Alexandra Cook

“for a songbird was a terrible curse: unpredictable and angry and easy to harm.”
― Jeff VanderMeer, Absolution

“Once the question snuck in, whatever had been certain became uncertain.”
― Jeff VanderMeer, Acceptance

“You saw something that wasn't there." She wasn't going to let me off the hook.
You can't see what is there, I thought.”
― Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation

“As those who must worry about the livelihood of artists are fond of saying, “You cannot play ‘The Minute Waltz’ in less than a minute.” Worse (or perhaps better) you cannot write “The Minute Waltz” in less than … what? A day, a week, a year?—however long it takes. There is no technology, no time-saving device that can alter the rhythms of creative labor. When the worth of labor is expressed in terms of exchange value, therefore, creativity is automatically devalued every time there is an advance in the technology of work.”
― Lewis Hyde, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property