The Living Room
The latest stories from The Living Room.
Sitting in The Living Room
OCTOBER 16 · THE BOOKSHELF
OFF THE SHELF
Look Again
Sometimes a passage sends us back to an image. Sometimes an image makes us reach for a book. October’s companion reading extends our Gordon Parks conversation, offering places to linger with the relationship between seeing a life and understanding it.
OCTOBER 14 · THE BOOKSHELF
CURATOR’S CORNER
L'aurelei D. on Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks understood that every story offers a perspective, but no single perspective tells the whole story. In this month's Curator's Corner, L'aurelei D. reflects on his legacy, the importance of seeing Black life beyond struggle, and how the stories we tell—and those we leave untold—shape the way we see one another.
OCTOBER 12 · THE BOOKSHELF
A SEAT ON THE SHELF 004
What Gordon Parks Saw
Gordon Parks paid attention to what a hurried glance could miss: the person inside a public story, the daily life behind a familiar assumption, the dignity that deserved more than passing notice. Through his photographs and writing, this month’s Seat on the Shelf considers how he changed the conversation by changing what people could see.
Coming to The Living Room throughout October.
STILL TO COME
OCTOBER 19 · THE LIVING ROOM
A NOTE FROM THE LIVING ROOM 004
I Thought About What You Said
Some words arrive quietly and stay longer than expected. This note considers the afterlife of a conversation—the sentence that follows us home, returns days later, and begins to mean something new.
READ I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID →
OCTOBER 20 · THE LIVING ROOM
GUEST CHAIR 001
The World Deserves to See It
Hope takes the Guest Chair for a conversation about recognizing what someone has to offer—and encouraging them to let it be seen. We make room for her voice, her perspective, and the story she has come to share.
READ THE WORLD DESERVES TO SEE IT →
OCTOBER 21 · THE LIVING ROOM
SPOTLIGHT
Mikeisha
Mikeisha usually stands behind the camera. This month, we make room for her photographs and her own account of the life around them—with attention to what she sees, what matters to her, and the parts of her story only she can tell.
MEET MIKEISHA →
OCTOBER 26 · THE LIVING ROOM
LEGACY
A Life of Her Own
Shundra began working on the waterfront in 1999. She loaded ships, became a marine clerk, and now directs equipment and drivers in the yard. With retirement approaching, we make room for the life surrounding those working years: her Oakland beginnings, the people who raised her, and the decisions that belong to her.
READ A LIFE OF HER OWN →
OCTOBER 31 · THE LIVING ROOM
THE MONTH-END RECAP
October in the Living Room
Return to the letter, revisit the photographs, or find the piece you meant to read. Our October recap gathers the month’s stories and conversations in one place, with room to consider the connections that emerged as the issue unfolded.
REVISIT OCTOBER →
CURRENT ISSUE
The Conversations That Changed Us
There’s More In The Room
Move through past issues and revisit the stories, music, books, exhibitions, and ideas that have shaped The Living Room.
ENTER THE ARCHIVE →
Pull up a Chair
Meet the People: Revisit the Spotlight and Legacy stories that have taken a seat in The Living Room.
EXPLORE THE FEATURES →