The other day I was on the phone with my friend Sewran. We were talking about how reading out loud helps both of us, me with focusing and her with pronunciation. As soon as I hung up, I grabbed the first book within reach and went to the bathroom to read aloud.

A young man should spend around three to five minutes there, right? No, not me. In my case, an interesting language, Turkish, echoed through the walls. It is still a strange sound in Spanish territory, not quite belonging but curious enough to make itself heard. My neighbours probably thought I had lost my mind. The poor woman next door couldn’t understand a single word and, by now, has stopped trying to make sense of me.

I kept reading, and at some point I thought, why not record this? So I did. It became my late afternoon activity. To my dear non-Turkish-speaking readers, you can find the English subtitles, hopefully. The text I read is a short story from 1944, written by the poet Orhan Veli. It tells the story of a man reflecting on unemployment, which is also its title. İşsizlik means “unemployment” in English.

Enjoy.

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Summer hasn’t been kind to me. Well, fair enough, I haven’t been very fond of it either. So maybe it has no reason to be. I wasn’t feeling likely to record myself last month. It actually doesn’t take much of my time. Yet, I was lazy, slothful, indolent, remiss and all other versions to define my laziness. Sorry.

Today, I told myself, “Come on, work, work, fatty!” Read your things, record yourself and make some comments, cute boy. I listened myself. Arranged. Did take one shot. It was messy a lot yet natural. Here it is. I hope you enjoy.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me, slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me — slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me — slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me — slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me — slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

This episode turned out to be much longer than usual. I went fully unscripted this time. Just me, rambling, reflecting, jumping from thought to thought. And honestly? I really enjoyed it. It’s not the most polished thing I’ve done, but maybe that’s what makes it fun. If you like a bit of chaos, some unfiltered thoughts, and a sprinkle of goofiness, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me — slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com

It’s read by me — slowly, thoughtfully, just as I would whisper it to a friend. Each word carries the same intention as the written version, but in a voice that hopes to feel close.

Thanks for reading Inner Pages: Letters from Ali Baran Y.! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alibarany.substack.com