Take a left, then another left, then a right; repeat.
In anticipation of Urban and Not, we’ve been wanting to write something about psychogeography – an approach to urban exploration developed by the Situationists, a group of European avant-gardes in the ’50s (bear with us here). Psychogeography gave rise to a set of techniques, or games really, for exploring the city in ways that would … Read more
The plan
How do you formally acknowledge your life goals? Do you ever actually articulate them, or write them down? Lifehacker has an interesting piece on why – though dweeby – it is a great idea to write down your five year plan. “By creating a 5-year plan you dramatically increase your chances of success in reaching … Read more
The young, the wise, the undiscovered
The 2013 TED conference just wrapped up, and this year’s theme was “The Young, the Wise, the Undiscovered.” We’re sure it will produce many an inspiring (and parodyable) 18 minute talk, but for now this one (as summarized in Forbes, as the talks aren’t online yet) caught our attention. “University of Virginia clinical psychologist Meg … Read more
Wilderness
As we get closer to debuting the “urban and not” edition, we’ve been thinking a lot about the “not urban,” and in particular about the wild spaces and places that inspire or challenge us. Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild (by all accounts excellent) has been getting a lot of attention lately. Strayed’s story about a transformative … Read more
Deadline extended
Good news! Submissions for Volume 5 are now due by Monday, February 18th.* *props to everyone who has managed to send their stuff in already.
How to compose a Metro poem
We really did mean to post something that would cover the “not” in “urban and not,” but this was too good to not share. Instructions on how to make a Metro (Subway) poem, by poet/writer/scarf-wearer Jaques Jouet, via Lauren Elkin. Will you try it? A métro poem has as many verses as your trip has … Read more
Total Recall
Interesting piece in Slate today about memory and our twenties. Apparently researchers have identified a quarter-life “reminiscence bump” – people have stronger memories about their twenties than any other period in life. “A little-known but robust line of research shows that there really is something deeply, weirdly meaningful about this period. It plays an outsize … Read more
Imagined cities
Working on the Urban and Not edition, we came across this interesting book by Robert Alter: Imagined Cities: Urban Experience and the Language of the Novel. Alter explores how literature in the 19th and early 20th centuries (novels by Flaubert, Dickens, Woolf, Joyce, Kafka) reflected a shift in consciousness brought about by the dramatic urban … Read more
How do you define success?
We came across this opinion piece about the idea of “success” in artistic careers (specifically theater), and thought the question – what is success? - worth considering, especially at this time of year when we’re mapping out our goals for the year ahead. Is success being able to support yourself with your chosen line work? … Read more
Photo-a-day
If you’re looking for an easy project to jump-start your creativity this month, here’s a sweet photo-a-day challenge we came across. And if – like some of us – your photo ambitions exceed your skills, Lifehacker night school has got your back. Photo challenge via here. Photo by Chris Beacock via here.
