i’m not even exaggerating when i say i’m not sure where april went. between our last month of programming, getting ready for the summer, and all of the spring events in the city, the month was over before i ever got a grasp on it.

april highlights

fellows a19 celebration / lots of friday night porch sessions / give 365 finals / lots of runs in overton park and along the river / went to a 901fc match / saw captain marvel / skypes and face times with old friends / easter weekend in nashville / aziz ansari show / offsite work days with alex / leon bridges concert / baby shower for keith and trenika / beale street caravan fundraiser / bridge builders graduation and year-end celebration / rajun cajun crawfish festival

april books

i only read two books in april because i got super distracted by game of thrones, but they were both great.

the heart of a woman by maya angelou. the fourth book in angelou’s autobiographical series dives into her move to harlem with her son, her work with the harlem writer’s guild, and her time as the northern coordinator for the southern christian leadership conference. she also shares her relationship with an african freedom fighter and her move to africa to be with him. as i keep saying, the more i learn about her the more fascinated i continue to be, and i look forward to continuing with this series.

india was not just a country you visited, it was a country that sank into your blood and stole a part of you.

the mango season by amulya malladi. one of the great things about moving all of my books from my parents’ house to mine is that i have discovered a number of books i’ve owned for years but have never read, including this gem. the story of priya, returning to her homeland of india after seven years in the states, resonated with me in so many ways. so many of her observations of india after time away are experiences i have felt as well, and while i did find myself frustrated with her from time to time i also empathized with her. this was a good one.

the best things i watched

i had a friday off and treated myself to an afternoon at the theater with captain marvel. i knew nothing of carol danvers’ story, so it was fun for me to meet new characters and also see a few familiar faces. i have not yet seen endgame but look forward to doing so soon.

i made it through seasons 3 and 4 of game of thrones and am on my way to catching up just in time to then binge the final season. trying to figure out what took me so long but also appreciating being able to watch it all at once — it definitely helped me pass a 9-hour layover at the denver airport last week.

i am a huge fan of brené brown, so i was thrilled to find out she was making a netflix special. alex, neva, and i watched the call to courage together, and it was fantastic.

the best things on the internet

rather than removing a diorama with historical inaccuracies, the american museum of natural history chose to use it as a teachable moment.

my african food maps seeks to educate people about the differences in african cuisine and make it more accessible to people around the world.

i love this idea of having a small wedding ceremony and then multiple “deconstructed receptions” in the months after.

why we need to stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up.

touristy things this author still does after 5 years of living in new york.

the best of the snl portraits.

have questions about prince harry and meghan markle’s baby? the ny times has you covered.

happy may!

xx