Jessica Zafra's Blog, page 27

Generation Voltes V: Japanese robot anime and the fall of the Marcos regime

Illustration by Richard Baron Reyes in ArtStation. There’s a Voltes V exhibition at UP Bulwagan ng Dangal. I will drop by on Saturday after visiting my optometrist. In the meantime, here’s a repost of an essay I wrote for Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People, a ten-volume collection published by the Reader’s Digest on […]

Here is a poem that sums up the aggravation and “efficiency” of air travel today.

To keep from running amok at boarding gates, I read this poem to myself. Of course if you always fly first or business class, you may not know what we’re going on about. Thank You for Waiting by Simon Armitage At this moment in time we’d like to invite First Class passengers only to board […]

Philip Roth, 1933-2018.

Photo from Harper’s. From the Paris Review, 1984 INTERVIEWER How do you get started on a new book? PHILIP ROTH Beginning a book is unpleasant. I’m entirely uncertain about the character and the predicament, and a character in his predicament is what I have to begin with. Worse than not knowing your subject is not […]

Hello from Poland

Soiree by Jason Moss I’m in Poland on a research trip for a couple of weeks. The schedule is packed, so I don’t know how often I can blog, but I will document the trip on my cats’ Instagram. Quick, follow @jessicazafrascats!

The Movie Tarot: Let’s look into your future using movie postcards.

Photo from Catster I love tarot cards—the symbols, the myths, the far-out designs. In Italo Calvino’s The Castle of Crossed Destinies they communicate using the tarot, and it’s so arcane and esoteric I can’t find my damn copy. I enjoy consulting tarot card readers and distinguishing between the bullshit artists who are only trying to […]

On being the blacks of wherever

The flap over that excerpt from Issa Rae’s book—which was published in 2015, and apparently read only last week—reminds me of this scene from a fondly-remembered 90s movie, The Commitments. Say it once, and say it loud.

Behind the scenes at an art exhibit (plus a poem)

In the backroom of Tin-Aw Art Gallery, Saturday, 21 April. Thanks to Dawn and Marya for allowing me to hang out, drink their wine and eat all the Doritos and Choc-Nut. * * * * * Why I Am Not a Painter by Frank O’Hara (1926 – 1966) I am not a painter, I am […]

Behind the scenes at an art exhibit

In the backroom of Tin-Aw Art Gallery, Saturday, 21 April. Thanks to Dawn and Marya for allowing me to hang out, drink their wine and eat all the Doritos and Choc-Nut.

Answers to questions you might be asking—Updated

Writing Boot Camp (Baguio) dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Makati whose name I’m not telling you, what, so it’ll be so full we can’t get a table? L-R: Gary, Reina, Annalyn, me, Vicky, Von, Allan. I’ve updated my bio to include answers to frequently-asked questions (Where can we buy your damn books, were […]

Here is our spoiler-filled review of Avengers: Infinity War (Of course not, or we’d have to kick ourselves in the head)

Our updated Marvel Chris Rankings Hilarious. Intense. Thrilling. Delivers on threats. Hurts our hearts. Also: Dinklage! And Josh Brolin’s Thanos, a properly formidable opponent. Filipinos in cast 1. Drax (Dave Bautista) caused an entire doughnut to shoot out of my nose when he said, “Why is Gamora?” 2. Ned from Midtown Science High (Jacob Batalon), […]