Sluice Issue #4

Sluice  | by Arthur H. Manners

Issue #4

Things to share this week

1. Essay: 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest. I'm working my way through this collection of essays at the moment. About half are lists, others are meditative prose. It's pretty wandering and not exactly concise, but I recommend it because it's thoughtful and honest, in a way that might spark some personal growth.2. Podcast: Anne Lamott was last week's guest on the Tim Ferriss podcast. Author of Bird by Bird (a book about writing that is actually about life), Anne is a font of no-frills wisdom. In this recording she talks candidly about her personal struggles and how it feeds into her work. A top, top woman. Do listen.3. Working Space: I got myself a corkboard to sit above my monitor. Nice and big, so I can throw all my thoughts on the wall. For now it's pretty blank, but I've no doubt it'll look like this soon enough.  

4. Books: Dune by Frank Herbert. I'm re-reading Dune right now, in preparation for the October release of the 2021 film adaptation directed by Denis Villeneuve (which I suspect might turn out to be one of the best films of our time — or the biggest disappointment). If you haven't read it before, do. Don't let the 1965 release date put you off; it's one of the best-selling sci-fi books ever for a reason. A total mash-up of genres, Dune is an understated masterpiece of imagination and why are you still reading this instead of buying a copy?5. TV/Film: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The Dreamworks 2018 reboot, not the 1980s original (though that's worth checking out too for the wtf factor). If you think kids' cartoons aren't for adults, you're missing out. Kids' material is some of the freshest material you'll find, and She-Ra is incredible. I watched the first episode and was a bit thrown: unicorns, rainbows, some hilarious costumes. But I stuck with it and now showrunner Noelle Stevenson is a top brain-crush of mine. The recipe reads: magic + inclusivity + ripping good story + super gay everything = I need to watch it three times through because I'm not ready to leave it behind.

Until next time, be good.

Best regards,

Art

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