Links and a poem I’ve loved for the week:
Another week, another article about an “unknown” woman writer: “She was the Walking Woman. That was it. She had walked off all sense of society-made values, and, knowing the best when the best came to her, was able to take it.”
Linnea Axelsson on the false reckoning of Sweden with the legacy of colonization and oppression of the Indigenous Sámi people: “herders are portrayed as a threat to outdoor life in Swedish national parks, despite the fact these parks were often established on traditionally indigenous land where people are already working, living, and gathering medicine and materials and food—land that visitors are invited to “discover” as a beautiful wilderness 1with excellent opportunity for recreation.”2
“Fucking 1857, and the Spiritualists were affirming trans identities.” How Spiritualism, led by women, was much more than a con-act or a religious movement—it was a vision for radical equality.3
I absolutely love
by Bailey Richardson and today was just entranced by her post on the singer Chavela Vargas, and her (and Frida Kahlo’s) beloved Xoloitzcuintles, an ancient breed that arose naturally, and whose bones are found in Toltec and Mayan tombs (and don’t miss the video of Vargas’ funeral celebration—just another reason why we need more singing at funerals).4Isn’t it fun to discover a new song release and realize it’s from a local band? These guys are from Anchorage, and somehow, this song has a very mellow, Alaskan vibe...
And speaking of music, what a gorgeous gift
gave her readers this week—a recording of her singing Cien años.Always interested to see how Sheila Heti frames her writing, and her latest experiment sounds equally intriguing.
And finally, this gorgeous poem of fierce beauty:
Sounds devastatingly familiar, no?
Axelsson has also written a novel in verse (!) about generations of Sámi navigating this legacy and I cannot wait to read it.
(There’s also a very good recent book by Emily Midorikawa on the women who were given a public voice through Spiritualism).
I loved Rain's poem, too, when it arrived in my inbox! It has the perfect mix of lyric imagery and nods to culture.
🥹 Oh my gosh, I cannot tell you how flattered I am that you mentioned me in your post. It's been a privilege to find a soul as generous and gracious as you. 🤗 THANK YOU, FREYA!!! 🙏🏼