Darnell
Riley Moran Cullen Fagan

Darnell Henderson
Hi
January 26, 2022 17:27


Hi You,

How are you?

Welcome to The Love Network. This project utilizes email as means for reaching towards those who surround us and give us feelings of kindness and warmth.

I began this project by emailing a friend of mine and asking for the email of someone they loved.

I chatted and chatted with this friend.1

It is my aim with this project to think of love as something elastic. Something with the capability to move. To speak even in the event of screen to screen contact. Exploring methods that communities can be created.

Love,
Darnell Henderson
1 She was very cool and smart.

Darnell Henderson
Hi
January 26, 2022 17:27


Hi Riley Moran,

How are you? I’m writing with two asks:

One: To continue this email chain. We haven’t talked much in recent years and I don’t like that!1 Email for me offers languid, lengthy replies (like snail mail) but has a quicker receive date (thanks technology!). Whatever you choose, is fine (obviously).

Two: For my Software for People course (coding class), we have to interview someone we know of but do not know personally. The first idea that struck me, and stuck with me, is asking people I love to forward the email of someone they love to interview. It can be anyone so as long as I don’t know them. Of course, if you don’t want to or can’t think of anyone, it is no problem! The assignment post interview is to then code that interview. Anyways.. Happy New Year! Looking forward to your reply!

Wishing You Might, & All Things Bright,
Darnell Henderson
1 Riley and I have known each other since middle school. My first memory of her is her saying: Let's go fishing for cabbages. We were on a service trip in middle school and I don't exactly remember why we we were working with cabbages, but there was nonetheless a giant box of them that we leaned on one side to grab.

Riley Grace Moran
Re:Hi
January 27, 2022 10:21


Hi sweet Darnell.

Software for People sounds like a class a character in an A24 movie would take. Still I like your project which is kind of the Loves of the Loves of your Life which is very sexy but makes me feel kind of sad (?) I can think of a few people. Would you prefer someone young or old? For young I give you cullenfagan@gmail.com, who is too smart for her own good despite living in New York instead of New Orleans like some kind of idiot.

My grandpa would also totally do this but you'd need to do the actual snail mail because he doesn't know how to work email. But he loves to write his little letters and he's funny and old people are always chomping at the bit to be interviewed (as far as I can tell).

I'll warn Cullen that you're emailing in case.

How are you?1 How is school?2 Are you happy?3 Do you like grad school better than undergrad?4 What's the best class you've taken?5 Do you have crushes? 6

xoxoxoxo

Riley
1 Good! Very busy, but I like that.
2 Busy!!
3 Yes.
4 Academically, grad school. Both are fun, however.
5 Hm. I liked my motion course last semester but because of the subject, not the professor. I am enjoying this coding course I am taking also :)
6 Yes and no.

Darnell Henderson
Hello!
January 27, 2022 17:39


Hello [Cullen's email],

How are you? As Riley probably mentioned to you, I am conducting interviews for my programming class that I then will transmute to code. My own subjective insertion in the project is conducting these interviews entirely by email because I love email and because people are very busy doing all their little things. If you will be so great so as to be my interview subject, I have some intro questions below this paragraph to start us off. Thanks!

Name? Pronouns? 1

Elevator pitch as if you were applying to a job 2

One portion of your daily life that is essential other than biological things like breathing, eating, drinking water, etc. 3

Favorite color 4

Your definition of a “good life” 5

Elevator pitch as if you were introducing yourself to a new friend 6

What is the most complicated thing you know 7

For now, that’s it! Have a good evening.

Thank you for your time,
Darnell Henderson
1 Darnell Henderson. he/him
2
3 I'd say engaging with others. Others being any material or being that is not strictly myself. I find that a lot of growth can occur when you are not filtering only through yourself.
4 Definitely yellow. Though, orange is up there too. I've loved the color orange since I was in third grade so it'd feel like forsaking a prior self if I stopped.
5 I frequently make jokes about being a kept woman as my full-time occupation. And though this is a joke and not a unique want, there are a lot of qualities about being domestic I enjoy. The slowness to dwindle, the space to think. Something about having the privilege to mull a rolling thought over as a loaf bakes in the oven... yum!
6
7 Hmmm... my memory is really bad so I feel I cannot answer this question properly.

Cullen Fagan
Re:Hello!
January 28, 2022 14:39


Hi Darnell,

I am happy to be your interview subject - any friend of Riley's is a friend of mine. I'm doing well! I hope you are, too. Here are the answers to your questions:

1. My name is Cullen Fagan.

2. My pronouns are she/her/hers.

3. My elevator pitch as if I was applying to a job would be - I am a freelance marketing specialist and writer, currently contracted in a tech field. I have writing and research experience in a legal office, on political campaigns, and in an independent news organization. Last year I graduated from Tulane University , where I majored in History and Political Science. I hope to get back to school in the next few years - probably law or social work.

4. Something in my daily life that is essential to me is talking to other people1. I cannot get along very well without human interaction/being alone for long stretches of time, or honestly, short stretches of time. Also, reading - I keep my lock screen as a poem that I'm into at any given point so if I can't get actual time in to read, I can read that guy.

5. My favorite color is green2 (and also sometimes orange).

6. I generally subscribe to the idea that all life is good/valuable (life in and of itself is a reason to live, etc), but specifically for me, a good life would mean spending the majority of time with people that I enjoy, eating well, having the freedom to pursue creative endeavors, and doing my best to make other people's lives easier and kinder to them where I can.

7. My elevator pitch if I was introducing myself to a new friend would be - My name is Cullen (I usually use Twilight 3 as a touch point here), I am 22, I am an Aries♈, and the owner of a 2 year old cat named after Frank Costello from The Departed . I live in Brooklyn, but my very stereotypically Irish Catholic family is from Massachusetts, which is where I grew up. I am currently in the fledgling process of starting a pick up croquet league, and am looking for interested parties.

8. The most complicated thing I know is how public defender's need to do investigative/trial prep and processes - I worked at the public defender's office when I was in college, and this took me a very, very long time to get a good handle on. There were A LOT of moving parts.

I hope this was helpful! Have a nice weekend.

Cullen
1 I totally get this! I feel this also relates to my answer to the question. Though, she goes on to say she cannot spend time alone for very long and this is something I'm very guilty of doing.
2 I do wear a lot of green. Apparently, it attracts money.
3 Twilight- Meeting The Cullens- Intros
♈
An image of the ram, the astrological symbol for aries, in the Irving S. Gilmore Library study room.

Darnell Henderson
Re:Hello!
January 30, 2022 13:12


Hi Cullen,

I have to confess— I have some follow up questions.. Why did you pick a tech company? Could you include one of your work samples or is that, like, illegal?

Do you find yourself more attracted to groups of people or one-on-one? I guess that groups of people would be a nearly endless source for you? Though, sometimes less intimate.1

Okay, that is actually such a great practice! Would you mind sending me your current lock screen poem? And also what you are reading now? 2

Orange is sometimes my favorite color too! I like yellow the most now though.

That is very considerate and gentle way to live. Is there a specific time that you recall where you made someone’s life easier or showed them kindness that noticeably affected them? (Is that braggy to ask of you to write haha?) Do you cook as hobby?

I feel like I should point you in the direction of my family for your croquet team. They play it at the beach all the time. Though, that may be wrong.3 I don’t really know what game they are playing, because I don’t ask, but they do look similar.. Do you like New York? 4 What is one emotion that categorizes how you feel about Brooklyn?

Oh wow! Did you enjoy working at the public defender’s office? Did this experience influence your desire to go back to school for law/social work?

Thank you for your time,
Darnell Henderson
1 I definitely prefer one-on-one. I even think that sometimes three people interactions can begin to depart from intimacy. One person is always going to talk less. Not know what's going on, have less history with one or the other.
2 A few of my friends have the same practice. Wondering if I should follow along.. I'm not reading anything right now. I was reading The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima, but I wasted too much time not reading it and had to return it to the library. Should check it out again...
3 This actually was wrong. My family plays bocce.
4 I don't. Its too hustle and bustle to be conducive for me, a kept woman.

Cullen Fagan
Re:Hello!
January 31, 2022 11:05


Hi Darnell,

No worries -

1. I chose a tech company because it was the most well paid position I was offered when job searching, and I am interested in being able to afford to go to graduate school. The work itself seemed relatively morally neutral, and that felt like an okay trade off for me in the short term. I unfortunately cannot share a writing sample with you, because while it is not illegal, it is directly against my contract. Sorry!

2. I think small groups are my ideal situation. I don't love crowds, but too much one on one time with a single person inevitably leaves me vaguely irritated with them.

3. This poem is my current lock screen. I am currently alternating between Severance by Ling Ma and How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, neither of which I have married yet. I am rereading The Secret History out loud to my roommate.

4. Yellow was my favorite color in high school, to such a degree that it became a thing-people-knew-about-me and people would send and buy me things in yellow against my will. My friends from high school still bring it up a lot. I like yellow a lot, but I think that oversaturated me on it a little.

5.The obvious thing that comes to mind for me is just doing the Public Defenders Office stuff and seeing clients in jail through that and (as a part of my job) downloading and printing them books and puzzles and stuff to do while incarcerated. Again, definitely a part of the job and not like me going out of my way but I could tell it meant a lot to them, especially because during COVID there was a lot of solitary confinement and isolation. I am okay at cooking and can enjoy it as an activity to do with people or by myself sometimes, but I think hobby would be a strong word. Mostly I enjoy eating.

6. I have never played croquet at the beach - that actually sounds kind of difficult, but I guess that would dependent on how firmly packed the sand was1. I know you're asking the questions, but I am curious as to why you don't also play croquet at the beach with your family.

7. I like New York enough, but the winter is testing me. Mostly, it's nice to be around a lot of my friends and not too far from home. I like Brooklyn more than I like Manhattan though, by a long shot. An emotion I would characterizes how I feel about Brooklyn would be anticipation - it always kind of feels like something is about to happen.

8. I enjoyed it very much, though it was also very stressful in some ways - it remains the only job I have ever had where I felt like there were actual stakes if I fucked up. It certainly influenced my desire to go back to school for law or social work. I would go as far to say it inspired it directly.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Cullen
1 Cullen was right. Per Backyard Sidekick: Playing croquet on sand will also have challenges. If the game is played near the edge of the water, where the sand is hard-packed, you might be able to poke traditional wickets into the ground, and the sand will be firm enough to hold them up. There may be tracks and obstacles such as seaweed or driftwood. There will probably be some furrows made by waves and wind. Watch out for waves; you might lose your croquet balls in the water.

Darnell Henderson
One more email... I swear...
February 3, 2022 16:49


Hi Cullen,

Grad school is certainly expensive! You seem pretty confident that this was your next step, which makes sense as you’ve mentioned that your work at the public defenders office directly influenced you. Regardless, I admire determination. Any prospective schools you’re eyeing?

I feel that. I find always myself wanting to talk to someone new after a few minutes of conversation. Something about a diverse rotation of people’s thoughts is enticing. What is your go-to conversation starter?

A Secret History!!!!! Grand!!!!!!! I actually lent it to one of my dorm mates and he has yet to open it. I feel he isn’t aware of the gift I’ve given him.. And what a gift it must to be read A Secret History. So, I just read the Natalie Diaz poem, which was gorgeous, sweet, sad, and I felt it fair to send you a poem and as I’m going through my saved ones I encounter… A Diaz poem haha. I’ll attach it and I’ll attach another in the event you’ve read that Diaz poem already.

That’s really incredible! I can’t even imagine the double isolation occurring in that setting and how freaking awful it must have felt. On a lighter note, what do you absolutely love to eat?

Aha! Tables turned! I’ve never understood what they were doing and consequently what the rules were. And I hate doing anything that I feel like I’ll lose at. Competitive, but selectively. I should also mention this is my larger family so like cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. and that my family, mom, brother, step-father, didn’t even join them until two New Year Eve’s ago. They [larger family] have played ritualistically for years. Since I was like 7.

I’m in Connecticut and truly reeling at how cold it gets! The snow storm nearly took me out! My mom actually just sent me some Facebook post entailing a “Winter Warning” from Maine to Texas.. Wishing our blood thins as this apparently makes a person feel less cold than those with thicker blood. Science or whatever. Dying for your hot take on Manhattan.. I have to say I agree that I don’t adore Manhattan all that much. Though, I’ve only been a few times and only for day trips. Maybe this would change with longer stays as I might be a bit too critical of a place I truly know only know on the surface. Brooklyn, I’ve yet to explore. You’ll have to give me a list of your favorite places.

What is the worst and best yellow thing you’ve received? My friends aren’t as attentive so I usually buy orange things for myself. Right now, the orange things that surround: a mug, my headphones, a fan that plugs into my computer, my Tevas, a notebook, my speaker, a water gun, the tea in my mug, etc. A bit obsessed..

After this email, I believe I’ll have enough content! Thank you so incredibly much for participating! I’m thinking of continuing this project so I may, in the future, ask you for the email of someone that you love.

Thank you for your time,
Darnell Henderson

Cullen Fagan
Re:One more email... I swear...
February 10, 2022 07:25


Hi Darnell,

No worries -

1. It's funny that you say that, because I don't feel very confident about anything I plan on doing! Grad school just seems like a worthwhile thing to work toward as of now, and an option I want to keep open. I think if I went to law school, I would want to go to one of the good southern schools, like UVA or William & Mary or Emory - though I hear Yale has kind of a fun, more creative law school. Honestly, I haven't really gotten that far. If I go to grad school for something else, I would like to go abroad.

2. I don't think I have a go-to conversation starter! I do ask people their favorite book or movie often, but that's more for myself than to start a conversation - 9/10 people say they have no idea and one in a blue moon I get a good recommendation. Sometimes if I can tell someone is super opinionated about media/television stuff I test out my "CW's Riverdale is actually the most interesting and dynamic show on television" thing because it gets a fun subset of people really going. So, actually, now that I read this paragraph back - I guess I usually use media as a conversation starter. I think you can tell a lot about someone by their tastes.

3. I hadn't read it! Thank you. I really, really like the second one you sent. My deepest congratulations to your roommate.

4. My favorite food groups are probably Indian and Italian. I really, really like samosas. I cannot say anything more or more specific because I thought about this question for like five minutes and if I write more I will write a novel. I never really got the appeal of food writing, but now that I'm thinking about it, there sure is a lot to say. I don't like sweets very much, and I don't eat meat, though.

5. I think you should try it!

6. There are nice parts of Manhattan, and going during the work day when people aren't out or late at night can be kind of nice, but I had to go to union square on a Saturday to pick up a perfume a few weeks ago and felt the urge very strongly to throw myself into the (ample) traffic. Brooklyn is...more chill, though North Williamsburg can get kind of Manhattan-lite-y. It has good beer, too, if that's your thing.

7. A friend of mine once on purpose picked a banana for me as a snack because of the yellow thing, even though I hate them, when I had asked for an orange. This wasn't a gift, exactly, but I remember being annoyed. A friend from high school got me a very nice yellow sweatshirt from Bar Harbor, Maine, when we were 15 or 16 - I still wear it.

I am so, so confused how this could have been helpful in any way for something to do with coding (?) but regardless, it's been a pleasure! I hope your project goes well. Don't hesitate to reach out about anything else and of course, if you are ever in Brooklyn, I would be happy to show you around with my limited familiarity.

Godspeed, Good Tidings, etc,

Cullen