Cayden Clark-Johnson > Recent Status Updates

"In a strange house,
a strange bed
in a strange town,
a very strange me
is waiting for you."

"What do you think has become of the women and children?

They are alive and well somewhere,
The smallest sprout shows there is really no death
And if there was it led forward life, and does not wait at
the end to arrest it,
And ceas'd the moment life appear'd

All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier."

Baldwin' writing always contains a central, steadfast, truth which is sustained even decades after he is gone.

Fuck. the way this section ends is so..... fuck.

"I will not make poems with reference to parts,
But I will make poems, songs, thoughts, with reference to
ensemble."

Every poet featured here has at least one great poem in their section. Its awesome

This book dude. every time it gets me every time. The world and story here are so intricately created- every small detail adds to the completed picture

Baldwin's writing is always staggering to me. I always walk away from a session with one of his books as a different person than before.

This book continues to be fantastic!

I have a feeling this one is going to take quite a while to finish- despite this book being quite long, there are no superfluous lines.

Finally actually reading the entirety of Leaves of Grass because of Breaking Bad

Yearly Gatsby reread. I am always to enchanted by this book- Fitzgerald's attention to detail is so masterful. The world and characters are fleshed out with such deft imagery that each scene feels so real

This book is really fantastic- I'll have to check out the sister text if I can get my hands on it.

This book is already among Vonnegut's best, and I am not even close to finishing it.

Baldwin is that rare sort of author whose words are so clear, and present such an unseen (for lack of a better word) truth, that the reader reimagines their entire world. My endurance when reading Baldwin is so much less than with other authors, not because I am bored or confused, but because every sentences spurs a reflection of myself and the world. Is there anyone else who has used our language as effectively?

James Baldwin is that rare kind of writer whose words are so clear and present such an unseen (for lack of a better word) truth that it makes the reader reimagine their entire world.

DUDE. Kurt Vonnegut. How does he do it?

I've barely started this one and am already so enchanted by the cast of characters- how does Baldwin do it?

This book is already insane- really digging the setup. Loving it

Feels like a pretty crazy Vonnegut to be reading in 2025! I wonder how a book about a Nazi on trial for war crimes in Israel is going to read with all of this recent historical context- I suppose we will see!

The last 30 pages or so have been absolutely hilarious. Vonnegut's classic move of taking all of the little threads he has set in place throughout the book and weaving them all together near the end gets me every time. Excited to finish!

Only read 2 of the poets in here so far, but they have both been wonderful.

Still on the fence about how much I'm enjoying this one. Despite many great moments in this book, I don't see much development of a central theme or purpose yet. There are attempts, but unfortunately, I think this book struggles in a lot of areas. I don't know. Will read more and review later

Definitely planning to finish this one, and it has enough that I like to keep me goinf so far, but there are definitely some things that I'm unsure about in here. This book has some good jokes and a lot of earnestness, but the pacing is alllll over the place

Not really sure what to expect from this one, and It has already taken me by surprise. I have been laughing my ass off tho! off to a good start