ummmm…I got a new haircut. Check out that bad boy ^
My dear friend Tristan did it for me.
is that all there is?
this week’s title is originally from the song, but specifically in reference to one of the last scenes in After Hours, an absolute hidden treasure from Martin Scorsese.
some clickbait...jk…unless
the reality of supposed “dream jobs.”
this was probably my favorite piece on Inaugural Poet, Amanda Gorman.
breaking down the evolution of "red-pilling.”
hooking-up during covid-19.
the decimation of New York’s Jazz scene.
i used to have an Epictetus approach to happiness but I know now I’m all Epicurean.
…just fucking vaccinate incarcerated people!!
the pandemic’s erasure of low-stakes friendships. i miss the randoms!
on the women who brought down Burger Records. Bye bye!
and finally,
some funbait…what?!
animals interrupting wildlife photographers!! cuteness!!
as a zine maker myself, i have been having so much fun clicking through Punk Planet’s Archive.
poems for a new year. <3
snowflake generator alert!!!
a delightful davia schendel
career opportunities
career opportunities
scheherazade
100% of the jobs lost
women account
what a record
don’t put it up on your wall
or on the (dis)mantle
career opportunities
scheherazade
16,000 gained for men
workforce, troop force
war is life?
who is at war with whom
career opportunities
scheherazade
put your lipstick on
and make sure they’re looking
making love
wearing a mask
career opportunities
scheherazade
1001 nights of worrying
if the check is going to come through
if people are going to listen to you
career opportunities
scheherazade
man’s world lullaby
as you rock your baby to sleep
he doesn't feel your pain
but wants to understand in some way
career opportunities
scheherazade
how many times
do you code switch
to put food on your table
or to keep the lights on
career opportunities
scheherazade
career opportunities
scheherazade
career opportunities
scheherazade
career opportunities
Scheherazade
mother’s day to make penance
boys keep swinging
crisis personality
personality is built out of crisis
career opportunities
scheherazade
the one that never knocks
so weave your tales
to keep their minds distracted
and your belly full.
Background of the poem: I was listening to The Clash's first album and simultaneously read about a devastating statistic: during the pandemic (up till December 2020) women accounted for 100% of the jobs lost. However, men gained 16,000. Read more here.
As I was listening to Joe Strummer sing about unemployment woes in late '70s England on "Career Opportunities," the punk energy sent me on a whirl. I thought about the Scheherazade myth and its potent applicability to how many hoops women have to jump through in the workforce (and in life)– miraculously weaving tales to stave off death, essentially. And yet, in this present crisis, we are still not seen by society as "fit enough" to work (especially if we are mothers).
There's a little Bowie reference in there too, with "Boys Keep Swinging," taken from the title of a seemingly pro-male anthem that is actually transgressive and a parody of macho displays (watch the music video and you'll see what I mean):
You can check out the visuals of the poem and more in the full issue of GOOD RIDDANCE.
Based in New York City, Davia Schendel is a musician, writer, filmmaker and co-editor at You Know What I Mean magazine.
see you soon.
K
I leave you with Ann Friedman’s opening thoughts in her newsletter this past Friday. I, too, have been burnt out by this cycle. I look forward to surprising you (and myself) with new discoveries, rather than regurgitation:
The internet has settled into a predictable rhythm for me.
Monday - I see a Thing on TikTok or in a text, maybe Twitter or Instagram.
Tuesday - The Thing is everywhere on social media.
Wednesday - The Thing explainer articles start to roll out.
Thursday - Now the reported features and essays. (What happened when I tried The Thing, the strange guy behind The Thing, how The Thing explains capitalism).
Friday - I link to one of those essays, or maybe reference The Thing with a gif.
Weekend - A brief respite between Things.