The Specter Haunting This Substack
A specter is haunting this Substack – the specter of absence.
I have been taking a break this summer and only working on writing that gives me pure joy and relaxation. For now, that means it isn’t for public consumption.
As for the title of this post, I was recently on a podcast with other Bard Early College professors discussing the Communist Manifesto, which is one of the seminar texts in the course we teach.
I have had a lot of Marx-related posts recently and will be switching it up as I return to regular posting here for the rest of the summer. I contain multitudes, just like you.
While I haven’t wanted to post public writing this summer, in case you’re interested, here’s creative projects I’m working on currently:
Weird fiction novel (or as I usually refer to it — “the sci fi novel”) I have been working on since 2013. About ~75K word draft currently, which has gone as high as ~85K. Low intensity focus on this project this summer. Vaguely considering trying to implement another round of edits and then engaging in another round of sending it to people to publish.
Realistic fiction novel inspired by the style of ranting, monologue books like The Fall by Camus, Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky, Woodcutters by Bernhard, Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe, Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys, The Human War by Noah Cicero, and Beckett’s novel trilogy. It’s also what I imagine Proust would be like but I haven’t finished a Proust book yet. Someday, maybe soon. He has always seemed like an author to read in the winter when I’m at home for the holidays, so I can immerse myself in sentimental journeys. This project is ~35K word draft currently, most of this written since May 2025 although small bits date back to 2019. High intensity focus on this project this summer.
Nonfiction historical monograph on school worker organizing from 2008-2023, tracking the time from the Great Recession through the strike waves among school workers in the mid-late 2010s to the decline of agitation in the years after COVID-19. Started work on this during 2023-24 school year. ~10K word draft currently. Aiming for final draft of ~30K. Medium intensity focus on this project this summer.
Speculative fiction novel with a mix of young adult and “regular” adult characters. This is my novel aimed at appealing to the demographics (adolescents) that I teach for most of my classes. The draft of this was ~20K the past couple years but I’m scrapping that and starting from scratch. Medium intensity focus on this project this summer.
I developed a new genre of music that is derivative of shoegaze, chill wave, and punk. I haven’t recorded any full songs yet but I have one collaborator and he has energy and has actually produced some recorded samples so let’s see how it goes. I haven’t played music really since 2010 and really really since 2006.
Books I’ve finished so far this summer with Pitchfork-style ratings:
Capital, Volume 2 by Karl Marx, edited by Friedrich Engels 8.4
Reading Capital Politically by Harry Cleaver 9.4
The City and the City by China Mieville 6.3
Fresh, Green Life by Sebastian Castillo 9.8
Washington Bullets by Vijay Prashad 8.9
Noon Annual 2025 8.7
Currently reading:
Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
Written in Water by Rochelle Gurstein
Happy Saturday to one and all.