February Reading | Watching | Expecting
Shrinking (Apple TV+): This comedy is from the Ted Lasso creators and Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent!) and deals with grief and loss, and is strongest when portraying men and their coping, their emotions, their friend and familial connections or lack thereof (like Ted Lasso). I watch this show for two reasons. I think it’s one of the best things Harrison Ford has done in decades - glimpses of the actor I loved in my youth, the sarcasm and charm he brought to Hans Solo and the charm, humor and vulnerability of his character in Working Girl. In addition, Jessica Williams (watch her in season 2 of HBOMax’s Love Life, The Incredible Jessica James, and of course 2 Dope Queens), her scenes with Ford and everyone else, make this show worth the watch for me.
Women Talking (Book and Movie): I very much recommend the book Women Talking by Miriam Toews. I can’t say I enjoyed reading it when it first came out, because it’s sad and angering - the circumstances and conversations in that book, are striking, moving and real. The movie adaptation, written and directed by Sarah Polley, was the same with very strong performances.
Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns: This comes out today and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it and couldn’t put it down. It packs quite a punch. Damani is a rideshare driver trying to make ends meet, find love, deal with her mom’s health and bills, and the every day humiliations of being/existing in this capitalist white supremacist society.
In February, it was poetry that I devoured!
Unshuttered by Patricia Smith: This new poetry collection by Patricia Smith is inspired by old photos of Black people Smith found over the years. Only two photos had actual names of the individuals pictured, so she wrote the poems based on history of locations of the studios and what she could decipher of the dress and year of photos. The pictures are also included with each poem it inspired.
Promises of Gold by José Olivarez: A friend introduced me to Olivarez by gifting me his Citizen Illegal collection a few years ago and I’ve been a fan since. This new collection is wonderful, funny, and moving, and in my opinion, a love letter to the men in his life. Also the entire collection is printed in English and Spanish and the letter from the translator was amazing to read on its own.
Dyscalculia by Camonghne Felix: Felix’s debut poetry collection, Build Yourself A Boat, was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award. This new collection was impressive - about love, mental illness and her own diagnosis, and I read it twice this month just to sit with some of the poems.
Super Sad Black Girl by Diamond Sharp: Another excellent collection dealing with mental health struggles.
Quiet by Victoria Adukwei Bulley: a new poet to me, I enjoyed this collection and this poem particularly.
March Previews
Drama Free by Nedra Glover-Tawwab: This book (out TODAY!) is waiting for me in my mailbox right now and I can’t wait to dig into it, because who doesn’t have issues with family!? Her first book, Set Boundaries Make Peace improved my life and relationships (work and personal) along with her instagram wisdom - I return to her work, her wisdom and guidance regularly.
Ted Lasso 3rd and Final Season is back March 15th: I want to know how they wrap up the show especially for Sam, Nate, Roy and Keely, Rebecca, Dani, even Jamie. Will Dr. Sharon be back? Honestly I think more folks need therapy in that show! Breaking down the heavy burdens of masculinity in society is something this show does well and I love the friendships portrayed in the show too. I enjoy this show and also acknowledge its limitations - especially around race.
Fat Ham Comes to Broadway in March!: Fat Ham is a contemporary take on Hamlet that takes place in the American South at a family bbq. It premiered at the Public Theatre in 2022 where I was able to see it and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I laughed, cried and even danced! It is the first National Black Theatre production to get to Broadway where previews start March 21st! Given the track record of Black written, produced, and centered stories on Broadway (not good), I hope Fat Ham has a long ride on Broadway.
“For all that Ijames dismantles in Shakespeare’s original text, he builds it back up into something that’s more — more tragic but also more joyous, more comedic, more political, more contemporary. It dons the attributes of Shakespeare that make it classic. “To be or not to be” becomes a different kind of existential query. It’s not a question of life or death, but of who we can decide to be in a world that tries to define that for us: Can you be soft? Can you be queer? Can you be brave? Can you be honest?” - Maya Philips New York Times Review