“My one fear is that tomorrow I may die without having come to know myself”
-Sadegh Hedayat, The Blind Owl
Do we ever really know ourselves? It can be argued that life is a continuous stream of personal change, thereby preventing us from ever fully forming into something – or someone – static. I choose to see this as a benefit. A life without change – however incremental – would, by definition, be stagnant and uninteresting. Even those who adhere to a strict routine experience change, even if only as the times and world around them shift.
Malachi Black joined us in 2021 from a small town in Lithuania, where he has ancestral roots and was mysteriously invited to a literary festival in 2017. Upon arriving, he was swept away by the place and began returning again and again. Black fell in love with a Lithuanian poet and they now split their time between the U.S. and Lithuania. During our interview, Black read some of his poems. To hear them, and to learn more about his connections to Lithuania, listen to the complete interview.
Jessica Piazza also sat down with us in 2021 to talk about her writing and do some live readings. A writer, poet and teacher, Jessica discussed her experience during the previous year as the world locked down, which she admitted was not her best writing year. Before the lockdown, Piazza had been away at a residency and was working on a number of projects. When the pandemic hit, she lost steam and fell away from her writing. When we spoke, she was jumping back in. To hear more – including some of her work read by the author, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
Change comes to us all. Embrace it as best you can.
Outings
Join me at Andrew Edlin Gallery for CO₂ Blues, an exhibition of work by the late Melvin Way
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces are here in a shareable format. The full archive of interviews is here.
More books to read
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis member Her Estrada is reading A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime by Edmund Burke.
Opportunities
To celebrate 10 years, BigCi Environmental Awards is partnering with Hawkesbury Regional Gallery for exhibitions, residency weeks, prize money, guided walks, research support, and an open-day presentation. Visit the website to learn about available opportunities. The submission deadline is July 22.