation is actually also the act of exhibition. Mhm. I feel therefore that … whilst recommendation is beautiful, it is invariably sad because like the Flasher, one must eventually come to the understanding that their little gifts will never be universally appreciated. Dear reader, I’m so honoured to write this edition of SFMIWL, thank you Joss for wanting to see my bits. Briefly by way of introduction, my name is Reuben Esien Bsc, I’m a writer (of fiction, art and literature criticism), a podcaster, a bartender, bookshop worker, events assistanter, hustler and overall pan-African bitch. Shall we dive in?
handsome reuben and darling juju (you’ll meet her soon!)
this is the internet bit
Gayathri Spivak On The Politics of Deconstruction at Birkbeck University
Gayathri Spivak is an incredibly compelling speaker, and a marvel to watch. Here 40 years on from when she first translated Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology she discusses several questions with ample passion including fascinatingly the idea of obscure writing.
This is an interesting internet object which my friend Tennesse Jones-Phillips introduced me to, you can read our interview here. It is a website which compiles internet streamed security footage from across the world. So you can watch the goings on of a post office in Wales or a horses stables in Utah.
There comes a time when all best friends must start a pod. GRRadio is a London based podcast on art, lit, anthro, philosophy and London Town featuring myself and anthropology PhD candidate Caroline Bazambanza ... new episode every two weeks.
this is the irl bit
Having dolls
My friend Yituan from Taiwan doesn’t like dolls or masks because she was taught that they bring spirits into the household. However speaking from an African tradition where masks and figurines make the household, I do feel they have equal potential to ward off as well as invite. Hence: Anna and Juju.
Anna is around 15cm tall and free standing, she wears the clothing of a Russian peasant woman. She has deep sienna-coloured skin and a fringe which springs forth from her babushka headscarf. She was standing at the till of Give A Dog A Bone and cost £5.
Juju is a child of around 2 years, her skin is burnt umber, her dress and bonnet is made of Scottish Tartan which the woman in the vintage shop said was “Kente, I think, from Kenya.” Bless her. Her hair is straight as a bone and actually part of her head.
juju and anna’s home / anna in all her glory
The Bible
Marilynne Robinson, one of the great authors of our time t(never read her) in a conversation with British literary critic James Wood made the salient point that many of the texts which have most shaped our world go unread by most (here she is referring to 1. The Bible, and 2. Karl Marx’s Capital). The Bible is a story which can be read front to back, it can provide solace but also more than that a deep cultural understanding … Amen?
Bermondsey
Me and Joss went to see Anselm Keifer’s ‘Finnegan’s Wake’ at the White Cube Bermondsey and afterwards had a mosey down the gorgeous Bermondsey Street, we stopped off for a little negroni at The Garrison. Sun was shining, the negroni was sweet. It was in a wide glass with one large square cube of ice in it, balanced delicately on top of the ice was a skewered (and curled) orange rind. It was zesty, tart and sweet on the low-key ..just like a girl I know named Joss.
Yours,
Reuben Esien
toodlepip!