Weekly roundup ( I know its not Friday but do days even matter anymore?)

Hey famz, 

I hope you're all well. 

I think some of you were at the Dingle Lit session today so thanks for dropping by. If you wanted to ask me a question and didn't get a chance you can holla on here. I loved discussing The Vanishing Half with Brit. I'm thinking of doing it as a disobedient bodies book club pick and inviting her to join us in the new year. Roll on 2021 whaaaa'

This week I have been mostly trying to finish my first draft of WWPCDN. No matter how many years I spend assembling and disassembling the  mechanics of of racial categories, writing about that them always leaves me clutching at straws of meaning, racial categories are such slippery, weasly things, simultaneously they don't exist while at the same time determining so much!  Despite the head wrecking nature of race, I'm really enjoying writing it  (I don't always enjoy writing believe me, not that the discomfort stops me feeling compelled to write in-fact maybe  the discomfort is partially caused by needing to, while sometimes not wanting too, you know...)  Researching the earliest articulations of whiteness and the expansion of the category has been really fascinating. WWPCDN is in many ways very different to Don't Touch My Hair/Twisted  but at the same time I think you might see some continuities and expanded thoughts on some  themes that appear in that work. Lots on capitalism lols again thats for sure. 

I'm still waiting on my publisher to shared the cover with me, I'm hoping to have it by tomorrow so will post as soon as its available.

Still doing Dance with Mountains course and absolutely loving it. A metaphor that I took from one of our recent sessions was this idea that the slave ship never went away, it just morphed into modernity; ( the nation state, capitalism, post enlightenment liberal humanism, and the nature of the 'identities' that develop from that particular articulation of reality). 

The slave ship itself was divided in to different decks, with the Africans in the bottom,chained in the filthy dark hold while the European sailors were on the top deck, enjoying all the privileges that came with that position. Two very different experiences of course, but both parties travelling on a vehicle of destruction. Bayo who leads the course, described 'inclusivity' as who gets out of the hold and  onto the top deck?!  I'm like thats fkn deep. Then drawing on Fred Moten's concept of fugitivity  (remember I mentioned Moten and the idea of the 'first refusal ' in an earlier weekly round up?) he talks about the difference between blackness as fugitivity versus  inclusivity, which is conceptually extremely compelling when we think about protest, and making new worlds, or making sanctuary as Bayo frames it...happy to discuss further...

Been getting lots of you telling me you like the recommendations so a couple more. I'm a big Billie Holiday fan and this new doc is brilliant if you're so inclined https://youtu.be/hKimh-iPd_0

I also watched  Sorry to Bother Youhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthLQZWIshQ (well I've watched half but thats no indication on the film, its just time mehn time. I'm gonna finish watching it tomorrow night)  its super dope, cos who doesnt love a bitta surreal black socialist comedy right?

Much love my Gs 

Ex