Pretend I’m dead

In this week's newsletter: book recommendations, eye and ear candy, and more...

In this week's newsletter: reading books about writing instead of writing, eye and ear candy, and more... View this email in your browser Hey y'all, Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week:  "Pretend I'm dead."   Verlyn Klinkenborg's Several Short Sentences About Writing is one of the best books about writing I've ever read. And, because reading books about writing is just one of the many ways to avoid writing while still pretending to care about writing, I also started George Saunders' A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, his Russian short story class in a book.   "Everything I do is the most important thing I do."   The story of Louis Armstrong's last tape. (I love looking at his collages.)   "In English, attention is something you pay. In Spanish, it is something you lend, and in German, something you gift. You 'do' attention in Italian and French." Tenderness shares a root with attention.   I enjoyed Questlove's Summer of Soul, especially all the straw hats and Redd Foxx joking in the brilliant section about the moon landing. If you dug it too, check out Mel Stuart's classic documentary, Wattstax. (And free episodes of Soul! and the documentary, Mr. Soul!)   Eye candy: Barn quilts.   Ear candy: I am almost a decade late, but I really like this Krautrock-inspired Lower Dens record, Nootropics. (Bonus: Dave Grohl on what he stole from The Gap Band.)   RIP filmmakers Richard Donner and Robert Downey, Sr. (I've been meaning to watch Putney Swope.)   Not sure if it is half full or half empty, but the year is 52% over. Thanks for reading. This newsletter is free, but not cheap. You can help it keep going: forward it to someone who'd like it, read my books, shop for some of my favorite gear (I get a cut), buy a t-shirt, or hire me to speak. If you're seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can read previous issues and subscribe here. xoxo,  Austin Austin Kleon is the author of Steal Like An Artist and other books. Subscribe to this newsletter   Copyright © 2021 Austin Kleon, All rights reserved. My mailing address is: Austin Kleon 1101 W 34th St Box #102 Austin, TX 78705 Please read this before sending me snail mail! You're getting this email because you signed up for it at austinkleon.com. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Amazon Affiliate links offset the cost of sending these missives. Support your local bookstore if you have one.