C.M. Arnold > Recent Status Updates

"If a poet asked me to meet him at that hour? I would expect to be assaulted." Lmao wtf.

"It's not just the writing. It's the publishing. It's what comes after. You finish this thing---then the book comes out and you have to peddle it. There's so much desperation involved in selling your own work. You cultivate a persona to hawk a product that, let's be real, nobody really wants."

The commentary on the current era of college writing classes, the climate, and the students. The words echo what I feel. Again, not a teacher, but I feel like this has to be spot on. Hilarious, but in an unfortunate way. Almost satire. RIP to the big, sprawling, old-fashioned novel. You are missed

"One of the worst parts of teaching was, like a series of mini strokes, it ruined you as a writer. A brain could handle only so many undergraduate stories about date rape and eating disorders, dead grandmothers and mystical dogs. A brain could take only so much purple prose and mechanical epiphany."

I'm not a professor, but I've always kinda imagined this is what it's like.

"Didionesque." I'm going to start using that. And how dare Goodreads attempt to correct me. Also, I'm kinda concerned for the character that's already reached Didionesque emotion (or lack thereof) at age thirty-three. I mean, I relate, but that doesn't mean it's not concerning on both our parts to be feeling Didionesque at thirty-three.

"Lenny's piece, the only painting included in the show, had sat couched between an inflatable penis and a hologram of a mammy."

I laughed. I can totally see this. I almost guarantee you at some contemporary art museum or show, this is occurring in real time. Her poor husband has his painting sandwiched between some nonsense. And, naturally, the nonsense is what's selling.

"Lil Wayne, the Houston MC..." Excuse me? What? I'm really liking this book for the most part, but it needed an editor proficient in hip-hop and not just grammar/spelling. I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge if you're a fan of the genre that Lil Wayne is from New Orleans, Louisiana. Now, the cup is from Houston...

Hilarious and superb dialogue all the way through....but I'm getting a little concerned about how this is going to end now. Hmmm.
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Review soon to come. Updates/highlights on my IG @wordsfromchelsea

Andrew had decided that his State of the State would be new not just in venue but format. It would be a PowerPoint presentation.

Still loves those PowerPoints.

Shout out to Jennifer Cunningham. You smoothed those rough edges out, and now look. Shining bright like a diamond. Always acknowledge the women behind the curtain. Some of the biggest assets in politics (and pretty much ever industry, for that matter) are seldom known because they are not "the face."

All the journalists and pundits in 2002 basically telling him you didn't lose because of xyz, you lost because literally nobody likes you. Fast forward to 2020 and people are begging him to run for president, starting lascivious hashtags about him, and deeming him the best leader during this crisis. Stay down & they'll come around.

"Sympathy For The Devil" playing at the rally or whatever it was cracked me up. I wonder if when the Rolling Stones were making their biggest hits they could envision both Democrats & Republicans alike being hell bent on using them as theme music. This particular choice for this particular person with that particular lyric...whether intentional or unintentional...was some top-tier shade. I'm sorry.

Listen...if I had to suffer through a bunch of Kennedys (God love 'em) or non-Kennedys singing sappy songs happy-go-luckily off key I would have been sitting there with my arms crossed looking mildly reviled too. Not every politician cares to do the relatable little ray of sunshine bit. Though I think we kinda expect Democratic politicians too fake "nice." Not a personal requirement for me.

whereas Briar was always at the edge of a tiny existential crisis. Briar was messy and panicky and thoughtful, constantly struggling with propriety.

Okay, so this is my favorite book toddler right now. I also really like Emira & her friends. Not too crazy about Alix & jury is still out on Kelly. But all in all this is the funnest I've had reading "new" fiction in a while. Good character chemistry.

"Typhoid and swans---it all comes from the same place." Lmao

I don't know. I'm not loving it like I thought I would.

I'm always a little nervous when starting a nonfic book that the writing voice won't connect, but I can tell from the first line of the preface I'm going to like this guy.

What the hell is a penumbra?

I don't know what reading this book was like in 1992 or whatever year it came out...but reading it in 2018 is...a mind trip.

Oh. The irony.

So I watched the movie for the first time this past weekend...and I'm not sure what I saw, how I feel about it, or if I've interpreted the intent correctly. I wish I'd read the book first. Oh well...reading it now.