October Reading List; “What’s in the Cards?”

Somehow, October is already here one third over, despite no one having consulted me. I’ve shared some pieces of what a difficult Summer I had on this platform; as I dust myself off and begin the work of sketching out the next few months, I’m challenging myself to not rush straight back to full-tilt production. Instead, I’m going light on shows and meandering this month. Some of that is heavier, but in balance with a season of funerals I am giving myself time to wander to some unknown places.

Our reading this month falls somewhere in between. On the one hand, it’s a reportedly fun, exciting thriller, and approaches leisure reading. On the other hand, it’s the first of many steps for me on a very nascent project to peek ever so slightly into a world I have a well-documented phobia of; Tarot.

Despite deeply enjoying conversations I’ve had with those who facilitate tarot readings, and identifying many points of crossover, I still retain a wariness from my first (and last) ever reading, in which I had a strong, adverse reaction (which is to say, I flipped the table before they could finish).

So here I am, wandering nervously in the neighborhood of the scary thing, trying to see if I can’t find a tire worth kicking.

“The Cloisters”

Katy Hays

Here’s a confession - I know hardly anything about this book. I was listening to a podcast where the hosts all gave high praise to a new exciting book they’d read that drew on the history of the Tarot,, and since Tarot has been on my mind, I figured I’d give it a try. Problem is, I never could figure out what podcast that was, which means I had to stumble my way backward to figuring out which book they had been talking about.

Which is to say here’s another confession - I am not 100% sure this is the book I was recommended, but I’m certain I’ll find out what I think about it.

“History of La Lotería”

BY TERESA VILLEGAS

One of the challenges of performing IF WE WIN is finding the right lottery tickets — which is to say, tickets with a $25,000 price and a game structure that isn’t massively confusing; for those of you who haven’t spent months going gas station to gas station reviewing tickets, let me assure that some of the scratch lottery formats are truly unhinged. In 2021, the best contemporary fit was a game modeled after La Lotería - a game similar to bingo (with a hell of a lot more style) popular in Mexico. I wanted to give players context to what the PA lottery was referencing, and as I prepared my notes, I found this website a huge help. Part of the project of another artist, this was where I first learned the surprising connection between the celebrated pastime of drunk Tíos and the cards earnestly shuffled by fortune tellers the world over.

Take a read and find out?

The Last Chinese Chef

By Nicole Mones

My decision to swing on a fiction book to unpack some of the history of Tarot is heavily influenced by being assigned this book as a textbook for a University course on “Food and Drugs in Chinese History.” As it came time for our assigned reading, my professor Joanna Waley-Cohen defended the choice of romance novel by assuring us that the history summaries provided were surprisingly thorough and well-researched, and that there was really no reason that you can’t enjoy yourself while learning. Not quite historical fiction, this book instead mined a deep enthusiasm for the history and culture of Chinese Cuisine, while keeping the narrative grounded in a personal journey.

Here’s hoping this month’s reading can live up to the legacy