Song of the day:
Ah, Friday…we meet again…
Yesterday in my office I decided to pull up the YouTube playlist from my Nathan Angelo house show a few years back so I could have some nice music while I was working on some documentation. I knew it was good, but I’d forgotten about all the banter before songs. I may just do the same thing today because it was so, so nice. Nice to hear the music, of course, but also nice to think back to that day. It was truly magical.
I loved having house shows before COVID changed the world. It was such a cool experience having my favorite musicians playing in my living room for just me and my friends. I’m hoping that one day I can host them again. Though to be fair, I’ve bought a lot of furniture during the pandemic so my space is not quite as big as it used to be, but I’m pretty sure I could make it work. Maybe some day…I just don’t know at this point. I know that I would definitely require vaccines and boosters and negative tests before doing it and that just adds a layer of complexity that takes some of the fun away. Still, fingers crossed I can make it happen again one of these days.
#FridayReads
I finished this book last night but wanted to share anyway because it was so, so good. This is a collection of short stories that all connect in one way or another, and they’re all happening in the middle of a blackout in New York City. I absolutely loved it!
Black History Month - Did you know?
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to publish a book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in 1773. Born in Gambia and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston when she was 7 years old, Wheatley was emancipated shortly after her book was released.
“Bars Fight,” written by poet and activist Lucy Terry in 1746, was the first known poem written by a Black American. Terry was enslaved in Rhode Island as a toddler but became free at age 26 after marrying a free Black man.
Clotel: or, The President’s Daughter, was the first novel published by an African American, in 1853. It was written by abolitionist and lecturer William Wells Brown.
(Source: Oprah Daily)
Video of the day:
Honestly, I’d forgotten about most of these and #1 made me laugh out loud. Please enjoy.