Across the lake to the north, the sky darkens, blue to grey. The wind whips. Pines and birches bend. But the skies above remain clear. We’re about fifty yards offshore, standing on and swimming around rocks a few feet below the surface. Waves rise and fall. The water is warm and splashes our faces. It feels safe, comforting, to be in this space, with a beer to sip, balance to maintain, and a distant storm to watch.
In our morning reading: interviews with Sarah Tomlinson and Donna Hemans, a review of Mary Halvorson’s new album, and more.
In our weekend reading: thoughts on Katherine Min’s writing, a review of Mary Halvorson’s latest album, and more.
In our morning reading: fiction by Meredith Talusan, an interview with Lincoln Michel, and more.
In our morning reading: Mary Halvorson on music, the World Fantasy Award winners, and more.
In our morning reading: an interview with Wesley Brown, thoughts on Mary Halvorson’s new album, and more.
Robbie Lee is an artist who thrives on collaboration. Among his recent partners: Guitarist Mary Halvorson, who won a 2019 MacArthur “Genius Grant,” and composer Lea Bertucci, whose album Resonant Field, named a top Jazz album of 2019 by the New York Times, featured Lee on flute.
In the following exchange, which took place over several months via a shared Google document, the multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer weighs in on David Bowie, his love of duos, NYC’s experimental music scene of the 1990s, and what it means to be a contemporary composer most comfortable in that liminal space between genres.
In our afternoon reading: reviews of novels by Kristen Arnett and Johannes Anyuru, an interview with Ibram X. Kendi, and more.
We’ll be off for the holiday tomorrow. Normal posting will resume on Friday.