I could write this whole issue about the magic that is Teyonah Parris, but I'll contain myself. For now.
I saw Spike Lee's latest film Chi-Raq last night. It made me think about concepts of place and local aesthetics in art and media. The trailer of the film inspired a previous issue of this newsletter and at the time, I wasn't sure if I could watch the film as a film lover and as a creative, and not a Chicagoan, or a person who works with youth in the city.
For Spike, Chi-Raq is a return to the narrative devices that have become his trademark. For Chicago-based creatives, it's a call to action. How does our city show up in our work? Is there a way to do it more effectively? Chi-Raq is a film that has challenged me in several ways. I wrote about how I came to accept this challenge in my latest Medium post. Check it out.
Your Turn: Did you see Chi-Raq? Let me know what you thought of it via email or on Twitter using the hashtag #HWChiRaq.
Since I talked about the concept of head space and creative energy in last week's issue, I wanted to keep the conversation going. Read Srinivas Rao's take on creating, energy and environment here.
Playlist
I first heard the raspy, soulful, Bilal-like vocals of Anderson Paak on Dr. Dre's 2015 album Compton. He has a great new track with The Game on Soundcloud.
Another one of my favorite crooners Mar has a new EP on Soundcloud. #CuffinJams
The second season of the podcast Serial dropped today and I'm listening to it as I type this. Check it our here.
Watchlist
Filmmaker Terence Nance's (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty) latest visual stunner is now online. Watch Swimming In Your Skin Againhere (21 min).
If you have any suggestions, questions or submissions for The Highwater Weekly, please send them to gethighwater@gmail.com.
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Thanks for reading. Your partner in progress, Chakka AKA Tracy Trapman
