Lit Chat

Inspiration for being human.

Standards, Forgotten Works, and Victory Dance

Thursday June 11, 2026

Happy Thursday humans! Here is this week's literary inspiration for being human...

Let's consider our standards...

I'm on a jazz kick this year, rediscovering ways to be inspired by the art form. In "Afterword: Tradition, Influence, and Innovation," Geoff Dyer explains how jazz standards—songs all jazz musicians learn to play—serve as "springboards for improvisation," inspiring innovation in musicians throughout the decades.

It makes me think of how a literary canon can serve as a wellspring of inspiration for future literary inspiration. What gets included in the canon and why? How does each work in the canon serve as an innovative piece that also continually inspires new innovative pieces? The best jazz standards are works with enduring artistic influence and value that transcends time and circumstances. This also underscores the importance of writers reading literature, including reading works from the canon—both the genre-specific canon and the literary canon in general.

Woman Outside the City was influenced by many literary works, many of which I think should be part of the canon for hybrid literature.  Kazim Ali's Bright Felon was perhaps the single most influential hybrid work, and I think it should be included in the canon for hybrid literature.

What literary works are influencing your writing? How do you find new books that will stretch your imagination and skills and inspire creativity in your writing?

Let's discuss forgotten works...

"Press forgotten poems on scribbled desks, project Statue of Liberty pics." 

—"The Do Now (Always a Soldier)" in Woman Outside the City

What forgotten book or poem can you read? What do you notice and appreciate in it? 

Let's listen to Victory Dance...

The music video for "Victory Dance" (5 minutes) by Ezra Collective is phenomenal!  Not only does the song make you want to get up and dance, but the storytelling in the video is so good—the way it unfolds is not what you would expect at all. It’s so well done! For more on Ezra Collective check out "In Conversation with Ezra Collective" (7 minutes) and their 2024 album Dance, No One's Watching.

Where can you find artistic inspiration and fuel for your creative spirit? Can you find a new song, work of art, film, or other artistic experience that inspires your creativity and gives you ideas to try in your writing?