Make bad art & read terrible books

10 things worth sharing this week

Hey y’all,

I believe that most people who want to be creative would be served best not by worrying about genius but by trying to create or join a “scenius.” If you’d like to join our virtual scenius of thousands of creative people, become a paid subscriber:

Here are 10 other things I thought were worth sharing this week:

1. I’ve told y’all how artists must be allowed to make bad art, too. Here’s Alan Moore telling writers that it’s important to read terrible books, too. (Unfortunately, you’ll have to find them on your own — we only recommend good books around here!)
   
   

2. “I have a friend who has never read a single word I have ever written. I love being with her.” The great Mary Ruefle has a new book of short prose out called The Book. For a sample, listen to her read “The Effusive.” (If you’re new to her work, watch her talk about the joy of blackout poetry and check out my favorite book of hers, Madness, Rack, and Honey, which is included in this wonderful 40% off bundle.)
   
   

3. How novelist Lauren Groff does her work: “After she completes a first draft, she puts it in a bankers box — and never reads it again. Then she’ll start the book over, still in longhand, working from memory.” Matrix was one of my favorite books I read in 2021, so I’ve been patiently anticipating the arrival of her new novel, The Vaster Wilds. Hold my calls, I plan on reading it all weekend.
   
   

4. The notebooks of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
   
   

5. “I don’t know how people live without taking time to let their thoughts run and see where they go.” An interview with cartoonist Roz Chast.
   
   

6. The artist and cartoonists who designed Pee-Wee Herman’s world.
   
   

7. Some brutal, but real advice from my archives: “Have you tried making yourself a more interesting person?”
   
   

8. Eye candy: Tirazain, an archive of Palestinian cross-stitch.
   
   

9. Ear candy: I was lit up by two wild new jazz albums this week: Irreversible Entanglements’ Protect Your Light and jaimie branch’s Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)). (If you want it darker, try the new Vince Clark.)
   
   

10. RIP bassist Richard Davis, who played on a slew of great records, including the transcendent Astral Weeks.
    

Thanks for reading! The Guardian just named this one of the best newsletters on Substack. Not bad for a hand-rolled, algorithm-free, completely reader-supported publication. If you’d like to support my work, buy my books, hire me to speak, or become a paid subscriber:

xoxo,

Austin