But I don't want to be a Snob Anymore

Good morning, Hot Literatis ♡♡♡

It's Tuesday!

Yesterday, I ran five miles to a bookstore on the Upper West Side to get a copy of Twilight. I love that point during a long distance run where you feel your own body hit a sort of rhythm. I passed Lincoln Center where a man once cursed at me as I sat outside eating a croissant. I love the erratic nature of New York.

On the train home, I was slightly annoyed, overstimulated by all of the bright lights and faces, and HUNGRY. But then, a couple struck up a conversation with me.

"Is that Twilight?" she said. She was tall and blonde, a beautiful, happy life clearly showing in her face.

Her husband, who had had his arm wrapped around her back turned to me and began gushing about these Twilight parties she used to host, where her and the other moms would rent a party bus to the theater, drinking vampire-themed martinis.

By the time I got home, I was almost giddy to crack open the iconic teenage vampire novel.

On being a snob

I think, as a shy child who was left out of some but not all things, I retreated to literature and other high brow things almost as a form of escapism. When the other little girls gushed over Justin Bieber, I gushed over David Bowie and Kurt Cobain, but as I get older I realize how fun it is to just enjoy things without them needing to connect to a deeper analysis or some rich historical tradition.

I remember a conversation I had with Kitty last year when she asked if I'd read A Court of Thorns and Roses (at the time I think I was torturing myself with Mobey Dick haha). I hadn't, but now I want to, to be able to participate with others.

Now, I'm reading like 5 or 6 books at once hahah. And one of them is Swann's Way, along with other Hot Literatis for our book club, and the other is Twilight, the story of Bella Swann.

People who Like to Read

Snobbery aside, I think there is still something to people who like to read. People who like to imagine things and shirk off their adult-brained skin for a bit to just be in a different world of someone else's creation.

And that's why I love Hot Literati so much. it's full of people who love to read and imagine, both of which you can do with us by becoming a member, joining a room for what you're reading to discuss it with others, and sharing your recs and thoughts in our chat rooms.

Now onto a few other things.

Hot Literati Academy

This morning at the gym, I was listening to a Youtube video as I waited for a machine, until I got a targeted ad that annoyed me lol. So then I switched over to Hot Literati Academy and began taking courses on the history of both Jazz and Hip Hop.

Members get two courses a month included in their membership!

Upcoming Events

Join us in New York, Chicago, LA, St. Louis, or LA this month to discuss the intersection of Art and Technology! You don't have to be an expert in either (these are always an excuse to hang out haha).

Your Own Hot Literati World

One pain point I have with current apps is that when you open it you don't get to choose what you immediately see. This is why I've made the home page of Hot Literati so calm. On the web version, I've changed the navigation bar into three big categories:

• create

• consume

• social

This way, you get to choose your own journey instead of being bombarded with immediate content.

I've also added the ability for anyone to add to their own "Hot Literati World," whether it's imagery, music, writing, etc. You can also add stripe to charge for your work if that's something your interested in.

In Sum,

Creative advice I hear all the time is "build what you want" which I do think is true. Hot Literati is the community I always wanted growing up and whether it's chatting about Proust and Nabokov in chat, acting out silly skits at irl events, or seeing other people's annotations, I'm always really happy when I open it because it's helped me find my people.

all my love,

hailo

p.s.

you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be throwing a Twilight Party for Hot Literati members as soon as I’m done with this haha. Join! Read it with me, and we’ll all celebrate fall at the end :D