I like fiction about terrible people (see also: The White Lotus), so Yellowface by R.F. Kuang was fun for me. The book is about two friends – one Asian (Athena Liu), the other white (June Hayward) – who come up together through university, both pursuing authorship. When Athena dies unexpectedly…
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The Q Review | Negroland | Margo Jefferson
“White people wanted to be white just as much as we did. They worked just as hard at it. They failed just as often. They failed more often. But they could pass, so no one objected.” I love reading about subcultures and sects. It fascinates me to learn when and…
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The Q Review | Destiny Disrupted | Tamim Ansary
I’ve read a lot of books about Islamic history. I’ve also read several versions of the Qur’an with commentary. These tomes tend to be dry and scholarly. This is fine, but I prefer cordial narratives and a sprinkle of humor when reading a book about history for my pleasure. Tamim…
Books
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Q Review | Sister Snake | Amanda Lee Koe
Sister Snake is a fresh, fast-paced novel that is, ironically, rooted in an ancient Chinese tale called The Legend of the White Snake, one of China’s Four Great Folktales. This reimagining of a centuries-old story by author Amanda Lee Koe shows that a good story is a good story, regardless…
Music
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The Qreative Life Podcast | S3E18 | Curtis Roush
Support The Qreative Life podcast through my Patreon, or via Paypal or Venmo (@AmandaQ555). S3E18 | Curtis Roush – LISTEN NOW LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE In this episode, Q fangirls over guest Curtis Roush, a guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and recording engineer for 25 years, and founder of The Bright Light Social Hour. They…
How white Women Can Decenter Themselves on International Women’s Day – and Beyond!
Psssst. White girls, over here. *waves* Today is International Women’s Day, so come sit with me and let us talk about how we can stop centering ourselves in movements and spaces that are supposed to be progressive and inclusive. Let’s start by acknowledging that we live in a society where,…
Politics
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My Politics.
Let me start by saying that over the years, I’ve repeatedly (and publicly) shared, without much elaboration, that I have radical politics and disagree with most of the people I know. The only change is that I decided staying quiet and letting the status quo go unchecked is no longer…
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FIVE REMEMBRANCES, AND THE VALUE OF TEARS
Last night I decided to log in and join my zen sangha’s Wednesday night meditation group. Every week there is a different theme for the meditation, and last night’s was loving-kindness. I haven’t been feeling much loving-kindness these days. Quite the opposite, really. So I wasn’t sure I wanted to…
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We Gotta Get Real Now
“The absurd is born of the encounter between two opposed concepts: the human need for meaning and the apparent meaninglessness of the universe.” – Albert Camus Yesterday was the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States of America. It was also MLK Day. Then, overnight, it snowed in…
Art
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Social Media isn’t Art
I’ve been pretty quiet on social media lately. After two decades of daily immersion in online spaces, gulping down other people’s opinions, hot takes, think-pieces, tweet threads and TikTok diatribes (and contributing plenty of my own perspectives) my voice has all but dried up. Oh sure, I’m still on the…