Latest Posts

11 Striking An American Marriage Quotes. No Context.

Published by Tolani

During a 7-day hospital stay (which we will address soon), my bookmark remained, hopelessly, at page 29 of Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage. Every time I’d pick up the book to read, someone would come to visit or I’d fall asleep. And other times, with my book across the room, I’d have to wait for someone to unhook my IV at which point—at long last, free from liquid-pumping bondage—I’d run and pee and then (because, such is life) forget to grab my book on the way back. I gave up on the task, in retrospect, way too easily. Read More

16 Brilliant Tweets on Childish Gambino’s This Is America

Published by Tolani

Sunday morning, I woke up to a frenzy of tweets hailing Childish Gambino as a genius. If you happened to have been watching SNL or catching up on Atlanta and witnessed the brilliance of his alter ego Donald Glover— this is not news. What many of us were not expecting was for Childish Gambino to enrich our lives and minds with new music. Embedded in a tweet, I watched a two minute clip in which an ever-gleeful, dancing Gambino (moves was real smoove though, not going to lie) extinguishes a group of choir members with an automatic rifle in 3 seconds, flat. Jaw-drop. Heart-sink. Not the ideal visual for a Christian girl to witness on a Sunday morning. To be perfectly honest, I was bothered. But recalling Gambino’s perplexing music video catalog, I sensed there was a lot more going on here than gratuitous violence.

…Alright, Mr. Gambino. You have my attention.  Read More

Raiding Zoey Johnson’s Closet

Published by Tolani

Along with her A Different World-esque Black-ish spinoff, it’s only right that Zoey Johnson’s wardrobe rise to the standard set by its predecessor. Not only did we look to Denise Huxtable for inspiration during her tenure on The Cosby Show but once on A Different World, we also got Whitley and her “bad and bougie” outfits, Dwayne’s African touches, and—let’s admit it—Ron’s bright silk shirts even captured our attention.

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25 Thoughts & Questions I Had While Watching That CRAZY LEGION Premiere

Published by Tolani

Marvel X-Men fans, if FX’s LEGION has flown under your radar you need to get your life. Visually awe-inspiring, delightfully trippy, confusing AF, of all of the Marvel shows and films out there, LEGION is unlike any you have and ever will watch. In season 1, we meet the eccentric and catastrophe-prone, David Haller—AKA LEGION, an omega-level mutant with crazy-intense telekinetic abilities and a split mind. We’re still trying to figure out what all that means. If you haven’t watched season 1, stop reading now. All eight episodes are available on Hulu. Watch them and then watch them again (because I promise you, you’ll be confused after one viewing). For those of you in the know, I have some things I’d like to discuss with you. Read More

8 Bookstagrammers You Need to Follow Right Now

Published by Tolani

At the end of  a Book Club Influencer panel, I approached Glory Edim—founder of the Well-Read Black Girl universe and—leaving all professional agenda behind—stuck out my hand and said, “I’ve just always wanted to meet you.” Can you blame me? Glory’s busted the entire world of well-read black girls wide open, promoting black women writers and creating a community for girls like her (like us). By doing this out of her sheer love of books, she’s revealed to publishers the value of black women readership. Naturally, her Instagram is booming with 68K followers (because, if you didn’t know: we show up where we’re represented). This brand of black girl magic is so pervasive that the likes of Lena Waithe was caught wearing a Well-Read Black Girl tee-shirt in her Vanity Fair feature.  Read More

HWIL: Issue No. 005 — Books Not Bullets

Published by Tolani

Black Students at Stoneman Douglas High Hold a Press Conference on Gun and Police Violence

“I don’t think anybody’s intentionally excluding them, but nobody’s intentionally including them, either…”

 

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David Hogg Calls for a Boycott of Laura Ingraham’s Advertisers

And um… wow, Hulu, Nutrish and more are pulling their ads.

Why Sherman Alexie’s Sexual Misconduct Feels Like a Betrayal

“In addition to the women he wronged, Alexie let down the writers of color who needed his help, and the Native writers he eclipsed.”

The Best Black-Owned Restaurants in America

Eat your heart out…

SOCO in Brooklyn, New York

Black Girl Magic All Up & Through the NYT Bestsellers List

Elizabeth Acevedo, Angie Thomas, Tomi Adeyemi…

How to Forgive Those Who Have Harmed You

“Healing is the way to all things good and prosperous.”

Happy Friday, Friends

5 Simple Work Hacks for the Scatter-Brained

Published by Tolani


When projects get out of hand, when the team is short-staffed, when plans change—I have to admit, I haven’t always had the capacity to pick up the slack when called to do so. These periods end up highlighting how much I’m actually lacking the organizational skills needed to handle curve balls and, well, move up in my career. And when these curve balls come, my over-thinking brain cannot handle it and I shut down completely.

Toward the end of 2017, I was able to observe the tricks of some of the most organized people I work with. And while I still haven’t covered all the bases, these 5 little changes have made a major impact in my workflow.

Read More

HWIL: Issue No. 004 – More Dora Milaje Means More Black Girl Magic

Published by Tolani

The Dora Milaje Are Officially Getting Their Own Marvel Spinoff

The Queens Live

Life Lessons from the Financially-Driven Millennial

The best articles on money—the advice may surprise you…

Lena Waithe Changing the Game in Vanity Fair

…while rocking a Well-Read Black Girl tee

Literary Sleuths for Fans of Jessica Jones

Read! Recommend! Repeat!

Advice for the Black Traveler

“Be brave, travel, experience and live.”

Check Out My Bookstagram

@TolaniHerShelf (get it?)

 

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Happy Friday, Friends

Life Lessons from Gabrielle Union

Published by Tolani

Don’t side-eye me, book lovers and publishing folk, but I spent almost all of 2017 hoarding books and not really reading any of them. On one such book-hoarding occasion, I got to hear Gabrielle Union speak about her memoir, We’re Going to Need More Wine, at an event sponsored by CBS University, the CBS Diversity Counsel, and the CBS Women’s Networking Group. I walked away with a free copy signed by Gabrielle Union herself, right before my eyes. Read More

HWIL: Issue No. 003 – Americanah Miniseries from Our Fave BP BFFs

Published by Tolani

Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira Team Up for Americanah Miniseries Adaptation

Currently accepting applications for the Lupita to my Danai.

 

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Infinity War to Come Out a Week Earlier Than We All Prepared For

We’re. Not. Ready. (But this Twitter thread is everything.)

Amandla Stenberg Walked Away From Black Panther Due to Her Skin Tone

“That was really challenging, to make that decision, but I have no regrets. I recognize 100 percent that there are spaces that I should not take up and when I do take up a space it’s because I’ve thought really, really critically about it and I’ve consulted people I really trust and it feels right.”

 

The Poet X by Slam Poet (and fellow GW alum) Elizabeth Acevedo Is Out Next Week

Watch her below, she’ll wow you.

 

Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o in Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates at the Apollo Theater

Couldn’t get tickets, went home alone and cried myself to sleep.

THE SLUMFLOWER (AKA Chidera Eggerue) Announces Her First Book!

See My Favorite @theSlumflower Tweets

 

Happy Friday, Friends