17 for 2017: John Greyson recommends Citizen: An American Lyric
By Chase Joynt
11. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine recommended by John Greyson
Throughout my tenure as the December Writer-In-Residence, I will be assembling a list of 17 must-read-books for 2017. To accomplish this numerically satisfying task, I have asked 17 people whose work I adore to suggest one title for the list. Consult the end of each post for the growing list of recommendations!
John Greyson wears many hats: artist, teacher, political organizer, auteur and friend. A long-time staple of Toronto’s avant-garde scene, you might recognize John's name from his many genre-defying/defining works of cinema such as Fig Trees, Lillies and Zero Patience. Or perhaps you’ve seen him on various front lines of debate in Toronto regarding Isreal/Palestine. To me, John is all those things, in addition to being an incredible mentor, and a fearless champion of new work made by queer/trans/politicized artists in the city.
From John:
Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric: A devastating interpolation of racialized America -- essential for the coming Trumpocalypse (w/ Carrie Mae Weems, David Hammons, Glenn Ligon).
Marking the first overlap on our list, John’s recommendation follows a similar nod to Claudia Rankine by Laurent Berlant!
Stay tuned as we build the ultimate 2017 reading list!
17 for 2017:
1. Mariko Tamaki recommends The Land of Forgotten Girls
2. Sheila Heti recommends The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People
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3. Vivek Shraya recommends The Mothers
4. Kate Bornstein recommends Siddhartha
5. Casey Mecija recommends Tropical Renditions: Making Musical Scenes in Filipino America
6. Morgan M. Page recommends Small Beauty
7. Lauren Berlant recommends Long Division and How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America
8. Chase Strangio recommends Exile & Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation
9. Jamie Keiles recommends The Group
10. Sarah Joynt recommends The Hour of the Star
December Writer-In-Residence
Chase Joynt is a filmmaker and writer. His latest two films Genderize and Between You and Me are now streaming live online with CBC Digital Docs. His first book, You Only Live Twice (co-authored with Mike Hoolboom) was published by Coach House Books and just named one of the Best Books of 2016 by The Globe and Mail and CBC. His second book The Case of Agnes (co-authored with Kristen Schilt) is forthcoming from Duke University Press.
The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book.
Chase Joynt is a Toronto-based moving-image artist and writer who has exhibited his work internationally. He recently received a Mellon Fellowship in Arts Practice and Scholarship at the University of Chicago.
You can write to Chase throughout the month of December at writer@open-book.ca.