Here’s my 2023 list!

Every year feels like a lifetime.

Looking at the first entries on this list, they never feel like they happened this year.

And to look back and see the influence of all this work on my person is wild.

Very grateful for every author here for pushing through to share what they shared with the world!

The World We Make — N.K. Jemisin

The second of the series and all the same feelings as the first. It left me with the motivation of being a tiny little seed or branch in my community and what that might look like overall. Love this!!

The City We Became — N.K. Jemisin

I loved this book so much. It was a beautiful escape from the day-to-day work ish that always tries to make its way into my head at the end of the night. Take that work bullshit LOL! Seriously this book is such a trip it was giving my wife such weird dreams she had to stop. Not like bad dreams but weird.

It made me miss New York. A place I only visited once and fucking loved / equally am like I could have done more while I was there!!! But I know I’ll be back. It’s so thoughtful and well-researched. It made me really thankful Barzan took me on the Staten Island Ferry that afternoon. Fuck I want to go back here! I keep thinking, I will. It will be for music, or writing, or film work… yeah cool or just go there ego bro!!

I love the heroes of this book. I love the battles. They are epic, but (and I don’t think this is a total spoiler), they tend to work out. It was a generally positive tone even with all the epic shit folks are battling and the undercurrents of the story so routed in white destruction and capitalism. She someone manages to hit all these points but keep it uplifting, which just felt good.

I Came All This Way to Meet You — Jami Attenberg

This book grabbed me at just the right time. I thought I knew where it came from but I guess not. Just searched and now it feels like it just showed up for me. Which is not true at all but feels good so I’m rolling with it! From reading the description of a memoir of a writer’s creative journey my mega-nerd dork self was hooked and I immediately ordered it at my local indie bookstore Antigone Books. It’s a really nice read and I’m happy to own it and go back to it again to reread my underlines where she’s speaking about all the why’s of art. The how’s. The vibes. Just the process super-well put together and so f’n honest. Lots of travel. Lots of struggle and lots of joy. It’s making me want to read her fiction and inspiring me to write.