Hi all! Happy Sunday!
To ease back into the shape and routine of things in this space, I wanted to return to my roots to give y’all a little something nice: a solid curated list of recommendations. I often find myself inundated with the sheer mass of talent and cool things I get in my inbox (feel free to scroll my 100+ public subscriptions on my Substack profile for more of that), and they all help me understand the world and other people much better. I’ve also been inspired by a lot of art and music I’m either re-approaching after an absence or discovering for the first time. I want to share the wealth! So! Read on for a list of things I’d love if you checked out (hint hint, read to end to see my recent publications at the campus paper I edit for, both the greatest love and greatest labor of my life).
Newsletters
- by Parker Molloy
Parker’s coverage of culture, politics and journalism is always a refreshingly sensical and accessible read, and her work is a great place to start for wanting to understand how all three intersect in our current moment! For the reader looking for succinct and accurate summaries of “what’s going on, why should I care, and what should I do” regarding today’s world, subscribe to this newsletter.
- by Jessica DeFino
My all time favorite anti-beauty culture reporter and most treasured Twitter follower, Jessica’s work never fails to ring true and clear in a cacophony of voices and brands that refuse to let women rest, live or just be. Her work has been transformative in my own journey into body neutrality and anti-beauty culture ideologies, and I recommend it for anyone looking to further understand how capitalism and white supremacy interacts with the commodified world we live in.
- by Lyz
Lyz blends a beautiful mix of personal and political with every piece I read from her newsletter, which brings me back to the personable glow of the blogging boom that emphasized the connectivity of people telling stories to one another. Of course, her stellar incredible reporting and great journalism makes every piece worth a read, but I find myself intrigued by any new deep dive or feature she releases!
Articles
Living With Racial Battle Fatigue by Dionne Irving
This piece is from 2016, but I recently fell upon it while completing research to interview (!!!!) Irving next month, a conversation I’m so excited for I could burst. This piece speaks to so many experiences that are close to my heart, then the conclusion just washes over you with such clarity. I dream of writing essays like this!
ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web by Ted Chiang
This article is a great place to start in terms of beginning to understand generative AI such as ChatGPT, why it should matter and how it relates to us and the cusp of a scarily new future in technology. I think it’s important to take the time to understand and take seriously the implications and effects of new technology without sensationalized or reactionary responses, and this piece can for sure help readers do that.
In Praise of the Campus Novel: Daisy Alpert Florin on Fiction and Self-Discovery
The Enduring Nostalgia of American Girl Dolls by Meilan Solly
'Soulful Vanilla Child': When Pink Was Black by Ashley Reese
Podcasts
Film & TV: The Creative Process
When you want to dig deeper into something you loved or hated watching
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
When you need to laugh with your parasocial best friends and also get to know special guests in a confident and humorous light
When the writer’s block/well of inspiration is running dry
For your commute, to fill you in on what you’ve missed this week
For a long drive/walk when you want to be a fly on the wall to a deep and vulnerable interview
For when you’re doing your skincare/getting ready
All around great place to start unpacking marginalization in publishing as a wide spanning experience
TV
Over winter break, I rewatched the entirety of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” with my parents. This added to my perception of the show in that I forgot how much of a universal comedic appeal the series has (do you know how hard it is to get me, my mom and my dad to all laugh at the same thing?) and I also remembered the circular ways the show infuriates me. Alex Borstein is still the best part, I still want Rachel Brosnahan to win every award ever, and if I don’t get a S5 release date in the next week I might just end it all.
I watched S2 and rewatched both seasons of “Hunters” on Prime Video when the new season released, and found myself pleasantly satisfied. Season Two doesn’t find its stride quite as easily as the first, which I think is an obvious casualty of a very rushed conclusion to what could have been a magnificent four-season saga, but I still enjoyed it (as did the five of my friends who now stand alongside me). I also love Kate Mulvany and will always tune in to watch her.
Music
It is not an understatement when I say I haven’t been able to stop listening to When My Heart Felt Volcanic by The Aces. As the band gears up to enter a new era this month, I'm a little sad that I didn’t discover them when they were touring this incredible incredible album with 5SOS. A queer indie rock girl band from Provo, Utah? Oh you know 2017 Leah would have been gagged.
Along the same vein, Something to Tell You by HAIM is another 2017 indie pop classic. I cannot wait until this summer when I can pop my sunglasses and cutoffs on, lemonade in hand, and cruise with the windows down to this album.
Perenially popular and personally life-changing to me, I always return to Future Nostalgia for a good time and a good vibe. That’s a classic.
Of course all of Dance Fever is still in rotation, but specifically The Bomb right now.
Also new Aly & AJ drop! After Hours is in fact, lovely, and has me super excited for the album to come.
Forever an evergreen classic, Kate Miller Heidke’s early albums just get me in a way nobody else does. Tell me you’re not listening to Nightflight and hearing her say “I’ll take what I can get/Which isn’t very much/A little human heat/A little human touch” and unlocking your inner twee romcom protag realness! Kate is kind of the best of weird quirky Australian pop, and she is so earnest in her songwriting. That’s queenie.
Me!
I covered Butler Ballet’s Midwinter Dances, which felt like a really gratifying full circle moment merging the great loves of my life: writing and dance. My interviews and sources were incredible, and the show was beautiful. Excited to explore this beat more in the future!
I also got to write about this year’s Oscar races and unpack that general mess. This is a new space for me, but still incredibly interesting/infuriating.
Finally, I covered some of the general grossness of misogynistic trends and language on TikTok and how the objectification of women — famous and working class — is rising to eminence at scary rates. Always a pleasure to guest write for Opinion.
That’s all I have for this week! Tune in next Sunday for the ultimate authority and voice on “Outer Banks” Season 3.