Captivated by Movies
Last month, we asked our PWN Teen summer instructors what they’re obsessing over. This month, we turned to our adult instructors to find out what they’ve been indulging in this summer. What have they been reading, watching, listening to, eating, and more?
July 2021:
What we’re reading …
Allison Tevald: “I’ve been enjoying Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi. Originally hesitant to read it, because her debut Homegoing is one of my favorite books of all time and the critics didn’t seem to love TK, I’m glad I picked it up. The themes of faith, depression, addiction, parent-child bond, and immigrant experience are strong and woven beautifully. Gyasi doesn’t give you all the answers and a lot of the fun and satisfaction is in reader participation: putting the pieces together and making meaning from the larger scope. I can’t wait for whatever Gyasi puts out next.” (Allison teaches Creative Writing Intensive, Memoir, and Novel Incubator.)
Watching …
Michele Prestininzi: “I’ve been watching the Netflix series Shadow and Bone based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling YA fantasy books. The plot is intriguing and loaded with magic. The characters are super interesting, as well. Though last night’s episode pushed things to the limit, so I’m a bit on the fence about the rest of the series. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who’s watching it, so I’ll just mention one word: antlers, and leave it at that. I’ll have to read the series to get more depth.” (Michele teaches PWN’s KidLit classes.)
Listening to …
Zoë Gulliksen: “Right now I have the 2019 album Interior Person, by jazz singer Samantha Sidley, on repeat while I write. It has the perfect 1930s big band sound and Sidley has a great sultry voice. What I love most about it, however, is that it’s LGBTQ+ inclusive and she sings songs that feel like they’re from another time period but singing about modern love.” (Zoë teaches our new Author Platform Development class.)
Eating …
Jennifer Chauhan: “During the summer months, my go-to sweet treat is ice cream. I have fond memories of being a kid and eating cones of Baskin Robbins mint chocolate chip or slurping up thick vanilla milkshakes from Carvel. Sadly I can no longer have dairy. A huge fan of all things coconut, I’ve found joy in So Delicious Dairy-Free Mint Chip Coconutmilk. Not exactly the same but close enough.” (Jennifer teaches Memoir Writing Intensive and The Write Time for teachers).
Miscellaneous …
Jennifer Gaites: “Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Tik Tok, much to my teenagers’ amusement/horror. I’m so impressed by people’s creativity and quirkiness—sometimes their openness and vulnerability. I’ve watched videos on exercises to help with headaches, recipes, book reviews and poetry, as well as people just being their silliest, weirdest selves. It’s refreshing!” (Jennifer Gaites teaches Memoir on Wednesday mornings and evenings.)
What are you obsessed with this month? We’d like to know! Email your response to wi@projectwritenow.org for a chance to appear in an upcoming column!
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