let's catch up
i'm penciling you in my calendar right now for a noella update
i’ve been struggling with perfectionism. maybe i’m choosing the incorrect word to describe how i’m feeling, but it’s somewhere between too much outward perception of myself and my personal self-doubt. it prevents me from sharing any thoughts on my newsletter or recording my dj sets for soundcloud, and i can blame poor time management skills or undiagnosed adhd all i want but i know the answer.
to be fair, many factors contribute to my stress, anxiety, and lack of usual online presence, so it feels natural that it’s led to a lack of creative inspiration or motivation.
life has been lifeing recently with unemployment, loss of health insurance, fatigue and frustration related to the presidential election, and overwhelming personal life matters, and my interest to write has felt more like a chore. following a recent conversation with my friend, i’m beginning to feel motivated to share more on my newsletter and fight my urge to write perfectly.
it helps that i’ve been reading some substack posts from my oomfies and friends that have left me feeling refreshed. (see ellice, clarissa, madison, natelegé, steffi, brendon, and ayan) god, i just love knowing talented people!
if you’re in the mood to read, i’ve written a lot about black culture this year.
i'm finally claiming my identity as a black gamer girl for popsugar
i’m a black vegan. why don’t you see more of us? for vox
how the hbcu marching band tradition sets students up for future success for uproxx
blk mkt vintage chronicles a decade of love and intention in new book for home & texture
in addition to my newfound inspiration, i’m really proud of myself for partaking in five literary nights this year, and i’m currently searching for a nyc-based writing group to scratch the creative writing side of my brain.
overall, i enjoyed my summer! perhaps i’ll write a post about that, maybe you’ll just have to talk to me privately about it. i dj’d a lot, cried a lot, danced on so many dancefloors, and spent lots of time outdoors.
aaaaaaaand if you’re in the mood to dance and fortunately live in nyc, meet me and my friends on the dancefloor in november!
sat, nov 23: i’ve been listening to a lot of r&b this fall, so i’m thrilled to play some 90s and 2000s hits at this r&b night at all night skate
fri, nov 29: i’m throwing a roku city themed party at wonderville and probably playing lots of house music! please come and bring your roku remotes (but don’t lose them)
ICYMI: my bestie and i went b2b at moodring for slick down and we recorded it!
things on my mind lately
agatha and rio’s mystery tension in episode one of agatha all along. i’m holding myself back from an immediate rewatch — mainly to spare myself from the agony of the cringe scenes that come with a marvel project — but gay marvel fans have been paid dust since brian tyree henry’s heartfelt role as phastos in eternals.
speaking of marvel, i have a bone to pick. i’ve had a draft discussing the mcu and their recent string of poor decisions that have led me to denouncing my standom. do you know what that means for me?? a loki stan that has tied my personality to my nerdiness for over a decade? icymi: blade (20??) has been indefinitely delayed as of last month, and i fear that kevin feige is wasting mahershala ali’s talent and beautiful face. between my frequent yearning for black vampires and my admiration for blade (2000), i was thrilled for this remake. perhaps i’ll finish the draft one day…
the eusexua music video by fka twigs. everyone shut the fuck up! eusexua winter is upon us!
recently, the timothee chalamet lookalike contest occurred in new york city, and i caught up on what i missed irl thanks to aiyana’s reporting for teen vogue. according to a text i received from her that morning, she’s “on the timmy beat” at teen vogue, which honestly feels so on brand for her. read her exclusive interview with the formerly-arrested timothee lookalike here.
claudia in interview with the vampire, season two played by delainey hayles. another rewatch is creeping upon me…
this year’s projects by southern women in hip-hop, specifically monaleo, latto, flo milli, megan thee stallion, doechii, and jt.
shadow in sonic the hedgehog 3 trailer (why is he kinda…)
i love halloween. a majority of my halloweekends were spent doomscrolling on tiktok and twitter to see the slightly-overwhelming amount of chronically-online costumes. this post by taylor lorenz provided context to the history of the meme costume, and steffi’s recent newsletter defended this year’s costumes since everyone allegedly hates gay halloween. i personally think that we should have a costume-oriented holiday every other month, because i fear that there is too much interest in only dressing up for one (maybe two) halloweekends. in reality, i just need to visit more comic cons.
articles i’ve enjoyed reading
a day in the life of a teenage asylum seeker by tess garcia for teen vogue
black women reinventing the remix by natelegé whaley for scene serene
the most sought-after travel guide is a google doc by kate lindsay for thrillist
hi bestie by walden green for dirt
where all the young black girls in new ya shows and movies? by ayan artan for teen vogue
fellow freelancers: don’t marry rich, organize! by amy littlefield for the nation
socialite summer by evie for eviemgoodman
the case for pole dancing in the olympics by celia ford for vox
not having kids means i get to support my friends who do by ashley c. ford for romper
being the floater friend is not the end of your social life, actually by aiyana ishmael for teen vogue
chat soon, xoxo