Where it all began
While attending university I spent a significant amount of time in the library. The building was designed in the brutalist style of the 50’s, and loomed over the campus much like a medieval tower keep. Monolithic by design I believe it was meant to convey a certain sentiment to those approaching the halls of higher learning. Protection.
Despite its foreboding outward appearance, I found the library to be a welcoming place. It was quiet, solid, and seemed to carry an aura of calm that I could not find anywhere else on campus. Each of the six floors had its own study area, but my preference was always the top floor. I would sit next to one of the slit windows where I could gaze down on the milling crowds in between pages. There was something about the elevation that I found inspiring and peaceful. I think it was the sense of being connected, but at a distance. Perhaps it was the knowledge that I could go down and join the crowds below if I were so inclined.
As a good friend of mine says: “I don’t actually want to go to the party, but I still like to be invited.”
I feel that this is a common sentiment among writers and truth tellers. We need to feel connected to community, but at the same time are painfully aware that we exist as perpetual outsiders. It is a concept that Hannah Arendt famously labeled the pariah archetype – A feeling that many free and critical thinkers know well.
Getting to the point
Let me return to the original question: what is your perfect space for reading and writing. In my own obscure and meandering way I think I answered the question.To summarize, it is not so much about the furniture, decor or lighting. What is important is that it be comfortable, quiet, and close to a wellspring of inspiration. It must be “mine” in such a way that I have agency and freedom to do as I please, without fear of interruption or interference.
Since my time on campus things have changed. I would no longer choose the Murray Library as an ideal space to work, but would seek to recreate the environment that i found so inspiring in my youth.
Peace.
The Wild 
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