enjoyables
Here are some things I’ve been enjoying lately & want to share:
the readable:
Michelle Tea is one of my favorite writers and I devour her work immediately—be it a full length memoir, an article, an interview, a podcast. I’ve read Valencia and The Chelsea Whistle at least 3 times each, and I still daydream about seeing her read at the Warhol nearly 20 years ago, and later via the Sister Spit tour. This is her latest book all about her adventure in becoming a mother as a queer person at the age of 40. I read along when she originally documented her experience via a series of articles for xoJane, long before I started my own journey of motherhood. Her story is badass and honest and beautiful, and I highly highly highly recommend. Finished this one in under two days.
This small collection of poems arrived unexpectedly in my mailbox from friend & fellow mother Karryn. Some things are all about timing, and receiving this book was one of those things. I was in the throes of my postpartum blues, feeling lonely and uninspired and misunderstood/isolated. Liz Berry’s poems on motherhood are meditations on the page for me. Instantly, I felt seen/heard/understood, and as a writer, inspired to document my own journey. In overwhelming moments, I’ve picked the little book up and let myself get some reassurance from her words. Her style reminds me a bit of Sharon Olds and Marty McConnell—two of my favorite poets. As Karryn did for me, I’m looking forward to gifting this book onward to a new mother.
From 2021, this is a 15 part investigative series by Cerise Castle delving into the history of gangs within the Los Angeles Police Department. Small summary:
There are at least 18 gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Officials at various government agencies, including the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, the California Senate Senate Subcommittee on Police Officer Conduct, and the United States Commission on Civil Rights have heard testimony on the violence inflicted on communities at the hands of deputy gangs for decades. And yet, there have not been any internal investigations or significant policy changes to address the issue. Deputy gangs have killed at least 19 people, all of whom were men of color. At least four of them had a mental illness. Los Angeles County keeps a list of lawsuits related to the deputy gangs. Litigation related to these cases has cost the County just over $100 million over the past 30 years.
The article includes a database of known deputy gang associates within the LAPD, which is wild. Name, affiliation, and badge numbers.
Samantha Irby is another writer that I love—I will read whatever she puts out there. Who’s on Judge Mathis Today is part of her substack—she watches and recaps episodes of Judge Mathis and it is a goddamn delight. Case in point:
i love these women so much i might actually start crying. patty says that when she wrestled the dentures away from the dog they were all chewed up (omg the irony) and she has to “put a lot of extra stuff up there in them” to get them to stay in her mouth so she can eat. okay i’m not gonna go off on too much of a tangent about it but this kind of thing is why medical shit should be free. my girl shouldn’t be relegated to a life of soup because cujo wanted a speck of pastrami that got caught in her denture trough! patty says that santa told her not to let the dog out when her dentures were out but patty said she smokes too much to keep locking the dog up, plus she trusted him because once he snatched her dentures when they were on the coffee table but all he did that time was lick them and put them back. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
greg, who is completely beside himself, says “if you knew the dog liked dentures why would you leave him alone with them?” and patty is like “they were in my purse!” and the judge responds “if a person likes something and they steal, they’re gonna look for it until they find it! you let a thief in your house? they’re gonna look until they find what they’re looking for!” and now i’m picturing a little shih tzu or whatever creeping around the living room with a flashlight like “omg where did she put them TEETH???”
the whatever-ible
I listen to a lot of podcasts. Lately I’ve been enjoying Thresholds. Thresholds is “a series of interviews with writers and artists about the transformative experiences (surprises, crises, existential freakouts, u-turns, breakthroughs) that have shaped their work.” So many interviews with writers I love—Ocean Vuong, Hanif Abdurraqib, Jericho Brown. As a writer, this is the kind of podcast I daydream to be on.
Other podcasts in my rotation:
Professor Blastoff—the archives are on Stitcher Premium if you have it
Attitudes! - political comedy podcast hosted by Bryan Safi and Erin Gibson
Slow Burn Season 6: L.A. Riots “For the sixth season of Slate’s Slow Burn, Joel Anderson returns to explore the people and events behind the biggest civil disturbance in American history—a story that’s still playing out today.”
From the site itself:
Founded by mother-daughter duo, Elisa Goodkind & Lilly Mandelbaum, StyleLikeU is a platform for radically honest docu-style videos that give voice to role models who stand proudly outside of norms and are comfortable in their skin.
Their “What’s Underneath Project” on youtube is a favorite - found here
Ron Funches Comedy Stand Up Special "Giggle Fit"
Ron Funches is hilarious. If you need a laugh, go and watch.