A review by 236girls
Pop Song: Adventures in Art & Intimacy by Larissa Pham

4.25

"and i knew that i was doing that thing i always do, mining my surroundings for significance. i was looking for something in the world that spoke for me. something that reached out to me with a hand and said, here. you are not alone."
"outside it had begun to rain. over the steam of my milky coffee, i looked out the window to see umbrellas popping open on the sidewalk, some red or colorfully patterned. they looked like mushrooms sprouting on a log. soon i would be down there, with all of those people -- i felt, bathetically, a spoke of warmth for every person in the world. my body ached, but i felt strong. maybe it was finally getting over the jetlag, or maybe it was feeling as if i had finally gone to the end of my loneliness, gone to its furthest expanse. i finished my coffee. i dressed for the day."
"i was alone, and i was me, and that had to be enough."

dude what can i say.. if you spent ur early teens on tumblr trying to find a name for the emptiness inside you, this is for u. like this moved me in a way only someone that has experienced love, heartache, art, and trauma and has continued to keep their heart open and seek comfort for this in other's expression can. only issue i have is some of the art references and personal stories did not weave together well, felt very choppy at some parts. also pham's writing style is not going to appeal to everyone, i loved it but that's bc it felt like it felt very relatable as someone in their twenties.

essays that stuck out to me: body of work, haunted, breakup interludes, on being alone.