Hello and welcome to the opposite of doom scrolling :)
Each month I send out an eclectic collection of the brilliant things I have chanced upon in the last month that I loved so much I think you might too. I keep the list (relatively) concise 😘 particularly this month, I figured we all have plenty to contend with! But I’d never assume you didn’t get there before me, hence the In Case You Missed It of it all. The archive of past editions of this series can be found here, and in the comments you are always warmly invited to share all the wonderful things you’ve stumbled across, too.
Wishing you all wonderful breaks - if you can get them - and the Happiest of Holidays however you choose to spend this time of year. I hope you enjoy this month’s curation!
Gift subscriptions to Still Space are available for the holiday season. 🎄
ICYMI on here
I told my subscribers to scram in my latest piece PLEASE UNSUBSCRIBE ME laying out my Substack plans for 2024 and shared a favoured seasonal practice of mine to run a little inventory and clearout anything we’d rather not carry with us into the New Year.
As a companion piece I will be sending out my Winter Digital Detox Guide later this week for paying subscribers only — if you’re not one of those yet, I also announced my whopping price reductions - as low as Substack will allow me to set them - so come join the subscribership here if you’d like to receive that and any future pieces exclusive to full members. Gift subscriptions are also available as well as further discounts if you purchase more than two!
We got into the festive spirit as I shared my Ultimate Christmas Movie Double Bills in readiness for the Cult Film Club’s final gathering — this list is perfect if you’re seeking inspiration or even a prompt of a long forgotten favourite. Nostalgia galore awaits!
*If you have any trouble reaching the end of this email, click ‘view entire message’, apparently that should sort it :) or read the entire thing on Substack*
Now, onto the main event…
ON SUBSTACK
A few from the regulars and a couple of wonderful discoveries. In re-reading these pieces for this post, I have observed an emerging theme. Call it the hive mind or the collective consciousness but all of these pieces in some way or another, are exploring our relationship to connection from a fascinating variety of angles.
Ted Gioia on the Tension Between Macroculture and Microculture Turning Into War
It’s Ted again, times two, well sort of because he featured this piece himself in an incredible round-up of his work from the past few months which I also want to point you towards 18 Warning Signs of a Deadly New Lifestyle. Ted’s observation of the culture within the culture blows my mind at least once a month and I love that he’s put together this incredible collection of essays, which are not only testament to his prolific output, but also its exemplary standard. He is truly my favourite newsworthy Substacker for this reason. The piece I have highlighted in particular though, despite the mention of the word ‘war’, offered me a glimmer of hope in the face of the many catastrophes humanity is confronting right now.
Yrsa Daley-Ward on how (& why) we make art when the world is still the world part 1
‘…The dissonance is more challenging than ever before’ Yrsa writes. This piece feels brave, it feels artful, it feels meta, it feels personal. Yrsa is reflecting in this piece what I know many people in artistic professions, including my own, are struggling with right now as we distract ourselves from the horrors of the world, or deny the capitalist structures which bind us, all whilst simultaneously, endlessly ‘…staring at the dark metal thing…’ More prose than poetry on this occasion, Yrsa directs us directly to the heart of the matter.
Maya C. Popa with a collection of Poetic Cures
I adore this new offering from Maya C. Popa which was borne of a Twitter prompt — ‘What poem would you prescribe to a person experiencing a break-up?’, she asked. Maya’s curations are a daily delight on my Notes feed but this new prescription inspired collection is to become a mainstay of her Substack and this first edition was an absolute joy to read.
Nishant Jain on Ambition without Goal Setting and Escaping the panopticon of social media
As well as being a wonderful artist and teacher, Nishant Jain is an incredible thinker and writer. Two of his pieces that I discovered this month resonated with me especially, though they were both published earlier in the year. In fact the first is almost a year old, laying out Nishant’s intentions for 2023, a part autobiographical account of how he got started on Substack and why he is moving away from goal setting and getting over the illusion of numbers — Nishant you’re speaking my language! A glorious, timely bit of wisdom as we head in to 2024. The second piece from September is an astonishingly astute bit of observation about our relationship to social media for anyone questioning their participation on those platforms.
Rosie Spinks on The friendship problem
This is a phenomenal piece of writing that I found deeply moving. What Rosie is grappling with in this piece to me is present in all of the others I have presented here. A very modern epidemic of loneliness and isolation which for many of us is self-inflicted in many ways, but was also accelerated by the pandemic. She interrogates our social infrastructure’s role within that and provides an unapologetically lengthy quote from the great Esther Perel.
Jami Attenberg on Not forgetting to write
Loved this short and to the point piece from Jami Attenberg about the beauty and importance of notebooks — not for the to do lists but to connect with ourselves in the most cherished of ways:
“…when I’m not writing, I’m not taking care of myself. In particular, when I’m not handwriting, I’m not being interior with myself, not being intimate in my thinking and feeling. And I need to be doing that in order to not only flourish but to survive.”
Animation Obsessive Staff on The Specialness of ‘The Snowman’
A last minute addition and the only whiff of Christmas you’ll sniff around here but as an animation obsessive myself, I couldn’t resist. This piece is as beautiful as its subject. The Snowman is one of the greatest animations ever made and arguably the most magical Christmas film in existence but I had no idea how challenging it was to make; that it won an Oscar; that it stems from an incredibly British tradition… the list goes on. The research that must have gone into this piece is astounding and the insights it shares are enthralling and suffused with Raymond Briggs’ levels of wonder!
THINGS TO WATCH
Last week I bombarded you with Christmas fare so for anyone who needs the opposite of that, here’s a sitcom, a drama, and an exquisite (Oscar contender? It better be) film.
New Girl - on Disney+ (UK) & Hulu (US)
Zooey Deschanel might have made a name for herself in one of the most beloved Christmas films ever - that’s Elf by the way - but New Girl is her masterwork. Boy I am late to this party but now I’m calling all of you to tell you that you have to come. This show is insanely good. As close as a sitcom has gotten to Friends, it knows exactly what it is from the very first episode. An absolute joy to watch for anyone needing some laugh-out-loud funny, in gobble them up quicker than your dinner, 22 minute instalments. I honestly cannot believe it’s taken me this long to discover it. And you better believe I dived straight back in for a rewatch as soon as it ended!
Lupin - on Netflix, worldwide
I absolutely adore this French series inspired by the Arsène Lupin mysteries penned by Maurice Leblanc in the early part of the 20th century. Part 3 recently dropped on Netflix and it is as beguiling and agile as its spirited protagonist, Assane Diop, embodied effortlessly by the mercurial Omar Sy. On y va! You never want a series to be done to death but I really hope there’ll be at least one more season. With 21 books in the original Lupin canon, there’s certainly plenty of rich source material to draw on.
Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet - in cinemas
Sometimes performances are so blinding that you cannot see where the acting starts and the person ends. I find this to be true of most Foreign Language movies because the standard has to be so high in order to even make it to the US/UK markets, and the central performance of Sandra Hüller in this uniquely shot film is no exception. She is so unbelievably complex and naturalistic, I was utterly memerised from first second to last. It’s a long one too, coming in at two and a half hours but I barely even blinked. In fact, every conscious attempt I made to find the seams in her performance only ended in my getting more and more sucked in to the ambiguity and tension of this story.
It’s been coined as a French film because of its Writer/ Director Justine Triet, though Sandra Hüller is German and large parts of the movie are in English — but even this, the role that language plays within the narrative, makes for a deeply satisfying dance throughout. Justine Triet has done an exquisite job of making a drama/thriller feel like a documentary, that keeps you guessing till the very last moment. Throw a superb child performance in there from Milo Machado Graner, that drops the mic on the stark lack of logic and humanity within the justice system, and it might just leave your jaw dropped too. If you see this one in the cinema (and I defs think it’s worth your while) you’ll certainly get your money’s worth.
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OFFICE LADIES PODCAST
Interview with Mike Schur
Jenna and Angela are back, this time with a super inspiring episode of Office Ladies which instead of focussing on a singular episode of the show showcases an interview with one of its founding writers (and fan fave recurring character, Mose) — who also happens to be the creator of Parks & Recreation, my number one fave sitcom of all time (okay, tied with Friends). Mike Schur is a prolific television writer and creator. He worked on Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2003 and is also responsible for The Good Place and Brooklyn 99 amongst many others. Hearing about his early forays into writing, how he built his career, as well as the approach to his creative processes was absolutely fascinating, not just from a writing perspective but from a comedy one as well. All budding screenwriters should check this one out.
NEW YEAR’S TREATS
Yoga With Adriene — FLOW, A 30 Day Yoga Journey
At the end of every year I stretch to the sky with delight as Adriene Mishler unveils her latest 30 Days of Yoga offering. I’m not big on resolutions or goal setting but I never miss this series.
It’s more likely for people to have not heard of Yoga With Adriene these days but that wasn’t always the case. Eleven years ago, Adriene Mishler along with her friend Chris Sharpe, took a chance and launched her YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene. I found her shortly after (yes, very smug to have been an early subscriber). I couldn’t tell you precisely what quality, or clarity, or ease it is that she possesses that has made me a daily yoga practitioner for the past decade, but just know that like millions of others I have forsaken all other yoga teachers for her online classes, and I started as a complete beginner.
The 30 Days series is totally free, released daily on YouTube from January 1st onwards. Each year carries with it a new central theme which always seems to perfectly set the tone for the year ahead (her 2020 offering was unknowingly titled HOME) this coming year she has called it FLOW. Yes, please. You can also sign up to receive a daily note to go with each practice right here which will be emailed to you, like a newsletter ;) and I cannot recommend any of it enough. It’s a wonderful thing to participate in along with literally millions of others, globally, particularly at the top of the year although I return to past series constantly as well — you can too, on YouTube.
No matter your ability or mobility level, Adriene is always conscious of offering options for different bodies and each piece of the puzzle is perfectly mapped out for it to work fluidly as a series, as you grow in strength. This woman has changed my life and my back and I love her. If you want even more, I also highly recommend her Find What Feels Good membership, which operates almost independently of the channel and comes with all sorts of extra benefits; tons of members only content, including a whole host of other (shorter) series. It’s less than the cost of one yoga class per month so it’s more than worth it — I’ve been a super fulfilled member for three years.
A FINAL WORD FROM SEAMUS HEANEY
The Tyranny of Stuff by James Parker for The Atlantic
Oh sweet glorious bounty on this almost Christmas Eve! More words from Mr Heaney?? How is this possible in his long missed absence? I’ll tell you. His letters have recently been published — guess what’s just bounced to the tippety top of my Christmas list? Not sure how I missed this one during my research for my post on Heaney earlier this year - you can read that here - but this fabulously succinct piece by James Parker - part review, part celebration - is as heroic as Heaney’s efforts to respond to every bit of dratted correspondence sent his way, I absolutely loved it. Full of humour and knowing, with some fab extracts from the book, here’s a taste below:
“In the last two days I have written thirty-two letters … The trouble is, I have about thirty-two more to write: I could ignore them but if I do the sense of worthlessness and hauntedness grows in me, inertia grows and, fuck it, I’m going to get rid of them before I board the plane on Thursday.”
Seamus Heaney in 1985, writing to his friend Barrie Cooke.
That’s all for now folks, the thing is done :)
Any of these pieces really speaking to you? Anything you’d love to recommend to the community? What’s caught your eye this month? I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for the info about the 30-day yoga challenge. I signed up and sent the link to my daughter so we can do it together. Adriene has such a calming nature and vibe. I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful.
The Specialness of 'The Snowman' was an absolute delight and so interesting to read! 🩵
New Girl - so much fun!
Always love ICYMI - a smorgasbord of tasty treats to savour and devour! As always a monthly round up of the most excellent things! ☺️✨