2017 in a nutshell: I learned how to just get through when it came to work; I woke up before the sun came up and read, surpassing my goal of reading 24 books in one year (!); I wrote very rough drafts of three chapters of my novel; put away some money (though not as much as I would have liked); went to therapy for the first time; traveled, protested, called my senators, donated time, donated money; and planned for a cross country move, making compromises/decisions along the way.

But enough about me, what I really want to share is the writing that I stumbled upon online this year which fed me. If you have the time, I recommend making yourself some ginger tea and reading through word for word. For whatever reason, these essays and articles (and one podcast and one piece of fiction) took hold of me and have been stored away in the back of my mind ever since. Hope you enjoy.

Home is a cup of tea  /  The gap between memory, desire and (ugh) reality  /   The work you do, the person you are  /  How homeownership became the engine of American inequality  /  The ungrateful refugee  /  Let's talk about babies  /  Failing at important things  /  Under the apple tree

Lastly, I can't end this post without mentioning SZA's Ctrl, which I listened to more times than I can count (also fell in love with Juana Molina's Halo, which is great if you ever need background music while working). Played at full volume, it can make you forget about this world we live in; a wonderful escape, if only for a moment.

And with that, onto another year, which means more writing and more art that gets us through and more working to make things better and hopefully in many ways, more of the same. Hoping you're well!