78. READ.LOOK.THINK.

READ: So this is old age. “…my husband Jack is nearly always present in my dreams – it is 12 years since he died, but at night he returns, not always recognisably himself, but a shadowy dream companion figure that I always know to be him.” | Tao Lin remembers his two favorite toy poodles. | The first thing the baby did wrong by Donald Barthelme. | Any story that’s going to be any good is usually going to change. | We spoke in her purple attic study… | Eleanor Catton and patternings. | Lessons from living in London. I suddenly, magically love London (it took two and a half years) (and who knows if I will survive the winter). But it feels good every time I hear of someone else’s struggle to move here. It’s hard. | Related: “No one was really buying my shtick there.”

LOOK: ALI ECHO, a food blog.

THINK: The economics of a hit TV show. | Women who feel entitled more likely to endorse benevolent sexism. | “…the framework of plausible deniability built up around racism, and how insane that plausible deniability can make a person feel.” | In case you’re wondering what “me time” is, it’s what other people call “time.” | “…while there is an art to living, a real value in creating a warm, nurturing home, it isn’t really a substitute for producing the discernible “works” that the literary or artistic mind craves.” | Deconstructing HAIM, Lorde, and the monogenre. | TED talks are lying to you. (As @marginalutility tweeted, “It’s just sort of sad and meaningless to try to become more “creative” in the abstract.”)

LINKNESS: My weekly wrap ups of the best strategy creativity marketing reads on Nextness.