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Or, January 2026 Highlights
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Reader,
Yesterday I was so caught up doing chores I somehow forgot to post here. No worries, because I was able to see a media round up that inspired this post.
Going forward, I’ll be sharing a monthly highlight reel as I work towards recreating Aisha’s Fighting the Brain Rot 2025 series. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to YouTube soon (I miss being there, and weekly videos may be manageable) along the same lines (yes, I spoke to sister about this) so here are some media highlights from January 2026.
On the reading front, I have some intentions and, starting next month, I’ll use the 5 goals in this blog post to measure my reading progress. Before then:
Books
I finished 11 books in January. I’ve started doing weekly book reviews on the blog so you can read extended thoughts there.
Some highlights:
I finally read La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono. I’m tempted to re-read it because I’ve seen some negative reviews since I finished it and I’m curious to look at it with new eyes
I want a copy of Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself by S. Bear Bergman; illustrated by Saul Freedman-Lawson. So much good stuff!
Lovers of absurd literature: get into Hangman by Maya Binyam!!! I don’t know how I didn’t know of it earlier but I recommend Brittle Paper round-ups 🙂
Folks curious about India from an outsider’s perspective: try The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco
Films
I only watched the one - Foundling (2025, directed by Nina Podlesnyak) which I watched on YouTube with my nephew - and I absolutely adored it. I’m hoping to get back to watching a short film a day so please send short film recommendations and feel free to share accounts ;)
Essays
I read a few essays due to the 1000 Nights Challenge (which I discuss here) and there were some stand-out ones. I try to write about all the ones I read but there are some gaps because I live in a society. Here are some I’ll be thinking about:
The New Literalism Plaguing Today’s Biggest Movies by Namwali Serpell via this Afrocritik article - I love writing about media and this will sit with me for a while
Why are Americans Afraid of Dragons? by Ursula K. LeGuin - this came to my attention via this tweet during the annual wildness that is reading wrap ups. I immediately sent it to the homie and now I intend to read the book it appears in.
A lesson in coexistence by Toby Green via Ory’s newsletter - this was an education
‘There were a lot of threads working against this happening’: How Stevie Wonder’s joyful hit song changed the US by Diane Bernard - I read this on my birthday and it gave me a deeper understanding of “the Black Happy Birthday song”
Nollywood Needs NollyTube, But Does NollyTube Need Our Brains to be Turned Off? by Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku via the Afrocritik article above - I have been offered NollyTube films in the past and now I view them with some depth thanks to this. Yet to watch one (!)
A Portrait of Building A Body by Nathan Shuherk - this mix of the personal and historical is the sort of writing that is in my top 5 non-fiction loves
Poems
Resolution #1,003 by June Jordan - long time fave, always a good read at the beginning of the year
Strange Waves of Pleasure by Meeraji; translated from Urdu by M. A. R. Habib - very sexy poem, ok???
The Broken (I) by Kei Miller - this really resonated
Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward (Among them Nora and Henry III) by Gwendolyn Brooks - me when I read this: exactly, exactly!!!
sisters by Lucille Clifton - gotta love a sibling poem!!!
No More and No Less by Mahmoud Darwish; translated from Arabic by Fady Joudah - my first Darwish and it will not be my last!
Short Stories
Birthday Party by Katharine Brush - small story, big feelings
Old Wounds by Edna O’Brien - family drama!!!
The Red Girl by Jamaica Kincaid - this is gay, I will not be explaining
A Handful of Dates by Tayeb Saleh; translated from Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies - oof, this always hits!
The Torn Veil by Mabel Dove-Danquah - magical realism folks to the front!
Feel free to send reading and watching recommendations (better yet, share a library card!) - community is always the best way to discover great work
Quick news/ things that may be of interest:
Treat someone you like (me, for instance, I have a Switch) to the Tiny Bookshop Game (which is also on Discord)
Subscribe to my WhatsApp channel for texts I find while I spend time online
Film folks: Solidarity Cinema, for your consideration
If you’re in the Global North and would be open to engaging in the North-South solidarity that is sharing a library card, please email or message me so we can figure things out. Thank you!
The Queer Liberation Library 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️, which is free to join here
Digital Library of Korean Literature, which is free to join here
Film folks: Check out the Japan Foundation’s JFF Theater online streaming platform
How to Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the visually impaired
Links to Reading Lists, Free Books, Book Recs, Book-related Items, and Calls for Submissions in this document (most recent links at the top)
Since Elon seems to want (some of) us gone, I’m trying to post more often on Bluesky. Follow me there if you’re on it!
You can send me books, postcards, letters, and assorted items via PO Box 102439, Jamia Posta 00101, Nairobi, Kenya (I write back!)
I have finished two books since I last wrote to you: Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (e-book and audiobook narrated by the author) and The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco (e-book). I’m primarily using Storygraph now (passively updating Goodreads as I read most e-books on Kindle via the library) and I hope to get back to making videos soon.
As ever, please write back to me and tell me what books you’re reading or looking forward to reading — it’s always a great time talking about books.
Thank you for reading 🙂
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Enjoy the week ahead and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!