Hello and welcome to Substack Reads. This week, a melting pot of brilliant writing, video essay, illustration, and audio stories, from both emerging talents and writers you may have heard of. Veteran sportswriter Christopher Clarey remembers the year a Frenchman won Roland-Garros, Tom Cox recalls the time he rented three leaping deer, and British journalist and presenter Leyla Kazim offers her guide to slowing down time. Plus, Debbie Ridpath Ohi shares a 101 on drawing picture books. Enjoy!
HISTORY
Recalling the wonder slam
As play at the French Open started this week, longtime global sports correspondent for the New York Times Christopher Clarey remembers the year a Frenchman won
This is the 40th anniversary of Yannick Noah’s lone victory at the French Open, and though the dreadlocks long ago went grey, the image of Noah in the full force of youth in 1983 is indelible for many of his French compatriots (and quite a few of us foreigners, too).
Noah won just one Grand Slam title and never even reached another final, but what a one-Slam wonder it was, as he peaked at just the right tournament: rushing the net like a vintage Aussie and beating Ivan Lendl in the quarterfinals and Wilander in the final and then—in the part that surely everyone remembers best—leaping wide-eyed into the arms of his father, Zacharie, who had jumped out of the stands and onto the red clay to make a beeline for his son.
It was spontaneous. It was beautiful.
MINDFULNESS
How to slow down the passing of time
BBC presenter and journalist Leyla Kazim shares her methods for slowing down time—and what’s so amazing about taking the bins out
—
inIn the Western world we generally perceive our lives to be finite and with a fixed end. As an extension of this, time is viewed through the lens of scarcity, and the language we use is key to our relationship with it.
We are always running out of time, there is never enough time, we are short on time. And we certainly mustn’t waste time.
Time has become a commodity we can trade. We spend time and we buy time. It is something to maximize, optimize and bend to our will.
This contrasts with philosophies from the East where time is more often viewed through the lens of abundance.
DOCUMENTARY
Home
Every month, Taegan MacLean writes and shoots a short documentary based on a single word. This week he explores the etymology of the word “home,” and what it means to him
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in , recommended by multiple readersPartridge discovered three distinct meanings for the word home, and the first is an Old English word, hām, which means house with land.
No goal in my life has been more pervasive and all-consuming than the quest for a house with land.
When my parents were my age, they succeeded in this quest. They bought an acre and a half in Aiken, South Carolina, and built a home. This was my childhood, a Canadian living in the USA.
I remember crunchy beds of pine needles in the yard and that I rarely entered the house from the front door. Having moved from a small duplex in Toronto, the living room felt like a royal chamber.
We had a backyard with a pool, a deck, and a den above the garage. Our neighbours were friendly and forthcoming in that classical American way.
TRUE CRIME
The undercover cop who took down Chicago P.D.’s most crooked crew
The publication Narratively champions diverse indie journalists and storytellers with unexpected and extraordinary true narratives. This week, read and listen to a risky FBI mission targeting drug-dealer-extorting cops
— David Howard in
But eventually he agreed to give up the cash—and that’s when Pacman and Tripp decided they’d better cover themselves. After the strip search, Tripp brought Silky back into the interrogation room, where Pacman now moved in close and asked a pointed question: “Man, are you a fed?”
There wasn’t anything particular about Silky that suggested he might be associated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was just that in that part of town, rumors of the feds sniffing around the activities of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) were as common and predictable as lake-effect snow in February.
Silky looked him in the eyes. “Fuck you and the feds, man,” he said. “I’ve been to the penitentiary—the feds put a case on me before. I hate the feds more than I hate you.”
They went back and forth on Silky’s history for a while, until Pacman let him walk. His pockets were noticeably lighter, but they even let him carry his scale out of the building.
It was true, Silky wasn’t in the FBI. But he wasn’t who he said he was either. His real identity was even more unfathomable—and the corrupt cops who had just shaken him down had no idea what was coming for them.
Continue reading and listening
The time I rented leaping deer
It was autumn: everything was dying, including me, but the attractive beckoning mists of that season were underway, and I was in a “seize the day” kind of mood. . .
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in , recommended byThe nights were drawing in, and, as I huddled as close to the deer as they would allow, I sometimes regretted the impulsive Zen approach that had led me to them: in my excitement at first setting eyes on the deer in their romantic misty habitat, I had neglected to consider practical matters like heating, hygiene and other issues connected to living in some ruminant mammals without a roof or carpets. I allowed my mind to wander, abandoning the simplistic pluses of the Here And Now for a future where I’d put my savings towards some wild animals of my very own that nobody could stop me insulating and redecorating in my way: a future, that with one knee-jerk decision, I’d probably rendered forever unreachable. In signing the contract on the deer, I had also neglected to keep in mind that August to December was mating season, which meant they were prone to wander. Here, however, I found an unanticipated bonus clause in my tenancy: because I was the official renter of the deer, I also became the official renter of whatever place the deer’s nomadic horniness took them to. This enabled me to experience a variety of thickets, derelict mills, babbling brooks and pleasure gardens that would normally have been off-limits to me as a result of the 1925 Law of Property Act, and to swagger around them with my chest puffed out, sure in the knowledge that they were legally mine, if only for a very short time.
ENVIRONMENT
Whales: fin
Icelandic artist, author, and illustrator Rán Flygenring shares a visual guide to the rather incomprehensible situation of whaling in Iceland
—
inBUSINESS
Is massification pushing luxury fashion toward craftsmanship?
As Angelina Jolie announced her new venture, Atelier Jolie, promising collaboration with artisans, Ana Andjelic looks at what it means for the tailors and patternmakers who actually make the clothes
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inRiding on the belief that we are all creative, and that creativity is the highest form of self-expression, Jolie gives the global reach to the practice as old as time. Local tailors used to be how all clothes were made. Leather, silk, wool weavers, artisans and craftsmen were selling their creations in the local markets.
The difference from the luxury fashion system is that neither of these groups had a brand associated with them. An artisan, skilled in weaving horsehair or wool or silk, sells their creations at a margin much lower than they would under patronage of a brand. Despite their skill and heritage of their craft, artisans’ creations are not considered luxury, much less fashion. They are souvenirs.
LITERATURE
Teach our kids how to really write
Author Dave Eggers is in conversation with writer Isaac Fitzgerald about his nonprofit 826 Valencia, which teaches young people how to write—and to find themselves
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inI’ve had kids tell me so many times that they’ve been told, “Write a standard essay.” What could be worse in the whole world—what could be stupider—than the words “standard essay”? Who was ever rewarded in the history of literature by writing a standard essay?
The only thing that’s ever been rewarded in writing is originality and passion. So when you strip all that away and you say, “No, no, no. We’re not going to write with originality or passion. We’re going to write something that puts you and the reader to sleep, but it’ll be within this acceptable, five-paragraph format,” nobody wins! I don’t want to read it, the kid doesn’t want to write it. No one will ever see it.
ILLUSTRATION
Drawing for picture books 101
Self-taught illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi focuses on condensing narrative and connecting with readers
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in , recommended byEmbrace your inner child, and don’t worry about making mistakes. When you’re having fun with art, there is no such thing as making a mistake. Don’t erase or aim for perfection.
Try drawing from images and memories in your head. Try drawing from reference photographs. Don’t underestimate stick figures—you can convey SO much emotion and action through a stick figure (tip: try avoiding straight lines).
Sketch from life as often as you can.
Recently launched
Substack writers
, , and have come together in a new Substack that will serialize their co-written romance novel, The Italian Lesson:Coming soon
Congratulations to the following writers celebrating publication.
celebrates the launch of Swipe Up for More! with a sneak peek: celebrates the launch of her book, On Our Best Behavior: celebrates her new book deal with an announcement to subscribers:Inspired by the writers featured in Substack Reads? Writing on your Substack is just a few clicks away
Substack Reads is a weekly roundup of writing, ideas, art, and audio from the world of Substack. Posts are recommended by staff and readers, and curated and edited from Substack’s U.K. outpost by Hannah Ray.
Hey y’all! Thanks so much for the feature this week. It’s been an incredible journey on Substack so far. This is an amazing platform and I owe a lot of what I’ve done so far to the community here. 🙏🙏🙏
How lovely to be included in this week's roundup, thanks Substack team 😊