No sad desk salads for Sylvia Plath
yearning for a full fridge and marvelous snacks
ROCK PAPER RADIO is a dispatch for misfits & unlikely optimists by your favorite hapa haole, beet-pickling, public radio nerd. It’s a weekly email newsletter and podcast that shares three curiosities every Thursday - something to hold on to (that’s the ‘rock’), something to read (that’s the ‘paper‘), and something to listen to (you guessed it, that’s the ‘radio’). Themes include but are not limited to: rebel violinists, immortal jellyfish, revolution. Thanks for subscribing and spreading the word.
SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO
As you know from last Thursday’s dispatch, every week I’ll be sharing a teaser for our Something to Listen To as we barrel together towards ROCK PAPER RADIO’s podcast launch. For today’s drop, you’ll hear part of my conversation with Seattle’s coolest professor, Dr. Daudi Abe. Go here to listen.
As he waxes nostalgic about the seminal 1983 hip hop film Wild Style, try, if you can, to remember the time before hip hop was being used in ads to sell everything from Amazon Alexas to Vitamin Water.
Daudi will be opening our pilot episode featuring Old Chingu’s story of finding his way as a Korean American MC and first generation son.
SOMETHING TO READ
If you’ve ever been told you’re too loud, too gay, or just simply TOO MUCH, might I enthusiastically suggest that you also embrace Staceyann Chin as your patron saint. I’ve been following Chin’s work since the early 2000’s when she was killing it at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
Chin is a force of nature on stage, on the page, and in her living room. She had her daughter Zuri on her own shortly after I had my son, and so for the past decade I’ve felt a bit of single mom solidarity with her from afar. I told myself that if Chin could keep taking on the world with her signature unapologetic gusto with baby Zuri in tow, I could make it though my boy’s toddlerhood.
But for all of my loyal following, there are, of course, so many details of Chin’s remarkable journey to the U.S. and into unconditional love and parenthood that I had no idea about until this week when I read her recently published Modern Love essay in the New York Times: The Lesbian Writer and Her Flamboyant Gay Husband.
Be warned, readers—this one’s a big, generous, soul-stirring ride that just might convince you to put your patched-together heart out into the world again.
SOMETHING TO HOLD ON TO
Maybe it’s because I suddenly have more free time on my hands, or because it’s still winter/still a pandemic/still a great time to stay home huddled around a warm oven with something delicious inside, but either way I’ve been especially into making and devouring curious things lately. Black sesame mochi cake. Pickled beets in citrus salads. Fly by Jing on everything.
If you’re also a fan of eating food and are looking for inspiration for surprising pairings, I recommend checking out @whatsylviaate on Twitter. The account shares things Sylvia Plath ate according to her journals, letters, poems and books.
Like this relatable craving:
Or this protein-packed win:
Or this midday meal to put your sad desk salad in perspective:
Bon appétit!
THOUGHTS ON OUR POD TEASERS?
That’s a wrap on issue 71, friends. Thanks for listening, reading, holding on. And thank you for spreading the word about our (emerging) podcast! It was exciting to see that so many of you downloaded last week’s clip. Thanks for listening!
I’m so excited for you all to hear Old Chingu and Daudi’s stories come together. If you have feedback or ideas sparked by the clips we’re sharing, feel free to comment below or hit reply if this week’s dispatch showed up in your inbox (high five to you, subscribers).
See you next Thursday.
K.
The music you heard in this podcast teaser is Numb by Yung Kartz.