the double text #18
so i was never really gonna quit on u
Friends, i am ~back~ in the same but new-ish kind of way, and slightly more casually, too.
i’m calling this newsletter Cold Copy now.
the Double Text (what you’re receiving) is a column that will come when it feels important. there’s still some expansion going on here, and other columns will start to pop up, but I’ll keep you posted as that comes.
my hibernation is kicking off gently, and i’m keeping a tight radius to home these days. got my eye on this and that, wondering about the eventual, it’s a little bit of the year of realizing stuff. things are open, and i’m just letting them be open. hope you are, too. xx
library hours for writers are still going:
join on Zoom at 6 am - 8 am ET, Monday-Friday. join and drop as you please. no camera. no audio. i’m not even always on — this is a place for you. link here.
Now, here’s your double text—
Giséle Pelicot is a hero among us. Read about the verdict — 51 Men Found Guilty in Gisèle Pelicot Rape Trial by Bindu Bansinath. If you haven’t been following along on this trial, it is one of the most brutal and inconceivable evils I have ever read about. Most importantly, though:
“Gisèle called the trial “a difficult ordeal” that she took on for her children, grandchildren, and “many of the victims who are not recognized, whose stories often remain in the shadows.” Gisèle added that she “never regretted” her decision to make the case public: “I wanted society to take part in this debate,” she said. “I have confidence in our ability to collectively grasp a future in which everyone, women and men and alike, can live in harmony, with mutual respect and understanding.””
You can watch the full story here and her full remarks after the verdict:
Gosh I wish this would have gone on and on and on and on and on. How Does My Divorce Make You Feel? by Dr. Lilly Jay. She writes, “I have puzzled alone, for nearly two years, about what to say as someone who is, by personality and profession, equally allergic to being the center of attention and to being erased.” Mhhm. This writer tells us. Clearly.
If a Tsunami Comes, I Know Which Child I Would Save by Julie Cadman-Kim. I thought about this for days. This is a very honest personal narrative and is shockingly relatable, yet difficult to wrap one’s mind around it.
Two clips from Annie Ernaux’s Diary, 1988 translated by Alison L. Strayer in The Paris Review (Spring 2022)—
Moving On, a Love Story. To move into the Apthorp was to enter a state of giddy, rent-stabilized delirium. By Nora Ephron. I often find myself returning to this essay when I think about the ways I’m going to fluff some of the decor in my apartment. I like to think about the time when I first saw her, filled with other people’s stuff, how I imagined where the couch would go. It allows me to return to a blanker canvas than what I’m working with now. Stuff everywhere. I’m definitely going to do a reset over this winter break. (I might get crazy and paint my hallway — might!)
I’m loving this Substack LAID OFF by
. Every post is a RIDE and an important story. These are all familiar yet singular tales and an authentic representation of what the hell is going on out there.The Way I Spend The Holidays Makes People Uncomfortable. Here's Why I Love It So Much. by Erin Hill. There is no wrong way to live.
LOST
“JUST THE COLD OPEN,” is what my boyfriend and I said over the last several weeks when we were forcing ourselves to stay awake until 1 am on a school night. We were all in, addicted, melding to the couch as we got into the thick of Season 2, then 3, and so on of this show.
This was my fourth watch of LOST (and his first) and coming out of the other side of all six seasons really does feel like I’m re-entering the world because I was in another life (brotha). I recommend this series. It’s one to learn about, and that has endless dissection points. A master class in yes, and. A truly immersive watching experience. A product of its time — there are some extremely classic TV things throughout that would not fly today, which is always an interesting perspective to check in on. And a magnificent representation of an ensemble.
A great, great place to go between the blur of the holidays ahead.
I can’t mention JJ Abrams without mentioning Gracie. Tbh, I loved her performance on SNL. No one can make me hate her. She works hard:
And I’d have to 100% agree. The noise in NYC is OUTRAGEOUS lately.
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See you soon. And please share this newsletter with anyone you think would enjoy reading it. xVLB