THE GLASS CHILD

CHARLOTTE ERIKSSON

 

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Songwriter.  Author.  Dreamer. Wanderer.

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    SHOW NOTES EPISODE 14:

    My Favorite & Most Influential Writers

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     LISTEN ON iTUNES

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    I always get so many questions about my favorite books and what authors I’m inspired by. This is also one of my favorite subjects and I could talk about books and writers for days. Either way, in this episode I will share five of my favorite writers that influenced me in quite different ways. But all these writers and their books had a big impact on me when I first discovered them, and I go back to these writers over and over again for guidance.

     

    I love getting book recommendations and I would love to hear your thoughts on these books, if you’ve read them, or if you have another book you think I would love based on these! So please find me and connect somewhere on the intraweb.

    Here we go:

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    Favorite writer #1: Rainer Maria Rilke

    My introduction to Rainer Maria Rilke was, like for many of us, through his “Letters to a young poet”. It’s a super short and quite simple book, but it really truly did have a huge impact on my life. I found it at the right time, right when I needed it, like so many of our most beloved books do. I had just turned 19, I think, and had spent my first months in London on my own. I felt lost and scared, alone with no direction and I doubted if I could ever make it as a songwriter.

    The letters in the book are letters to a young poet, maybe a young you or me, because that’s what it feels like. It feels like you’re reading a letter addressed straight to you because it’s all so accurate.

    I held on to letters to a young poet for many years before i moved on to read more from Rilke. I have sense devoured his books of letters, poetry, biographies and collections. 

     

    Like with every writer I fall in love with, I become more interested in their lives and philosophies, than their actual fictional works. Rilke seemed to have this deep urge to live intensely and deeply. He had many relationships, marriages, travelled widely and befriended many interesting people. He gave his life to his work, and he aimed to write truthfully. He seemed to have a strong urge to understand love and why we so desperately need love. Neither is he afraid to mention the problems with love, how young people throw themselves into a relationship without being whole in themselves yet.

     

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    Some books by Rilke to get you started

    • Letters To a Young Poet:  Amazon US  // Amazon UK

    • Rilke on Love:  Amazon US // Amazon UK

    • The Notebooks on Malte Laurids Brigge:  Amazon US // Amazon UK

    • The Poet’s Guide To Life:  Amazon US // Amazon UK

     

     

    “Let everything happen to you 

    Beauty and terror 

    Just keep going 

    No feeling is final”

    ― Rainer Maria Rilke

     

     

     

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    Favorite writer #2: Joseph Campbell

    Joseph Campbell has probably been the most impactful writer in my life. I found his philosophies in a time of complete desperation. I somehow stumbled upon Nietzsche's concept of Amore Fati. Simplified, it means lover of fate. That you must love everything that happens to you as if it was the only way things could have happened. This lead me to Joseph Campbell, and as if the universe was placing signs and help right in front of me, I found a yellow worn out copy of “Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion” hidden between other books on a second hand market in Bristol right about the same time. I bought it for like 2 pounds and this book would sort of save me. It sounds silly maybe, but the panic you feel when you’re young, lost and heart broken is a real panic and maybe you grow up and learn how to deal with life, but at this point, this book was my salvation. I was 21 and I read it like a bible.

     

    Joseph Campbell is a philosopher. He wrote about the power of myth and the hero’s journey. He has some wonderful books and talks on these subjects, but this book, A Joseph Campbell Compaion, is a collection of his most profound philosophies, thoughts and ideas. He’s writing about topics such as growing up, following your bliss, finding your path in life, and how philosophy will help you.

     

    “Follow your bliss. The heroic life is living the individual adventure. There is no security

    in following the call to adventure. Nothing is exciting

    if you know what the outcome is going to be.”

     

    One of his main points that he brings up again and again, is the concept of following your bliss.

     

    “The hero’s journey always begins with the call. One way or another, a guide must come to say, 'Look, you’re in Sleepy Land. Wake. Come on a trip. There is a whole aspect of your consciousness, your being, that’s not been touched. So you’re at home here? Well, there’s not enough of you there.' And so it starts.”

    -- Joseph Campbell

     

     

    MY FAVORITE BOOKS BY CAMPBELL

    • Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion:  Amazon US // Amazon UK

    • The Power of Myth: Amazon US // Amazon UK

    • Video Lecture on The Power of Myth >>>

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    Favorite writer #3: Jack Gilbert

    Jack Gilbert was American poet, and something about his poems but also the way he lived his life hit me in such a strange and beautiful way, that I even decided to tattoo a line from his poem on my collar-bone.

     

    Like many of the writers I love today, I found Gilbert by picking up one of his poetry collections from a second hand market somewhere in England. I started with his book Refusing Heaven and went on to read about his life. Gilbert shot to fame quickly in America but he didn’t like the spotlight. He fled the fame to live a wandering and simple life in many different European cities. He lived on the Greek island paros together with another amazing poet Linda Gregg. He also lived in Denmark and Italy, without knowing any of these languages.

    A lot of his poetry are about his deep love for life, love and experiences. Linda Gregg, whom he ad a six yrar relationships with and spent his years in Greece with, described him saying:

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    “All Jack ever wanted to know was that he was awake—that the trees in bloom were almond trees—and to walk down the road to get breakfast. He never cared if he was poor or had to sleep on a park bench”.

     

    I love reading Jack Gilbert because he seems to have been sort of happy in his simple loneliness, and he’s making me feel more comfortable with having a constant feeling of a quiet sadness, feeling rootless and restless, and just wanting things to be beautiful. 

    In an interview that was supposed to be about writing technique, Gilbert wanted to talk about how to live instead. He was asked to talk about how to become a poet, and he simply answered:

    "Are you brave enough to be a poet? Then make the very most of your life, no less”.

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    MY FAVORITE BOOKS BY GILBERT

    • Refusing Heaven:  Amazon US  //  Amazon UK

    • The Great Fires:  Amazon US  //  Amazon UK

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    Favorite writer #4: Charles Bukowski

    I guess Mr. Bukowski has a very certain spot on all my best-of lists. He’s my spirit animal, which sounds strange considering him being an alcoholic decadent ungrateful poet, but i just simply love him for his boldness and unwillingness to be fancy and happy.

    The central library of Bristol is this big, beautiful cathedral. They have an old room with wooden floor that creeks when you walk on it. I used to go there and sit and read in the very specific silence of a library. One day I borrowed this big, thick book called “The pleasures of the damned”, which is a collection of the best of the best of Bukowski, but like all of it, I think it has something like over 500 pages. This book just left me floored. It was everything I wanted and needed at the time. Raw, bold poems about the gritty reality of things. I actually don’t really like his novels that much. I’ve read them all and I think the post office is the best of them, but if you want to give Bukowski a shot, just read some of his poems and you will either love him or hate him.

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    LINKS TO GET YOUR STARTED WITH BUKOWSKI

    • The Pleasures of The Damned:  Amazon US  //  Amazon UK

    • Poem "Let it unfold you" >>>

     

     

     

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    Favorite writer #5: Modern Poets (Richard Siken, Andres Gibson, Buddy Wakefield)

    Okay so this was really hard because there are so many I want to mention. Instead, I decided to make nr. 5 into a collection of 3 of my favorite modern poets today!

    These are Richard Siken, Andrea Gibson, and Buddy Wakefield. They all write prose poetry, Andrea Gibson and Buddy Wakefield are spoken word poets and you can find some very powerful performances by them on youtube.

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    Let me start Richard Siken. He has only written two very thin and small books of prose poetry, but his first book is such an extraordinary piece of creation I just can’t even describe it. It’s called Crush. Siken’s lover died in a car accident and many poems seem to be written in a blurry haze of sleep or death, but still alive, and it’s all so real and raw and beautiful. If you want to give prose poetry a try, Richard Siken’s book Crush is an absolute must.

     

    Both Andrea Gibson and Buddy Wakefield have quite a few chapbooks of prose poetry at this point, and honestly you can just start with anything by them. I love everything they write and without suggesting I am anywhere close to their level of writing, I would say my writing style might fall on a similar shelf.

    Also go on youtube and just google their names. You’re gonna find real beautiful performances, and Andrea Gibson sometimes tour together with musicians that she collaborate with. She has a few performances together with the American singer/songwriter Chris Pureka, and they’re just simply magical.

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    LINKS TO GET YOUR STARTED

    • Crush - Richard Siken:  Amazon US  //  Amazon UK

    • Andres Gibson - The Madness Vase:  Amazon US  //  Amazon UK

    • Buddy Wakefield - Live for a living:  Amazon US  //  Amazon UK

    • Spoken Word Performance Andrea Gibson ft. Chris Pureka >>>

     

     

     

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    Oh gosh I could go on for ages, but this is a good start! These are some of my favorite and most influential writers, and i hope this has inspired you to pick one of these writers up. If you do, please let me know what you think, what it made you feel and think and if you have something you would like to recommend to me!

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    Lastly, I sort of without doing too much shameless self promotion, should mention my brand new book Everything Changed When I Forgave Myself  is out and available as both physical paperback and as a digital ebook now! You can find it on Amazon or get yourself a signed copy from my store that I will personally sign and send to you together with some goodies. I sometimes get questions where it’s best for me that people purchase my books, from amazon or from my store. Both option are magical for me, the only difference is that when you purchase from amazon I don’t send it out personally, so I can’t sign it. On the other hand the shipping might be cheaper if you live outside of Europe. 

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    FIND MY NEW BOOK

    ✦ Signed copies, worldwide shipping: TheGlassChild.bigcartel.com

    ✦ Amazon UK  //  Amazon US

    ✧ Read more about the book here >>>

    ✧ Find quotes + excerpts from the book on Goodreads >>>

    ✧ All my books on Amazon >>>

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    I also want to mention that as an independent author with no big publishing house behind me, the only thing that can help my book get in front of more readers on amazon is through good reviews. So, if you want to help me and give me the bestest gift I could ever imagine, it would truuuuuly mean the world if you wanted to take 2 min of your time and give me a 5-star review with some nice words on Amazon and or Goodreads. That helps so much and I wouldn’t ask you to spend your time on something if I wasn’t sure that it would make a difference ♡

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    Alright, that’s it friends. I hope you enjoyed this and like always, if you have any episode ideas, send them over! I want to talk about things YOU want to talk about :)

     

    Love always, and thank you for listening.

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    MUSIC USED IN THIS EPISODE:

    - Free 'Instrumentals' by Hyde >>>

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    I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I love making it! If you want to support me to keep doing everything I do, please consider joining me on Patreon. There I create monthly video blogs, give away free new demos, do live streams and keep a beautiful community of hope and belonging.

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    If you want to show me that you want me to keep recording those podcast episodes, it would mean the world if you took the time to give me a 5-star review on iTunes. It tells the computer robots that my podcast should be recommended to more people and that way I can reach new friends who might enjoy what I do.

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    NEW PODCAST

    Behind The Glass

    with Charlotte Eriksson

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    Help me keep doing what I do

    I’m a completely independent artist, living all by myself with no other support than yours. If you find any comfort or hope in what I do, my music or my writings, please consider supporting me, in order to be able to keep doing this. To keep learning, creating, growing and sharing what I learn. Everything matters, between a coffee to a donation for my next album. 

    I'm nothing alone ♥

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    CONTACT

    Booking & PR: lisa@brokenglassrecords.se

     

    I am currently taking bookings for solo shows, house concerts, workshops and speaking engagements.

     

    Interested in hosting a house concert? Just write to me and we'll plan it together!

     

    contact@charlotteeriksson.com

     

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    • Home

    • My Story

    • My Books

    • Store

    • House Concerts / Book Me

    • Podcast

    • Writing Tumblr

    • Workshops & Speaking

    • Selected Writings

    • VIP Fan Club

    • Reading List

    • Bio

    • Press

    • More

      Books Charlotte Eriksson.jpg
      Charlotte Eriksson Books

      5am
      again,
      drunk on someone else’s love,
      or couch,
      and I’ve never felt more at home.

      ​

      I fled myself,
      from the life I’ve built
      because I’ve been inhabiting routines I don’t want to stand for.

      Inhabiting skin I’d rather shed
      but still took on
      like a soldier serving his country,
      for that’s what they told me to do.
      But I was not
      strong
      or wise,
      but young and foolish,
      for what is this thing? Trading passions for a tiny bit of acceptance,

      and I am not a Sunday morning inside four walls
      with clean blood
      and organised drawers.
      I am the hurricane setting fire to the forests
      at night when no one else is alive,
      or awake,
      however you choose to see it,
      and I live in my own flames.
      Sometimes burning too bright and too wild
      to make things last 
      or handle
      myself or anyone else
      and so I run.
      Run run run,
      far and wide
      until my bones ache and lungs split
      and it feels good.
      Hear that, people? It feels good,
      because I am the slave and ruler of my own body
      and I wish to do with it exactly as I please,
      and living in this skin is hard and painful, most of the times,

      because I never volunteered to take this on.

      The daily sacrifice of heart over mind,
      the forever on going task of explaining this and that,
      and why I don’t want to look like this and
      be like that
      but still here I am and if this is the body I’ve been given I’m sure as hell gonna make it work.
      If this is the place I’ve been given, I’m sure as hell gonna make this work.

      ​

      So I fled the me that was never really me and I’m on my way. To newer lands and uncleaned streets
      for I’ve had enough of childish safety in comfort.
      Enough of all telling me to look and do, like this and that,

      and I never meant to please anyone but myself
      and you can call me selfish,
      throw words like knives in the dark but I will not listen,
      for not listening to sharp words brought me to where I am today
      and I believe in the path I’ve been given. If my only task in this life is to walk it,
      I surely will walk it
      prouder than anyone else.

      ​

      If this is the path I’ve been given, I will walk it
      prouder than anyone else,
      for no one else can.

      ​

      // from my book You’re Doing Just Fine ☾

      © Copyright 2021 Broken Glass Records

      www.BrokenGlassRecords.se