Fever Dream
Two books, a short film, and at least one revelation.
Time flows at a dizzying pace as the temperature creeps ever higher, day after day, in a place with disdain for air conditioning, and as the heat rises so too does my anxiety as we enter what will undoubtedly be a sweaty Parisian summer.
The good news is that I am settled. After nearly three months of endless admin and one sublet after the next, I have finally landed in a place where I can poser mes valises. In addition to my very own apartment, my residence permit has been approved and I’m getting paid (however infrequently) in euros—enfin.
Have you forgotten me?
I went to London for the weekend. My sister was in town and after hemming and hawing it was made clear (by mother) that making the two and half hour (and €350 round trip) journey on the eurostar was not, in fact, optional. Of course I’m glad I went. We had long, indulgent lunches and enjoyed the chaotic British weather. I returned to Paris and she and her friend went to the Beyoncé concert. Great.
My friend Sebastian and I went to see Kevin McHale in The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse, an adaptation by Sondheim of an ancient Greek Aristophanes play with some sort of collaboration with Nathan Lane? According to Kevin, the play was originally performed in a pool at Yale, Meryl Streep was in the ensemble, how far we’ve all come.
Before the show Sebastian informed me that he had done the impossible—deleted his instagram account.
We did our little dance, but I need it for work, life is so much better without it, we are ADDICTED after all!
Ultimately it is for the best. He is markedly happier, more connected to the world around him. He misses things, sure, but the mental health benefits alone are worth it. TRUTH should have anti-social media campaigns that terrify the next generations about the perils of the internet as they did for us with cigarettes. I suppose they’ve got their hands full with vapes. One vice at a time.
Am I being a bummer? I made an off-color joke that neither my sister nor her friend laughed at and after a pause she just said, “must be that French sense of humor you were talking about.”
Additionally, should I get a flip phone?
Everyone’s in Paris
Spring has been an endless parade of visitors. Almost every weekend has consisted of a lunch, a walk in the park, a coffee with a friend passing from here to there. Paris is alive and I am exhausted.
I think I’m coming out of a depressive episode. It’s always hard to tell in the moment, isn’t everyone binge watching old episodes of Rick & Morty at 4am?
Maybe my new apartment will fix me. Watch this space.
This month I’m celebrating two friends’ book launches, both of whom I’ve known since elementary school. What a privilege to have lifelong queer friends and to see them succeed. Happy Pride Month, Happy Juneteenth, go buy my friends’ books!
Maybe This Will Save Me by
nonfiction | Tommy’s first memoir explores art and transformation through the lens of mysticism and memory. There are stories of love and loss with beautiful imagery that portrays the fog and confusion of addiction.
Great Black Hope by
fiction | This debut novel follows Smith, a gay, black twenty-something who is arrested for cocaine possession at a party in the Hamptons. The novel deals with race, class, and sexuality in a new and relatable way whilst crafting a story that is both tense and captivating.
FESTIVAL PREMIERE!
Palm Springs International Short Film Festival
June 24 - June 30
In April of 2024 I flew to Marin, CA to shoot a short film with my friend Chas Conacher. Next week, Dust to Dust premieres at SHORTFEST the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival. The program is June 24-30, if you’re in Palm Springs go check it out!