YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD TORTURED POET
Hank Green, Cancel Culture, and existential crises!
Dear Swee-tea,
I feel very honoured to be invited into your inbox. Thank you for spending some time with me!
I hope this finds you in an existential crisis, because if you too are feeling lost in life, let me invite you to my next creative writing workshop! If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know how I try to embrace the grey and nuance of life, but on the internet that’s not always easy. It will come as no surprise that I think about death a lot, nor will it shock you that I tend to spiral about ethics. In the midst of many an existential crisis, I have found this video format of eating your last meal and talking about death really, really comforting! It is good to know that other humans have lived through all this, and that we are not alone in our worries.
I also enjoyed this podcast that my brother recommended about the future of online content.
Here is a poem I wrote inspired by cancel culture- and a video I think is great about why cancel culture should be cancelled! If you find yourself struggling with these topics, I highly recommend the book ‘How to be Perfect’ by Michael Schur. You might know him from his work on TV shows such as The Office, Brooklyn 99, Parks and Rec, or The Good Place (the cast of which are included on the audiobook!!)
ink and snow
I wanna trade friendship bracelets without thinking of the oil drilled to create them But the ink and snow are so emulsified in my mind— I have never been able to digest or escape them I want you to know that you can love in shades of morality and not grow passions only to sedate them That you can disagree with someone’s behaviour And still refuse to hate them I want my mind to believe me when I say ‘you don’t have to be perfect to be good’ But if I try to speak about these shades of grey I am scared I will be misunderstood In this clustered chaos of consequences I want to cling to the scraps of joy Is that okay? Am I allowed? Or are these scraps I must also destroy?
Come along to a workshop!
If you’d like to meet some awesome people and nurture your creative flair through writing, drawing, or in any other way, we have workshops coming up inspired by Studio Ghibli, friendship breakups, Jane Austen, and more!
I hope you have a fabulous May!!! If you enjoy these emails, please do let me know! Sometimes I feel like I am just shouting into the ether (ether) (etherrrrr) and it brings me such joy to hear from you.
Love,
HB x
MONTH Favourites
☀️ Good News: I have (tentatively) started putting together an anthology of my poems. I don’t know what will come of it, but I am proud nonetheless!
📚 Book: Happy Place by Emily Henry
📺 TV: The Dragon Prince
🍿 Movie: Dark Waters
A brilliant, if harrowing, insight into our world. This film tells the story of Rob Bilott, a lawyer who is responsible for exposing a brazen, decades-long history of chemical pollution— that is still happening today. If film isn’t your thing or you don’t have time, try this NYT article! Warning: Existential Crisis Increase may occur.
🍜 Recipe: After not cooking for MONTHS I made (gluten free) bao, buttermilk chicken nuggets, and pizza— from scratch! My friends Jack and Sophie also introduced me to Oyakodon and it is a new favourite of mine! Once I have solidified my recipes, I hope to share them on my website…
🖋️ Journal Prompt: What does your inner child need?
🎶 Music: Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, and of course The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift! My top 3 are The Black Dog, loml, and The Prophecy— I’d love to know which tracks resonate with you!