Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light, 100 Art Writings 1988-2018 by Peter Schjeldahl (book)
After museums and galleries closed their doors at the start of the lockdown, most of us were limited to seeing art online. I turned to Peter Schjeldahl, whose vivid enthusiasm for art offers a warmth and sincerity lacking on our digital screens. Schjeldahl also wrote about his life, his career as a critic and his recent battle with lung cancer (now in remission) in a piece called "The Art of Dying" for The New Yorker last December.

The Poems of Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde was a writer, feminist, librarian, civil rights activist and native New Yorker. She is also half of the namesake of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center (along with AIDS activist Michael Callen), which has been my medical provider for the past decade or so. I have been spending time with her poems recently, several of which are available on the Poetry Foundation's website. Here is a passage from "A Litany for Survival" (1978):"...and when we speak we are afraid / our words will not be welcomed / but when we are silent / we are still afraid // So it is better to speak / remembering / we were never meant to survive."

Fran Lebowitz Is Never Leaving New York by Michael Schulman, The New Yorker Magazine, April 9, 2020 (article)
The title of this article had a particular appeal to me, as someone who has left Brooklyn only once since the pandemic began. While many have fled the city to vacation homes in the country, Lebowitz has refused to leave, describing herself as "the designated New Yorker." I admire both her commitment to NYC, as well as her refusal to resort to the technological distractions many of us have grown dependent upon.

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison (book)
Fran Lebowitz was a long time friend of Toni Morrison and said, "I’ve known a lot of smart people in my life, but I only ever knew one wise person, and that is Toni." This is a collection of essays, commencement addresses, lectures and other talks from the past thirty years. Morrison's insights on human rights, literature and the arts, globalization and America's racist history are vital for understanding where our culture stands today.

"Shapes" by Amy Sillman (zine)
One of my last memories of being in a museum before the city shut down was revisiting the exhibition Amy Sillman put together at the MoMA: "The Shape of Shape." I was happy to find this companion zine Amy compiled during quarantine, which offers insights into how she put the show together. This excerpt holds particular meaning for those making abstract work in this current moment: "Maybe artists fussing over shapes are not the same people we first think of when we think of political art. But they make lumpen form that registers protest, they make gestures of care and repair, or they merely try to beam out an electrifyingly personal and strange signal that wakes up the receiver for a moment—one weird moment that could shift the sense of things, and thereby alter the world, even if only slightly." The entire zine can be downloaded at MoMA's website.

"Acceptance Speech" from Evolution by Eileen Myles (poem)
I went to a reading by Eileen Myles a couple of years ago and have missed the ability to go to things like poetry readings. Myles read from their book Evolution, which includes this poem. It's a follow-up to their actual presidential campaign in 1992, which inspired Zoe Leonard's famous poem "I Want a President." In Myles' utopian America, the government is run by women, homelessness is eradicated (the White House is now a homeless shelter) and the arts are funded ten-fold. It's an intoxicating antidote to our current political strife.

It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders (podcast)
Since the pandemic started, especially during the lockdown, I've often had moments when all I want is to talk to a trusted friend. Sam Sanders' podcast has the  effect of making me feel like I've done just that. He covers topics both serious and lighthearted, with guests whose voices are important parts of our culture. I always feel better after checking in with Sam.

Agnes Martin: Writings (book)
This collection of letters, journals and lectures reads like poetry and a philosophy of life as an artist. I turn to it in chaotic times as her words have a way of clearing away the clutter from my head. "Inspiration is there all the time," she writes. "For everyone whose mind is not clouded over with thoughts / whether they realize it or not." The book is now out of print, but I recommend it often and have a scanned PDF of the text which I am always happy to share.

Music Playlist
The first week of the lockdown, I decided to fight feelings of claustrophobia with music. Through some exploration online and recommendations from friends, I broadened my exposure to different artists I had not been familiar with before. This playlist is a combination of those tracks, as well as a few that have always helped me get by.

Organizations to support:

Flatbush Tenant Coalition

The Flatbush Tenant Coalition is a member-led group of tenant associations in Flatbush, East Flatbush, and South Crown Heights working collectively to build tenant power. Acting together, they advocate to improve the lives of tenants so families have safe, decent, and affordable housing. @flatbushpower

The Crown Heights Tenant Union
The Crown Heights Tenant Union is a union of Tenant Associations that began meeting in October 2013 in response to rampant gentrification, displacement and illegal rental overcharges in the neighborhood. There are over 40 buildings in their union that have come together to demand new, stronger protections that guarantee tenants’ rights. @crownheightstenantsunion

*Instead of ordering books from Amazon, I've been using Bookshop, which financially supports local independent bookstores and gives back to the book community @bookshop_org