More 2024 Favorites

I try to keep blog posts short, but after listing all of the books I loved, I still had many other favorites to share. Here are some favorite newsletters, podcasts, shows, movies, and music I've loved this year.

Newsletters

a few pages from my Draw Together sketchbook

Draw Together Wendy Macnaughton and her GUT (Grown Ups Table) provides amazing art and mental health prompts for anyone who might want to feel a little more alive in life. 

CRAFT by Jami Attenberg is a great space for writers and that's where she runs her #1000words projects where writer's put down #1000words a day for a certain number of days. 

I also launched Take A Minute with Hazel Kight Witham, a newsletter about LAUSD's no cell phone policy. Each week we take a minute to reflect on how phones and tech have impacted our classrooms and relationships. 

Podcasts

The Stacks: Traci Thomas is a reader and she loves to talk books. She's been doing this since 2018, but I just found The Stacks this year which allows me to cherry-pick episodes with and about authors and books I love. My favorites: Ep. 90 Book Club conversation about Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson with Jason Reynolds, Ep. 204 A Journey South with Imani Perry, and Ep. 292 Writing Toward Beauty with Jesmyn Ward. 

On Base with Mookie Betts: I mean, how could I possibly love Mookie more? Well, if you listen to his podcast, you will probably love him more too. He just started this last season so he only has two, but every episode is a gem. My favorites have been the episodes with Hunter Green, Kiké Hernandez, and Dave Roberts. 

Poetry Unbound: These 20 minute poetry essays are the best, and I could listen to host Pádraig Ó Tuama talk about anything. He starts each episode by reading the poem, then discusses and dissects it. Then, he reads it again. Every time, it's a wonder how the poem changes my perspective. 

Others I listen to regularly include: Reckon: True Stories with Kiese Layon and Deesha Philyaw, Code Switch on NPR, and Vibe Check with Zack Stafford, Saeed Jones, and Sam Sanders. 

Shows I streamed until there was no more left: Shrinking, Hacks, Abbott Elementary. Shows we're in the middle of streaming: The Bear, Pachinko, Great British Bake-Off, Survivor, The Simpsons. 

Movies (we honestly didn't watch many) but we liked Wicked and Inside Out 2.

Music I listened to (because Kiara had the aux.) and also music I ended up liking: Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS, Sade's catalogue, Liz Phair Exile in Guyville, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar.

Top 10 Song Playlist: "II MOST WANTED" "Murder On The Dancefloor" "bad idea right?" "HOT TO GO!" "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" "Double Bubble Trouble" "Not Like Us" "squabble up" 

What did I miss this year? What are you loving?