The beat of her wings

[dolorosa_12]

I'm on the mailing lists of several authors, and, for the most part, what they tend to write about is upcoming publications, awards, convention appearances and readings, and things like that. Publicity, essentially. Occasionally you get other stuff — giveaways and competitions, scatterings of other interests (Aliette de Bodard writes about recipes and fountain pens, Kate Elliott writes about her dog, and outrigger canoeing, and so on). But what you don't get is the sort of long-form blogging and essays that you used to be able to read, back when all these people were on Livejournal: deep insights into their lives outside their work. (This should not be interpreted as a complaint. People are free to write and manage their online presence in whatever way they see fit.)

There is, however, one exception: Amal El-Mohtar. Her mailing list is an utter delight, and I'm frequently nodding along at the things she writes. Her most recent post (available here) is a case in point:

I tried to be honest with myself about what I wanted, what I was looking for. I thought, with sudden and profound clarity, that I wanted to be both surprised and affirmed. It’s the reason all those Instagram filters that tell you what Pokémon or Pixar character or font you are are so popular, the reason personality quizzes flourished on Livejournal and before that. We know who we are, broadly speaking, but we’d all love the gift of a new self that feels more, that tells us a true secret about ourselves, one that we’re proud and delighted to share. There’s a kind of divination in that, too: you know who you are, but here’s who you could be, the seeds of that self already rooting in you, sprouting.

Surprised and affirmed. Exactly so.

[If you also want to sign up for Amal's mailing list, you can do so via the large Subscribe button that is in the top right-hand corner of the above linked post. There's a free and a paid option.]

Comments

[dolorosa_12]

She really is just brilliant. I often find that her way of reacting to certain things (music, the natural world, particular stories) resonates a lot with me, as if she is a more articulate version of my brain, or something...