Reads + Repeats 01

what i'm reading and what's on repeat

Hi friends! I’m interrupting (or rather adding to) our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a new series. Released on the first Friday of every month, Reads + Repeats is a short roundup of the books I’m reading and music I’m listening at the moment. Feel free to share what you’ve been listening to or reading in the comments, you might help someone discover a new artist, learn about an upcoming release, or find the perfect book! Regular It’s Lit posts will continue to go out every second and fourth Friday of the month, so be on the lookout for a new piece next week! As always, thank you for being here :)

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The Reads

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop

This book was so good that I literally couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting at the end of September (it’s only about 145 pages).

Perfect if you’re looking for: a short read, something haunting and slightly terrifying (just in time for Halloween), an “unreliable” narrator, a character study, African folklore and oral storytelling

Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman

My best friend and I each bought a copy of this book a couple months ago with the intention of reading it together. We just started and I’m loving it so far.

Perfect if you’re looking for: something genre-defying (read more about critical fabulation in Hartman’s own words here), black feminist scholarship, counter-histories, a book that can keep you company on a long car ride or flight

Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston

Very few writers have been able to write about black people the way that Zora Neale Hurston did. The stories in this book feature everything from love triangles to murder to hoodoo.

Perfect if you’re looking for: a collection of short stories, Southern black literature, something with satire and humor, black folkloric and oral storytelling traditions

“i am not done yet” - Lucille Clifton

This is one of my favorite poems of all time, it warms me up inside. With the shift in the weather, I find myself returning to it often.

i am not done yet by Lucille Clifton | Published in Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969 - 1980 (1987)

The Repeats

My playlists transition with the seasons. As we enter into fall I find myself gravitating towards more jazz, more R&B, more songs that radiate warmth.

“Monologues” - Ogi

I saw Ogi perform in March as an opener for Snoh Aalegra. I was gripped by her deep, soulful voice and insane stage presence (espeically in a venue like Radio City Music Hall). “Monologues” is her debut EP and the perfect soundtrack for a car ride on a bright, crisp fall afternoon. I also love the cover art!

VENOLOGY - Venna

A couple weeks ago I discovered Venna, a saxophonist and producer from London. I haven’t stopped playing his 2021 debut album VENOLOGY since.

“yield” - cktrl

Another jazz find, cktrl’s latest single “yield” is one that I think you should watch him perform.

Chanel Loren

Do you ever get in a mood where you’re tired of all the music in your library and just want to listen to something new? I found myself feeling like this early in September so I spent about three days looking for new artists to listen to. Chanel Loren appeared and has been a staple in my early fall playlist. With a sound that’s both nostalgic yet fresh she’s perfect if you’re a fan of alternative R&B! My favorite track of hers so far is her latest single “Rollin”.

“Doves” - MAVI

MAVI’s sophomore album, Laughing so Hard, It Hurts is dropping this month and I can’t wait to hear it. “Doves” is the forthcoming project’s second single. The track has an aqueous, jazzy beat over which the MAVI raps effortlessly. If you’re the type of person that looks for and appreciates lyricism then you should check out his discography.

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That’s all I have for this month’s Reads + Repeats! I’d love to hear about what you’re listening to or reading in the comments.

Thanks for reading and talk soon,

-Yeaye