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Each episode a woman chooses a book she loves and reads the first chapter aloud.

2 hr ago

Lu reads Emily Ogden

Name: Lu Reading: On Not Knowing, Emily Ogden Why did you want to read this? Emily Ogden’s writing is erudite and poetic. I came to On Not Knowing, a beautifully written suite of personal — but widely relatable — essays, a number of years ago, at a time of change and loss. Informative and honest, Ogden presents accounts of trying to live, and embracing a reinvigorated desire to live, with the uncertainty with which we breathe. I am constantly drawn to her elegant and authoritative approach, offering why we should address our 'blurriest, fleetest experiences’ and move forwards with them. The passage I read deftly turns a recognisable swimming moment into something illuminating in its risks, and intimate; one that connects human realms to those geographically, spiritually and linguistically beyond. How did you record yourself? I was feeling a little restless before reading, perhaps weighted down by winter’s greyness! Finally finding a spot to read — nestling at the foot of my friend’s bed — with coffee to hand and favourite red socks on, the familiarity and warmth of the room soothed me. Looking up out the nearby window, I spotted a plane slowly part clouds, and in matching its gentle pace I settled into reading Emily’s work, pausing at moments to re-read where I had stumbled, absorb words’ meaning and enjoy her meanderings.

15 min
3 Jun

Susan reads Djuna Barnes

Name: Susan Reading: Nightwood, Djuna Barnes Why did you want to read this? I'm friends with the filmmaker Sophie Lee. She has great taste, meaning that as soon as she told me that she was working on a reimagined version of this book, I ordered a copy. And I wasn't disappointed. The originality—not to mention density—of the description is just wild. However, having now read it out loud I wish I'd chosen something different. Some sentences are a whole paragraph long. Plus, I often struggled to pronounce the foreign words. How did you record yourself? On my laptop, midway through some very boring admin.

49 min
6 May

Lauren reads Robin Wall Kimmerer

Name: Lauren Reading: The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer Why did you want to read this? Sometimes I feel exhausted by systems dictated by ''more'' (do more, have more). Usefully, The Serviceberry asks us to consider "enoughness". The presiding economic system we live in (in the modern Western world anyways) is founded on competition, perpetual growth and the hoarding of wealth and resources. This book poses a simple question: what can we learn from alternative economic models as they exist in the natural world and in the cultures of indigenous peoples? Kimmerer returns to this question by offering insight into the cycles of the serviceberry plant which is characterised by reciprocity, gratitude and interconnectedness with other citizens (human and non-human). How did you record yourself? I lit a candle (scent=bay+rosemary), propped my laptop up beside me and tried to ignore the sound of my own voice. At first I felt uncomfortable - it is unusual to read aloud and alone after all I guess? Whilst i was reading it grew dusky outside and the smell from my candle filled the room. After the first few pages, it became kind of meditative and I forgot what I was doing.

19 min
1 Apr

Julide reads Vigdis Hjorth

Name: Julide Reading: Is Mother Dead, Vigdis Hjorth Why did you want to read this? I believe everything in life begins with and through a mother. I chose to read Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth because this book shows the importance of the mother. In order for patriarchal societies to function, misogyny must be maintained. Understanding ourselves and our mothers requires unlearning many inherited norms. This book gives voice to the raw monologue of a daughter and invites the reader to witness her journey. Through the tension of the narration, it evokes affective responses and highlights the struggle of an adult child being born and the symbolic cutting of the umbilical cord. How did you record yourself? It took a couple of takes because the narrative is so tense. I finished the recording in three days. Every morning, I prepared my coffee, sat at my desk, watched the sky, and hummed to myself for a few minutes. Then I started to read. I tried to keep the process as raw as the narrative itself.

26 min
4 Mar

Indira Priscilla reads Sheila Heti

Name: Indira Priscilla Reading: Alphabetical Diaries, Sheila Heti Why did you want to read this? I chose this book because I love how poetic the fragmentation of thoughts can be and love how Heiti did a copy-paste technique using a decade of her own journals. I find it a very brave and vulnerable act that somehow shows the very subtle yet powerful truth that lie in every day life. How did you record yourself? I read this under a red warm light sitting in my friend’s room. It was art week at that time, I was tired after a hectic day of gallery hopping and it was very reliving and relaxing reading something I like a lot for the first time out loud.

29 min
4 Feb

Mia reads Marcel Proust

Name: Mia Reading: Sodom and Gomorrah, Marcel Proust Why did you want to read this? In Search of Lost Time is my life manual for its anthropological overindulgence, opulent but precise use of language, and outbursts of clarity concerning the artistic impulse, disappointment, experience, and time. It is so thorough and extensive in its rhythm that I remember certain scenes as if they happened to me. In particular this chapter is dear to me for how botanical lifecycles become a metaphor for sexual attraction and its consummation. The symbolism of pollination is woven throughout and the language is so rich that you can touch it. I mean, the words are like morsels of food, even when they don't quite make sense coming from my mouth. How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on a lazy Saturday afternoon in my studio in Mexico City, which could otherwise be described as a cuarto de servicio on the roof of my apartment building, chosen for the added benefit of the sonic complexities of intermittent sirens and vacuums being used in the apartments below, a place where I can be alone.

1hr 30min
7 Jan

Jessie reads Renata Adler

Name: Jessie Reading: Pitch Dark, Renata Adler Why did you want to read this? It’s one of my favourite books, and I try to re-read it every year or so. I suspected that reading it out loud would reveal some new aspect of it, which it did. How did you record yourself? On my laptop at my desk very early in the morning.

1hr 33min
03/12/2025

Grace reads Ada Zhang

Name: Grace Reading: The Sorrows of Others, Ada Zhang Why did you want to read this? The stories in this collection feel so familiar to me--the subtle ways Ada Zhang plays with memory, emotion, and interiority inspire me. How did you record yourself? On my bed with my cat sleeping next to me.

43 min

Each episode a woman chooses a book she loves and reads the first chapter aloud.

Creator

Freya
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

86
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Freya
Show Website

women read