Celebrating the New Year with Fresh Talent: Candace Tang

Welcome Back to The Summer Street Library’s Winter Interstitial

and Happy New Year!

 

This week, we are welcoming in the new year with the breath of fresh air that is Candace Tang.

Also known by her artist signature CTANG, this spectacular up-and-coming artist pulls references from the world around her, whether that be from comics, movies, or ancient myths. Tang then depicts her varied muses traditionally or digitally using software such as Adobe Photoshop.

Regardless of her choice of subject material or medium, Candace Tang skillfully renders in a signature style that I cannot get enough of.

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Rising Star Parruh Dox

Welcome to The Summer Street Library’s Winter Interstitial!

There may be snow on the ground, but The Summer Street Library’s blog lives and breathes (albeit chillily and wrapped up in a scarf).

While we often start our spotlight artist articles with a brief introduction to the work or its artist, this week we are diving right into the poetry. Powerful and poignant, these three poems by rising star poet and spoken-word artist Parruh Dox stand alone.

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Introducing Ali Barker and the Bug Squad!

You may never slap a mosquito the same way again, thanks to Ali Barker.

At least that’s what occurred to me when I entered the playful and creative world of Ali Barker’s Bug Squad, a cartoon of humanized, and frankly adorable, insects.

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The Plague

There is something to be said about horror movies. No matter how terrible the times or how horrendous reality seems to be at the moment, slasher flicks always seem to draw a crowd. In fact, many of my friends lean into a Netflix binge of Criminal Minds or Hannibal during a hard break up or difficult time in their life. These days, a horror film reads pretty close to reality — if not a bit peachier.

Following that train of thought, why not then, in the midst of a global pandemic, read about a plague? Cue to Albert Camus’ The Plague.

The Plague

The Plague by Albert Camus takes place in the French colonized town of Oran, Algeria. Racial, social, and medical injustices abound in the 308-page book which uses a devastating pandemic to delve into even deeper issues: capitalism and corruption, gross injustices, and a false sense of superiority. Split into five sections, the novel details the insidious spread of plague (in a town that steadfastly ignores its progression) and the subsequent disintegration of a sane society. Sounds eerily familiar, does it not? Well, at least COVID-19 isn’t harbored in the bodies of, and I kid you not, blood-spewing rats…at least not yet. Though…there was that one squirrel in Colorado with the Bubonic Plague (he really couldn’t read the room).

[su_quote cite=”Albert Camus, The Plague“]’If things go on as they are going,’ Rieux remarked, ‘the whole town will be a madhouse.'[/su_quote]

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Spotlight Artist Jeremiah1x!

Welcome one and all to The Summer Street Library blog! And a very special welcome to Jeremiah1x, our first spotlight artist!

 

One of the missions of The Summer Street Library blog is to showcase young, upcoming, and underrepresented writers and artists across the globe. With this goal in mind comes our spotlight artist articles and interviews which focus on celebrating one artist (of any kind) and their work. This week, we are proud to introduce Jeremiah1x (also known as Jeremiah McGowan)!

From Albany, New York, solo artist Jeremiah1x (he/him) entered into the world of music at a young age. He first “began making music” at age four when he wondered aloud to his great grandmother about what exactly “she was doing while sitting at the piano.”* Since his great grandmother’s teachings, Jeremiah1x went on to become classically trained in piano and has been producing his own music for seven years. 

Jeremiah1x creates his “own beats, synths, and melodies” and describes his style as a dynamic pop-based fusion “incorporating different rhythms like house or hip-hop.” He identifies his target audience as “everybody who likes pop, trap, and likes to dance” — for my own sake, let’s just hope that enjoying dancing is enough…even without any skill.

Inspiration

As for who inspires his music, Jeremiah1x has never forgotten how he was first introduced to music: his great grandmother. The women in his life have proven to be inspirational throughout his whole life. He also looks to fashion for new ideas, walking the streets, and people-watching. Another key inspiration: the famed rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix (alongside some other psychedelic rockers of Hendrix’s era).

[su_quote]I usually find inspiration in my day to day life, inspiration from people’s fashion that I see. Even talking to people, I can be inspired by their day-to-day or their mindset.[/su_quote]

Jeremiah1x’s isn’t only inspired by his family, fashion, and favorite musicians, but A significant number of books and writers inspire him. From Jack Kerouac’s On the Road to Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Jeremiah1x’s bookshelf has always animated his music. He also cites Dickinson as a perpetual muse: “Emily Dickinson’s poems always harbor new inspiration for me.” A keen fan of Shakespeare (especially Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice) and Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Jeremiah1x’s music embodies drama without sacrificing nuance. 

Poetry and Music

When I asked Jeremiah1x more about his artform, I wondered how alike poets and lyrists were — and how various beats, instrumentals, and vocals changed how a piece was received. So many poets (and poetry lovers) say that a poem is meant to be enjoyed aloud — that poetry is meant not only to be read but to be savored in the air. The way a poem is read, especially by its author, permeates its meaning: those subtle pauses, slight tonal shifts, and the way in which breath enters a poem become just as important as any other literary device. Perhaps music belongs in a similar realm. Lyrics and notes on a page exist in a certain way, but only truly live once in the air.

To Jeremiah1x, music is poetry — or at very least, a particular type of poetry set apart by cadence, volume, and sung story. I posed to Jeremiah1x the following question, does the music surrounding or behind the words change their meaning and if so, how? To him, “music itself needs the lyrics to [truly] unfold” — however, that meaning can change from day to day, person to person, ear to ear. Music becomes a conduit for ever-changing, ever-evolving emotion.

[su_quote]Lyric writing is exactly like poetry in a storytelling cadence. I think that even a piano alone can be poetic. Even the image of a lone piano is poetic, to me. Music is auditory art because you can experience the same emotions the artist was feeling writing it.[/su_quote]

Writer’s Block

When asked if he ever struggles with writer’s block or creative fatigue, Jeremiah1x had quite the definitive response: “Writer’s block is fake news. It comes from lazy people unwilling to practice their instruments. Creative fatigue however is always a danger. Setting aside daily time to practice your instruments solves both of these problems.” I certainly hope the next time I am feeling stuck, I can proceed with as much gumption! Writing each day keeps the writer’s block away…perhaps…one can certainly hope so!

If you are interested in learning more about Jeremiah1x, be sure to check out his SoundCloud and YouTube channel (and keep your eyes, and ears, peeled for his upcoming single “Fallin'”)! He is also known to live DJ on his Facebook page, a treat you don’t want to miss, so a friending wouldn’t be amiss.

Until next time, I’m signing off. Keep on reading and listening.

~ Sadie

Be on the lookout for more from The Summer Street Library — here all Summer!

 

*all quotations come from The Summer Street Library’s exclusive online interview with Jeremiah1x

 

The Summer Street Library focuses on highlighting young, divergent, and or underrepresented writers and artists with an especial focus on BIPOC, self-published, and unpublished writers. If you are interested in contributing to The Summer Street Library as a spotlight artist, please contact the blog’s founder, Sadie Hofmeester, at thesummerstreetlibrary@gmail.com.

Welcome to The Summer Street Library

 Welcome to our blog for readers, writers, and artists alike…

 

The Summer Street Library could be anywhere and welcomes everyone. We read a vast variety of different books with varied genres, topics, and writers. These books span the gambit from classics to contemporary, romance to historical fiction. The Summer Street Library is pro-pleasure and exploration — especially in the written world! Push yourself to pick up a book you normally wouldn’t consider or read an author you’ve never heard of before — you may find a new favorite. If not, no worries…simply pick up another and start again! 

The Summer Street Library blog isn’t just another list of books received and read though. This blog functions as a platform to spotlight artists of all kinds, working to centralize marginalized voices and push back against the broader racist, colorist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, and transphobic publishing industry. The Summer Street Library focuses on highlighting young, divergent, and or underrepresented writers and artists with an especial focus on unpublished or self-published writers. If you are interested in contributing to The Summer Street Library as a spotlight artist, please contact the blog’s founder, Sadie Hofmeester, at thesummerstreetlibrary@gmail.com. 

Be on the lookout for more from The Summer Street Library — here all Summer!