The Weekend Snack 2.4.24
The Weekend Snack 2.4.24
I want to be like every other girl.
Welcome to the Weekend Snack - a quick roundup of my favorite things from the past weekend.
Happy Sunday, Snackers! This weekend was my last in Utah before returning to New York on Monday. I only had one or two mild ski-related panic attacks this past month - so I’ll take that as a win. I have a full schedule of plays this upcoming week, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts! In the meantime, here are a few favorites from the past few days:
📺🗞️ Swan Song by Sam Kashner. To all my swans and fat-ankled harridans watching Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, I was fascinated by this detailed account of Capote’s downward spiral after publishing "La Côte Basque, 1965” in Esquire. Warning that if you’re trying to watch the series without knowing anything about what happened, this article contains spoilers. But the piece focuses mainly on Capote and somewhat less on the swans. It also introduced me to what seems to have been Capote’s mantra: “What did they expect? I’m a writer, and I use everything.”
📺 “Make Good Art” Commencement Speech by Neil Gaiman. The second commencement speech of the week! But I stumbled upon it this weekend, and it’s too good not to share. Acclaimed fantasy author Neil Gaiman addresses an audience of graduating art students and shares advice on how to build a successful career as a creative. Even if you don’t view yourself as creative, there’s advice here for everyone. A favorite excerpt:
When you start out on a career in the arts you have no idea what you are doing. This is great. People who know what they are doing know the rules, and know what is possible and impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can. If you don't know it's impossible it's easier to do. And because nobody's done it before, they haven't made up rules to stop anyone doing that again, yet.
📚 The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoughe. I was introduced to Caroline O’Donoughe via her Sentimental Garbage podcast (if you’re a Sex and the City fan, Sentimental in the City is a must for your next road trip or long commute). I won’t say too much about the plot because I won’t do it justice, and it’s much more fun to follow its winding path, but it’s a story of friendship, loss, political unrest, and what it means to be young. Do yourself a favor and read it.
🎬 Anatomy of a Fall. Chances are you’ve probably seen this already or at least heard of it. But if you haven’t, run, don’t walk. Directed and co-written by Oscar nominee Justine Triet, this movie is an elegantly shot thriller that centers on a woman accused of murdering her husband. But that’s merely an entry point for an almost surgical dissection of domestic life and how we construct truth. Interestingly, I’ve found this movie is somewhat of a Rorschach test for how people think about gender roles and the division of domestic labor. You’ll also never think of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” the same.
And I’ll leave you with my favorite TikTok/poem of the week - “Every Other Girl” (click here if you’d prefer to read it instead). I, too, want to be just like every other girl!
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What resonated with you this weekend? Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe for your weekly menu of cultural recs.