Illustration by Joaquin Kunkel/Edited by Koh Terai

Here at The Gazelle, we work hard to bring you interesting, informative content that you can enjoy and engage with. But what do we read when we aren’t in production every Saturday, working late into the night? The Weekly Graze is a series in which The Gazelle’s staff members pick their favorite written pieces from the past week, in the hope that you might discover some interesting reads too.

Josefina Dumay Deputy Features Editor

Bird by Bird, Anne Lammott (book)

Bird by Bird is a book that never leaves my side. It's the bible for writers, and it's told in a casual, personal, funny tone by Lamott. She has advice to offer: from the perils of blank pages to "shitty first drafts” to the moment of publishing and writer's block. This is not an instruction manual; on the surface, it's a book about writing, but actually, it’s a book about life.

Pranav Mehta Deputy Copy Chief

The Language Instinct, Steven Pinker (book)

The book is the perfect starting point for language enthusiasts and budding linguists. Starting from the evolution of the spoken word to the anthropological importance of language genes, this work leaves no stone unturned and leaves the reader wanting more. A truly engaging, fantastic read.

Carlos Alberto Escobar Deputy News Editor

Supercooperators: The Mathematics of Evolution, Altruism and Human Behaviour (Or, Why We Need Each Other to Succeed), Martin Nowak and Roger Highfield (book)

Besides reading about the Panama Papers and the implications of the report for El Salvador, I’ve also been reading this book about cooperation for one of my classes. As the title suggests, the book’s main point is that people tend to cooperate rather than compete. I am only two chapters into the book, but the argument that has struck me the most is that at times, people cooperate because they have a reputation they would like to build or uphold, because one’s reputation has an impact on others’ propensity to cooperate or not. While I don’t completely agree with the argument, it gives the reader an insight into human interactions and the opportunity to reflect on previous experiences. A highly recommendable read to anyone who is interested in acquiring a better understanding of human behavior.

Rend Beiruti Deputy Opinion Editor

Baghdad Diaries 1991-2002, Nuha al-Radi (book)

In a beautiful effort to humanize a people during a violent conflict, al-Radi shares her diaries written during the Gulf War and its aftermath. With fragmented entries and choppy writing, this book mirrors the Gulf War's impact on ordinary lives. An exercise in understanding and empathy, this book offers a kaleidoscope of stories that humbly capture the experiences of members of Baghdad's social fabric at the time.

Khadeeja Farooqui Editor-In-Chief , Nayyirah Waheed (book)

“my english is broken./ on purpose./ you/ have to try harder to understand/ me./ breaking this language/ you so love/ is my pleasure./ in your arrogance/ you presume that i want your skinny language./ that my mouth is building a room for/ it/ in the back of my throat./ it is not. — i have seven different words for love. you have only one. that makes a lot of sense.”

Sometimes, books have the power to make you uncomfortable. Nayyirah Waheed first questioned me, ridiculed me, told me what to question and what to say no to while I was sprawled on an air-mattress in a dorm room in Manhattan last semester. Through her experimentation with the English language, the form and structure of poetry and casual dismissal for rules of writing, Waheed questions the legitimacy of the hierarchy of the English language, racial supremacy and social constructs in relation to class and gender. She explores confusion about identity, diaspora, ancestry and national/ continental history. With a plain white cover bearing the word “salt.” on the bottom left-side of the book, short-form poetry and free-verse style, one would think that the book is easy to skim through; however, Waheed’s poetry is so complicated and multilayered that one stops every three pages, stunned, grappling to answer her queries and wanting more. I am yet to read the book in its entirety.