“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell
Aesthetic Arrest is our weekly dip into the Epicurean pleasures we’ve been enjoying lately. Cheers to that!
This Week’s Apéritif: Wildstar’s Wasabi Bloody Mary (secret recipe)
Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:
Reading: North Woods by Daniel Mason
Daniel Mason on his novel 'North Woods' (via NPR)
Listening: The Music of Julia Lee (1902 – 1958)
Listen to a fantastic podcast episode about Julia Lee here (with photos): Julia Lee, Kansas City’s beloved blues queen, was ‘too risqué’ for 1940s radio (via KCUR) or here (via Spotify):
Looking: The Art of Rafael Silveira
1) Mind the Gap (2020); 2) A Powerful Instinct (2014); 3) ornaMENTAL (2015); 4) Butterflies in the Garden (2018); 5) Insight (2019); 6) Signore Cuore (2015); 7) Frida Cactus (2023); 8) Lupa (2013); 9) Extravaso (2022) [All images © Rafael Silveira, shared with permission of the artist]
1) Aracnocardia (2018); 2) Aracnocardia (detail) [All images © Rafael Silveira, shared with permission of the artist]
Official Site of Rafael Silveira / Official Shop (purchase art prints here!) / Viewing Room (purchase original works here!) / Instagram
In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Plunges Into the Mysteries of the Human Psyche (via Colossal)
Rafael Silveira Blurs the Lines of Time in His Billowy Soft Dreamscapes (via Thursd.)
Hear the artist in his own words discussing his work: Rafael Silveira "Metaforamorfoses" 2020 Youtube Playlist
Viewing: La Llorona (2019) — directed by by Jayro Bustamante, starring María Mercedes Coroy (available via The Criterion Collection)
La Llorona: Turning Horror into Light by Francisco Goldman (via Criterion)
Tasting: The Recipes of Lidia Bastianich
Click here to see many more recipes on Lidia’s amazing Youtube channel!
Official Site of Lidia Bastianich / Official Shop (purchase Lidia’s books & sauces!)
Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:
Reading: The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts (edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.) and The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman's Narrative by Gregg Hecimovich (foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)
A quest to find the nation's first Black female novelist (via PRE)
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr on The Bondwoman's Narrative (via Fresh Air)
Listening: The Music of Margaret Bonds (1913 – 1972)
Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Kellen Gray:
Margaret Bonds: Piano Music (a curated playlist of compositions by Margaret Bonds, performed by Lara Downes and Althea Waites):
Official Site of Lara Downes / Purchase Music by Lara Downes
Official Site of Althea Waites / Purchase Music by Althea Waites
At 100, Composer Margaret Bonds Remains A Great Exception (via NPR)
Classically Black: Margaret Allison Bonds (via Tri States Public Radio)
Looking: The Art of Rafael Silveira
1) Sweet Memories (2020); 2) Waterproof (2022); 3) A Big Change in Your Life (2020); 4) The Flowers on the Path (2022); 5) We are the Insects of the Cosmos (2015); 6) Naturae Introspectae [Introspective Nature] (2020); 7) Intuition (2019); 8) Dry Throat (2017); 9) Invisible Friends (2020) [All images © Rafael Silveira, shared with permission of the artist]
Official Site of Rafael Silveira / Official Shop (purchase art prints here!) / Viewing Room (purchase original works here!) / Instagram
Viewing: Saint Omer (2022) — directed by Alice Diop, written by Alice Diop, Amrita David & Marie NDiaye, starring Kayije Kagame & Guslagie Malanda (available via The Criterion Collection)
Tasting: The Recipes of Lidia Bastianich
Click here to watch a Youtube playlist of full episodes from Lidia’s Italian Table!
Official Site of Lidia Bastianich / Official Shop (purchase Lidia’s books & sauces!)
That’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue! So each week we are asking a “dinner party” question for everyone joining us here at our table. Last week, we asked: “What's one of YOUR favorite childhood memories connected to food?” Here are some of the great responses from the comments:
Ryan Wildstar remembers his mom taking him out to eat at Seattle’s many Asian restaurants!
Ryan Elston remembers enjoying books & brunch with Mom on Sunday mornings!
Cheryl remembers her mom’s cooking, especially her authentic Italian food during the holidays!
Brenda Bryson remembers her Grandma Belle’s delicious beef brisket with rice!
kde remembers her dad’s fruit cakes and her mom’s chili and potato salad!
Del Mar remembers picking blackberries on his grandparents’ ranch in Washington State, as well as the snack bar at the drive-in movie theater in Portland, OR!
Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses! That was last week . . . but we don't want this week's dinner party to end either!
So here is this week's question for the table:
This week we talked about two great American novels: North Woods by Daniel Mason (which was hailed by many as one of the best books of 2023), and The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts (which is the earliest known novel written by an African-American woman).
So, our question for the table this week is:
Who's one of YOUR favorite American authors?
Tell us your choice in the comments and we’ll share some of your responses on next week’s podcast!
Also, don't forget to stop by The Epicurean Vagabonds Substack on Wednesdays, to check out our revamped Mid-Week Libations! Now with audio segments featuring Ryan & Ryan!
And thank you for joining us for Season Two of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
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