WV17 On the privilege of having books in childhood, creativity in the modern ‘algorithmic’ world, poetry as an act of noticing, and a mysterious underwater habitat.
2025 Reading Log, Edition 06, Mar. 01-07
Hello Friends,
Didn’t read much this past week. And that’s a strange thing for me to say because usually I’m reading 24x7. Started reading ‘News of the World’ by Paulette Jiles. Interesting start, but as I mentioned, work and family medical emergencies ensured that I couldn’t devote much time to personal reading. Similarly, started watching ‘Lockerbie: A Search for Truth’ on OTT. Have managed to watch only one and a half episode so far but is is SO good. The first episode itself will suck you right into the tragedy and grip your heart tightly, never letting it go. I’m haunted by the ‘fifteen seconds’ scene…you’ll know when you watch.
01
Read. And then read again. Such a privilege to be able to read, to have an environment that supports reading, thank God for my father who instilled in me this love for books and reading, my mother for not burning my books even when she complained vehemently of the growing pile of books and magazines and newspaper cuttings in her home, and lastly to my wife who shares this love for accumulating more books than we can possibly read in a lifetime.
Jeanette Winterson writes in her Substack,
“When I was growing up, books were forbidden at home, unless they were religious books, or the Bible. I read all I could in the library, and used the money from my evening job after school to buy books of my own, hiding them under my mattress. This worked well until my enthusiasm meant that I was sleeping closer to the ceiling than to the floor. Mrs Winterson noticed that her daughter’s bed was rising visibly. One night, when I was asleep, she tugged the corner of a paperback.”
Books because…
https://open.substack.com/pub/jeanettewinterson/p/books-because?r=ga5th&utm_medium=ios
02
This resonated. Algorithms and capitalism as the bane of creativity.
Ted Gioia writes in his Substack,
“The early web empowered the user. And the very name “web” was revealing—each of us could create a unique network of relationships and connections all over the globe.
It was our web.
But the standardization and bunkerization of web platforms has put power in the hands of the digital overseers. We are now caught in their web—and they are the spiders.”
The flattened world
https://open.substack.com/pub/tedgioia/p/the-world-was-flat-now-its-flattened?r=ga5th&utm_medium=ios
03
This should be a part of school curriculum and dining table conversations at families.
Adam Grant says,
“I’m seeing a growing number of students complain: “My grade doesn’t reflect the effort I put into the course.” Public service announcement: High marks are for mastery, not for motivation. The true measure of learning is not the time and energy you put in—it’s the knowledge and skills you take out.”
No, you don’t get an A for effort
https://open.substack.com/pub/adamgrant/p/no-you-dont-get-an-a-for-effort?r=ga5th&utm_medium=ios
04
“What happens in a life? All of this, and more. From the memorable to the mundane, moments appear that ask for our attention; we give it, we move on, we remember some events and forget many others.
The Irish word file translates as "poet" but also as "seer." I'm hesitant to imagine
that poets have special insight, or particular powers of perception. We don't. We just work damned hard to see, remember, write, see again and write
more.”
Pádraig Ó Tuama on Patricia Smith, Poems as Acts of Noticing, and the Power of Good Teachers
05
And to close this week’s newsletter, finally some mystery and an almost science fiction dream to spice things up!
A flooded quarry, a mysterious millionaire and the dream of a new Atlantis
And coming straight from one of the links shared above, here’s the poem of the week:
“I
prayed first to God and then to you
first to God and then to you
then to you and next to God then
just to you”
—Patricia Smith
Read the full poem here:
https://www.aloksaini.in/dhai-aakhar/the-boss-of-me
Thanks for taking the time. Hope you like to go through these links as much as I enjoyed sharing them.
-Alok