I had a really thoughtful, honest post written up about what I've figured out so far on this trip, but as I went to post it, it somehow got deleted. Instead, here's the amazing Rie Selavy and her friend Kate's librarian manifesto, because those words and that image above were both part of the post. Hopefully I'll re-create it before work tomorrow.

• Because we not only shush, but shut up and listen
• Because Hypatia of Alexandria died for her brilliance, Jeannette Howard Foster midwifed queer studies, and Audre Lorde shaped our feminist consciousness
• Because we still hate capitalism and want to connect people seeking to dismantle it with the information they need to achieve this goal
• Because you bet yr sweet ass we were the first against the wall when the government came looking for yr information, and we’d put our jobs on the line again for yr privacy and freedom
• Because librarians love authors, artists, musicians, and performers and want their artistic legacy to grow, spread, and inspire the masses
• Because this profession is still dominated by straight, middle/upper class white women & we need library staff to better reflect the demographics of the people they serve
• Because we remember the lonely, scared, anxious, passionate, angry, loving children and teens we once were, and we know the books that inspired us to keep on, keep on living and want to share them with a new generation
• Because as long as there are people out there who try to ban books we are needed to defend yr intellectual freedom
• Because when libraries team up with nonprofit support systems and social services to serve our communities, we are even stronger
• Because populations like homeless people and prisoners are often ignored (even though they are as entitled to library services as anybody else)
• Because we support open information access & want our papers & zines & art etc in open archives where anyone can access them
• Because we want to harness the incredible potential of the internet while maintaining a safe community and spirit of integrity
• Because we forgive but won’t forget the sins and omissions of feminist movements before us, and strive to be inclusive, democratic, giving, and receptive as we move forward with a class-conscious, transnational feminist agenda
• Because we discovered Riot Grrrl, anarchy, Operation Beautiful, culture jamming, class wars, peaceful protests, political art, herbal medicine, alternative education and subversive literature in the stacks
• Because we are storytellers with a wreath of children at our feet, taking the old kyriarchal narratives and turning them on their heads with lush, new inspiring tales
• Because we are the human face in an increasingly corporate higher education system, with a hand and a heart and database access for struggling students and exhausted professors
• Because we believe that librarians can play a vital role in changing the world for real

mixtape monday #2: sleepless season

This is a season of sleeplessness. Fog hangs over the city like a spell. Like we should all be sleeping, waiting for a prince to come. But we're awake, and our dreams tumble about our ankles like so many drafts. Trees scratch at the sky with their bare limbs, and I wrap myself up and go hunting for Sleeping Beauty.

There's a forever boy-child in Hyde Park, and seven dancing princesses just waiting to be found in Kensington Palace. This is a city of fairy tales (this is also a city of broken promises, but the two go hand-in-hand). I would trade you a thimble for a kiss, if you asked. I would gift you my entire empire, built as it is of worlds and wishes. The stories taught me that you never get anything without giving something in return. And we like to think that we tell different stories nowadays, that we're all grown up, but...

The thing is, sometimes the 'grown up' stories, they do turn into fairytales. And that's where it starts to really get dangerous. Someone's hands get chopped off, another ends up in a wolf's belly. Bricked up in walls, or held captive by amorous fathers. This city burns so brightly it eclipses the moon.

Things that dwelt in the darkness and went about seeking to do evil and harm; Bogies and Crawling Horrors, all came out when the Moon didn't shine
-The Buried Moon (an English fairy tale)

poetry at its best changes things

"you got something to say. say something."

hyde park in november

I spent my day off today in Hyde Park. I'd originally planned on going to one of the museums, but once I got to South Kensington, I found myself not very interested in doing that any more. So I spent awhile reading on a bench, letting the city flow around me (one of my favourite things to do here in London), and actually ended up being photographed by a charming French street photographer.

After a while I got too cold to sit still any longer, and so decided to do one of my favourite things anywhere, in one of my favourite places in London - go for a walk in Hyde Park. I love autumn more than any time of year, and I love being outside on an autumn day. The air smelt wonderful, all rotting leaves and woodsmoke, and it was full of people out enjoying their day similarly - families taking their kids out, little old couples out for strolls, people with their dogs. I love this park so much.

That's Kensington Palace you can see between the trees.

Straight on 'till morning.

remembrance.

what passing bells for these who die as cattle?
only the monstrous anger of the guns.
only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
can patter out their hasty orisons.
no mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, –
the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
and bugles calling for them from sad shires.
what candles may be held to speed them all?
not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
the pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
and each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

-Anthem For Doomed Youth, Wilfred Owen

Edinburgh, Scotland

I loved Edinburgh while I was there, but it wasn't till after I left that I realized
just how much. I miss it. I miss the stones, and the greenery. I miss the friendly smiles and raucous laughter. I miss my thighs and calfs aching from all the hill and step climbing. I miss buskers of all sorts plying their trade along the Royal Mile. I miss my walk into town everyday from the university housing I was staying in (that's what that last photo is from.) I miss tartan and broad accents and independent coffee shops. I miss the bohemian, art-loving feeling in the air. I miss living in the shade of Arthur's Seat, which gave me one of my best days of this entire trip on the day I hiked it and found ruins, spectacular views, and a bunny. I miss it all, really. One day I'll be back, Edinburgh, I promise.

mixtape monday #1 (like a rolling stone)

Mixtape Mondays is an idea thought up by my friend Aaron over at his amazing blog, Grayshades, which I shall now commence to to shamelessly steal. (I did ask first.)




I think my favourite story from Keith Richard's autobiography so far is the introductory bit, about his near-incarceration for drug possession in Alabama that he got out of with the help of a defense attorney who'd worked with JFK, an idealistic prosecutor who didn't want to put him away, 200 Stones fans outside the courthouse, and an absolutely wasted judge with a bottle of whiskey in his sock. It really illustrates the "Rolling Stones Travelling Circus" idea.

Also the part about how John Lennon was a lightweight. That bit's funny.

My favourite thing about the book, though, is the little bits he's added in from his notebooks throughout the narrative. Here's the best one so far, scrawled in his own writing and scanned in:

"I forgot to mention that to play the blues was like a jailbreak out of those meticulous bars with the notes crammed in like prisoners. Like sad faces."

Keith Richards is the coolest dude ever. I already suspected that might be true, but this book proves it. The best part about Keith is how much he loves the music. You watch the Rolling Stones on stage, or listening to one of their recordings like in this video, and he's always completely engrossed in it, completely blissed out.

There's a lot of poetry in those notes. A lot of wit and talent with words. And the amazing thing is all the songs he still wants to write, all the ideas he mentions that he has yet to finish building. He's also kind of a sarcastic jerk when it comes to anything he doesn't like, but I appreciate that, because his sarcasm is funny.

And y'know, I had the chance to go and meet him at a book signing last week, and I did the right thing and went to work instead. And I'm still a little sad about this, but I'm getting over it because sitting behind a desk in a Waterstones in the posh district of the city isn't exactly Keith Richards' natural habitat.

In my writing biography, I mention that one of my biggest influences is my dad's record collection. I mythologize music and musicians; I have a whole pantheon of rock'n'roll gods that I believe in more than anything in real life. This is one of my strangest traits. I romanticize everything and get all caught up in nostalgia for things I've never had, and that's how I define myself most.

It's easy to romanticize rock musicians.*

Keith Richards is more than just an amazing guitar player: he's a folkloric figure. The Rolling Stones play the blues, and the blues is a storytelling tradition, of the oral variety. It's filled with superstitions, crossroads, and devils. The stereotypical blues character is an old black man on his porch in the south, with his guitar and a neverending supply of stories. It doesn't matter if those stories ever happened or not - the truth is in the telling.

In his book, Richards inhabits that character perfectly, stepping seamlessly into the role of storyteller with the conversational tone. But he also straddles the line into one of the blues' favourite characters, the trickster. He's been in love with this music and culture most of his life. He knows what he's doing.





*If you don't believe me, watch the incredible Dylan-inspired film I'm Not There.

remember, remember the fifth of november

I always loved that rhyme, and wanted to write something with it. And then I found out that Alan Moore already had.

The sky is on fire tonight.

Just a quick note to anyone who's dropped by the blog in the last few days and found it less than ship-shape: Sorry for all the dead links and bizarre formatting! I'm trying to decide what layout and colour-scheme I like best, and it's hard to decide without applying it to the page. Hopefully I'll have made up my mind by the end of the day.

Things I Love Thursday

The inimitable Gala Darling hosts a weekly exercise in thankfulness called Things I Love Thursday (TiLT), which I have been meaning to start participating in for a while now. So, for my very first TiLT, here's a London-themed list of loveliness!


The Tube. It's not ideal, but it's certainly helpful! © Walking along the Southbank and watching all the buskers. © The abundance of riches when it comes to markets and festivals (two of my absolute favourite things!) here. Camden Markets alone are probably the size of half of Victoria's downtown core. © The amazing people I've met in the hostel, on the streets, and at work. © My awesome job. Getting to work with books all day every day! © BUNAC, the organization that I'm here with. They've provided all kinds of advice and support while I've been here (and helped me out so much when I sprained my ankle.) I'm so glad I decided to do this through them. © The history and culture that surround me every day. My hostel is down the street from a pub that both Shakespeare and Dickens used to frequent and wrote about, and a ten minute walk from the Globe and the Tate Modern. I work right by where Douglas Adams used to live, and the Booker Prize winner came in to sign books the other day. © Whenever I'm able to find a decent cup of coffee! © Conversely, the tea here is amazing. © The Borough Market, which is literally across the street from my hostel and has the most amazing food. © London Walks! This tour company's got over 50 guided walks, led by real experts and/or trained actors. I've only gone on the Jack the Ripper one so far, but I can't wait to do more. © My stepmom coming to visit in less than a month. © Harrods is really really cool. The food halls look like something out of Harry Potter.

the day-to-days

So, I have a job now. I imagine that this is one of those things I should have mentioned in my travel-ish blog when it first happened, but. Y'know.
I work at a bookstore in Islington. Every morning I get to the neighbourhood a little bit early so I can get myself a spearmint-green tea and sit and read or write until it's time to head to work. Then I spend the day shelving or working the till or (best of all) helping people find things they're looking for. Today I spent a long time helping a pre-teen girl find the perfect edition of Oliver Twist to read, and explaining to her why some were in the Children's section and some were in the Classics, and why there were so many different versions (if you're interested: once an author has been dead for 100 years, their works become public domain, and anybody who wants to can publish them.) I also recommended New York novels to a woman who was going to be travelling there (Paul Auster's New York Trilogy and The Brooklyn Follies, Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, Colm McCann's Let The Great World Spin, Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.)

Yesterday I helped a woman attempt to hunt down these two books: "I don't remember the title or the author's name, but it's Danish and he was serving in Afghanistan and wrote an expose of what life's like over there and it caused a huge controversy. I don't know if it's been translated into English yet." and "It's Swedish and the original title translates to something like The Hundred Year Old Man Who Stepped Out Of The Window And Disappeared. I can't remember the author's name, but can you tell me if it's been translated into English yet?" Some of my coworkers get annoyed with requests like this, but I have a lot of fun. I love helping people, and helping people find books they're looking for is a bit like a treasure hunt.

I work with a bunch of amazing people. There's boy-Aussie, who was living in a garden shack for free and working as a freelance illustrator and musician before he moved over here; girl-Aussie, who wears rockabilly-style head bandanas and is a qualified architect and designer; the Thespian, who's already becoming quite a good friend of mine, is a full-time uni student as well as taking acting classes and volunteering at her theatre, and is going to show me around London and take me to see Hamlet; the Lifer, who has worked at Waterstones forever, loves books and literature and is as well-read as the most passionate English teacher and is the friendliest man I've ever met, who was heartwarmingly delighted to have the chance to spend the day hosting Howard Jacobson when he came in to sign books the other day; Miss Rose, who dresses in the most beautiful, dainty outfits and looks like a painting of the Petrarchian ideal, and who is incredibly intelligent; and the two Kids section veterans who have been showing me the ropes, who both have the most energy I've ever seen - there's the Lady, with her short bob and collection of jumper-style dresses who rushes around keeping the area clean and organised, and the Lad, who loves to sit and read to the kids, or put on impromptu puppet shows with them.

There are several others that I'm just starting to get to know, too. I can already tell that I'm going to become very attached to all of them.

spreading the lady love: Christina Perri

I'm really tired of seeing women hating on women wherever I look. It's stupid, it's unnecessary, and it's hurtful. Why so many people feel the need to waste their energy on negativity, I will never understand. So, in order to put some positivity out there, I'm going to start doing a randomly-posted series of blogs on women I love. 'Cause there needs to be more lady-lovin' going around. First up is Christina Perri.

Beatles-esque melodies, an incredible voice, and a dreams-come-true story makes me love Christina Perri a lot. A lot. I was lucky enough to find out about her before she blew up thanks to So You Think You Can Dance, because she's best friends with Keltie Colleen, whose blog I've been following for ages. These two women give me so much hope and inspiration in following and achieving dreams, it's crazy.

Perri is talented - really talented. She taught herself to play piano and guitar (and I believe that, just like Paul McCartney, she doesn't read music), and her voice is as strong as Fiona Apple's. In fact, she says that what she wants to be is the next generation's Fiona, because there's no women around right now to fill that girl-angsty, alternative singer-songwriter hole. I think the culture's shifted quite a bit since Fiona first surfaced, and also now there's Lady Gaga who does the outsider girl bit and fills the popstar shoes, but I see where she's coming from.

But the most amazing thing about Christina is how hard she worked to fulfill her dreams (she moved to LA by herself on her 21st birthday with a suitcase and her guitar and had been busting her butt since then), and how gracious and thankful she's been as they've come true. She got a record deal because of the overwhelming response her song received when it was featured on So You Think You Can Dance, and since then she has never once stopped encouraging her fans to follow their own dreams. She also hasn't forgotten that the dance community helped her, and so she's paid them back with little extras and giveaways and whatnot. What kind of rising star bothers being that decent nowadays? Not very many.

Plus she loves The Beatles - she's even got a tattoo of their names.

Check her out here:
www.christinaperri.com
www.youtube.com/lovemspenny