Episode 9 | The Reading Room
“What are you reading?” MA visits one of her local independent bookshops in Isola, Milano to reawaken the joy of browsing for books and realises that the Covid-19 pandemic has robbed her of the peace of mind to fully enjoy the experience. In effect, her visit to the bookshop lasts about 30 seconds, after which MA emerges subdued and slightly saddened. This does, however, ignite her curiosity to reflect on the role of bookshops in her life and reading as a source of resilience. “What are you reading for pleasure? What are you reading for you? What are you able to read?” (given the effect of the pandemic on our ability to concentrate). MA adds: “You are not alone. You may feel you are but you are not. If you find that it gets too much, reach out. If you find that it gets too much and for some reason the people you reach out to are busy, occupied, distracted, grieving,… pick up a book, find a way to distract your mind, find a way to come home. Find a way to reset and begin again.”
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Tune in for new episodes every Friday at 20h on Radio Cavolo!
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The artist Miriam Aziz (“MA”) hosts a series of DJ Resilienza sets fusing a mixture of storytelling, advice for managing the impact of the pandemic on our day to day lives, and an excuse to, “Move your Groove”, as MA likes to say. Miriam Aziz was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the EUI between 2000-04.
Tor all further enquiries:
ma4mastudiolab@gmail.com
Web: www.miriamaziz.org
Instagram: @themaphd