What I'm Reading: March

Let's talk books and clubs, and maybe a book club

Ah, March. Between the massive amounts of pollen covering my car and the increased sweat on my edges making any attempt at laying them futile, we know spring is making its way early, despite what a certain underground rodent predicted. The sun is shining, the bugs are out and I finished all my books in a February that didn’t feel quite as Black-History-Month-ish as I expected it to.

A win is a win.

This month feels like a fresh start, and I’m ready to dive deeper into the books I’ve chosen for March. I stayed with three because three feels good, two for me and one I’d like to read with you if that’s ok? With this being a space to get back into the joy of reading, I want to make sure we’re engaging in a way that’s full of curiosity and play. So I propose: let’s experiment with a book club of sorts.

I know, book clubs can feel like a lot. It’s one of those things, like our TBRs, we start with good intentions and along the way we get overwhelmed, and the next thing we know we’ve got another previous joy to add to our anxiety pile. I don’t want that here, you don’t want that here, maybe we can just…not do that here? Let’s find a book we like, and talk about it. You know, like normal humans talk to each other about what they like and don’t like, and it doesn’t have to be weird, ok?

*pausing for consent because we love consent here*

Ok! I love this for us.

So, moving forward! Three books, including one to read together, and we’ll figure out how to talk about it. Leave me a comment, let me know what you think! IG Live? Chats on substack? Zoom? Wait. Please don’t pick Zoom. Scratch Zoom. Suggest something besides Zoom. Ah, we’ll figure it out. For now, check out my March picks down below and see if you’d like to add another to your list with me :)

I’m So Fine: A List of Famous Men & What I Had On - Khadijah Queen

My bestie, Willie, gifted me this book years ago when I was trying to figure out my own voice in prose, and I come back to it constantly as it calls. This work makes me feel SEEN, full caps, in a way I’ve only ever felt in femme rap—this book is an Eve song with a Mia X feature, aka my personal dream. It’s a lyrical stream of consciousness that doesn’t feel like 96 pages, and I’m rereading it this month to spark the spring in my pen. It also pairs really well with the book club pick for this month if you’re looking for something to get you out of a writer’s block.

Post-Traumatic: Chantal V. Johnson

Dialogue Books usually has some heavy hitters, so when they dropped their line up of paperbacks this year, I immediately ran to their IG to save the post (because we all have saved folders on our IGs that are carefully organized around concepts and themes, right?). This book was front and center and to be quite honest, I identified heavily with the cover. I get it. Me too, sis, me too. Then I saw it described as “violently funny” and “a new kind of survivor narrative, featuring a complex heroine who is blazingly, indelibly alive”, I knew it was a book I needed to read. I’m currently waiting on my local library copy to become available. So, if you’re reading this and you’ve got that copy, I’m not rushing you or anything but…it’s been a month boo.

And now for our book club pick of the month!

*drum roll, please*

Black Women Writers at Work - Edited by Claudia Tate

If you’ve been anywhere near a Black Woman writer lately, you probably already know about this book, but if not, I’ll fill you in. This is the OG, the holy grail, the vital information for your everyday life in book format. This book is the blueprint—a literal gift and guide from our literary foremothers on how they create a literary life—but also an amazing resource for interviewers, as Tate’s intricate questions provide the space for the breaths of life we get from each woman. I think this would be fun and special to read and discuss together, right? I’m interested in hearing what everyone learns, what gets confirmed for you, what new things are being considered after reading it. I think it’s perfect for Women’s History Month too—two birds, one stone!

Don’t forget to leave us a comment below and tell us how you want to talk! Remember: this is all an experiment in joy, so let’s have fun with this and play a bit.

Until next time <3

AsiahMae, often stylized A$iahMae, (they/she) is a Black, southern and queer poet and community organizer with roots in Georgia, South and North Carolina. A multi hyphenated artist, their background spans across film, curation, production, performance and language arts. They are currently serving as the Second Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC.