“They’re a little eccentric” is a phrase I suspect most of us have heard used to describe a certain kind of memorable person. For me, it evokes my childhood dentist — an elderly man who favored colorful bow ties and humming loudly as he worked, and who once wagged his finger in my face and […]
Chris Wheatley
More Than Just an Object: A Collector’s Reading List
The bowerbird, which lives on the east coast of Australia, has an abiding eye for anything blue. Solitary males travel great distances to bring back all manner of blue objects to decorate their nests. Shells, flowers, plastic bottles, and feathers are all fair game, and bowerbirds have even been known to grind up blue pigments […]
‘This Stuff is Alive’: A Global Folk Music Reading List
Six pieces that demonstrate the timelessness of ever-changing sonic traditions.
The Substance of Silence: A Reading List About Hermits
Humans are social creatures, and loneliness can be debilitating — yet, many have discovered solace in the solitary life.
More Than a Feeling: A Blues Reading List
A hundred years on from its birth, the music continues to speak to the heart — an art form that also serves as social commentary, communal history, and cathartic release.