In Juggling, Stewart Lawrence Sinclair explores the four-thousand-year history and practice of juggling as seen through his life as a juggler. Sinclair-who learned to juggle as a child and paid his way through college by busking-shares his experiences of taking up juggling after an episode of suicidal ideation, his time juggling on the streets, and ultimately finding comfort in juggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, this is a book about loss and recovery. From his own juggling story to clowns braving military checkpoints in Bosnia and Rwanda to perform in refugee camps to contemporary avant-garde performances, Sinclair shows how the universal language of juggling provides joy as well as a respite from difficulties during hard times.
Stewart Lawrence Sinclair is a writer and editor whose essays, reportage, and narrative nonfiction have been featured in LitHub, Guernica, New Orleans Review, Creative Nonfiction's True Story, and elsewhere. He teaches creative writing at the City College of New York and juggles whenever he can.
Acknowledgments xi1. Cirque du Covid 12. The Three-Body Problem 93. La Strata 194. Historical Arcs 315. Isla Vista 446. 441 607. Makeup 658. Cascade 749. Lodi 9010. Improvising 10011. Mardi Gras World 10312. Light-Hearted Humans 11413. Cirque du Kabul 124References 133
"Juggling is a powerful book about the practice of juggling-and about the benefits of perseverance." - Arianna Rebolini (Foreword Reviews) "Will jugglers find it interesting? They already know the basics. Why go over it again? Because an eloquently written paragraph, featuring your favorite subject is exactly what you do want to read. To hear about your own experience from someone else’s point of view is compelling and entertaining. Especially in the context of the pandemic, a moment unique in world history. . . . A fascinating read for anyone." - Raphael Harris (e-Juggle) "This book is packed with tips, tricks, and techniques to take your juggling skills to the next level. It's a big deal that Duke University Press is publishing a book about juggling. . . ." - Martin Kalwill (Flow Juggle)