Earlier this year, I told myself that this would be a Hot Creative Summer for me. Texas surely delivered on the “hot,” as there have been few days that haven’t topped 100° since late June. Combine that with the rapture-esque political landscape and this has definitely been a hell of a summer. Bound to the house by the heat and relative unsafety of outside, it was apparent that I had a few options for how I could spend my time this summer. Books, music, and TV topped the list as the best brain breaks from writing and working on other creative projects. Keep reading to see what I’ve been jamming to and reading in recent months. Stick around to the end for my summer wrap-up playlist so you can experience all the songs I rave about below.
Akwaeke Emezi hive, please stand up 🙋🏽♀️
They’ve done it yet again! Of course it takes the God trapped in human form that is Emezi to churn out such captivating books that dream up possibilities for what revolution may look like in our lifetime. I’m currently making my way through their memoir, Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir and getting a glimpse into the way their mind works only enriches their novels Pet, Bitter, Freshwater, and The Death of Vivek Oji that much more for me. Their debut romance novel You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty up next!
Can I get unresolved mommy issues for 500, Alex
I’ve joked with many people that I’ve been on a big Mommy issues kick lately in my reading. The girlies that get it, get it. My TBR on this topic is ever growing with titles like “Crying in H Mart,” by Michelle Zauner “Memphis” by Tara M. Strangefellow, “Mom & Me & Mom” by Maya Angelou, and Joan Didion’s “Blue Nights.” I’ve read some really good writing on the complicated relationships many of us have with our first love (and probably first hater, bully, or disappointment as well). We put a lot of weight on our mothers, and these books started to peel back some of the layers of this complex ancient relationship.
What My Mother And I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence edited by Michele Filgate had my emotions all over the place and showed me just how complicated mother relationships can truly get. I may be cheating a little since I actually read this in January, but it’s the book that started me down the mommy issues rabbit hole.
Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow is a beautiful, vulnerable memoir that details what it was like for Chow to lose her mother at a young age and being left with her father and his quarks. While my situation was the opposite, I really appreciated seeing someone talk candidly about how the weight of grief impacts survivng spouses and children in different ways.
We Do What We Do in the Dark by Michelle Hart follows the main character as she enrolls in college after the death of her mother and falls madly in love with a professor at her university. As she continues on through life we see how the relationship with the older woman left a lasting mark on her view of the world and herself. Hart looks head on at the common dynamic of older queers igniting complex emotions in younger folks they entangle with, and I enjoyed seeing it play out.
Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans is probably my favorite poet collection I’ve read in a long time. I could (and probably will) give it its own essay. I’ve never before read a collection of poems that put into words so beautifully many of the confusing feelings I’ve felt about home, family, and community. If I had to share just one poem from the collection, it’s be this untitled piece:
Momma prays
like she’s talking over God,
and if God were to talk back
she wouldn’t even hear Him.
Let’s groove tonight 💃🏽
Music gets me through it all, every time. I’m proud of my music taste and get excited every time I see my listening expand to include more amazing, genre-defying artists. But for now, here’s what’s been on repeat this summer.
You already know. Move is that girl, along with the whole album. While people’s weird inclination to enshrine Bey Billion$ as some kind of working-class guru when she released Break My Soul made my ass itch, the album delivert as per usual. Actually, she might’ve topped herself, as Renaissance has been duking it out over B’Day for the top spot in my rotation.
If I was absolutely forced me to choose a favorite artist, I’d name Stevie in a heartbeat.
I admit, I didn’t give Cleo Sol the time of day for a long time thinking she had been pushed out of the light skint™️ R&B factory and was being forced on us. Little did I know I was sleeping on an album my soul needed, as evidenced by how much I had this whole album on repeat early in the summer. I won’t divulge the number of times I cried to it, but just now me and Cleo been through it.
Reggie is so slept in it makes me sad. This one right here y’all.
My boo had to listen to me singing “eat the pussy up (up), treat it like it’s lunch” once an hour for like a week. Aminé has delivered consistent bops on his last three albums, our Ethiopian King.
I be listening to Ms. Bailey Rae like this album came out in 2016 and not 2006. Timeless bops, truly. I love starting my morning with a warm drink, this album front to back (no skips), and a joint that I promise myself will only contain legal herbs before noon. I failed often on this one but hey, it’s summertime.
While I’ve always recognized their radio hits, I’m definitely late to the Stevie Knicks train overall. I play this and Landslide no less than 10x each time they come up in a playlist.
Again, repeat no less than 5x each time it came up for all of May and June. Something about this beat truly itches my brain. Also they were obviously singing about my gay Southern ass when they said “lavender incense aroma, peach ice tea arizona.”
Seeing Ravyn live in June made this long awaited album all the better for me. Her voice is truly magnificent - she’s got some lungs on her.
KAYTRANADA is a constant staple in this household as his particular brand of house music makes me feel like nothing else can. Inject this song directly into my veins, please and thank you.
My city been a hitmaker and GloRilla just continuing the legacy. Raise your hand if your summer has been successfully F.N.F. 🙋🏽♀️
Thanks for reading to the end! Leave me a comment to let me know your favorite read or song of the summer. As promised, a playlist to see you off.
Literally picked up Black Girl, Call Home at the bookstore the other day but I didn’t end up buying it. Definitely gonna go back and get it though after reading your reflection