march 2026, spring fling

It's spring in Seattle. Baseball is back, spring quarter of my MSW program is back, and the desperate urge to throw out all my clothes and buy ones that, this time, are definitely clothes I'll like and wear forever... is back.

This month was the fastest March I've ever lived, and looking back at my camera roll to figure out what to write here hasn't been helpful. It's like a bunch of pics of Asa, screenshots from the Lindy West gossip, bad pictures of nice restaurants, and weird dolls from work.

[books i read]

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (2022) | Quick summary: A mom makes one less-than-ideal decision and is sent by the state to a camp of moms who have also made bad decisions.
When I finished this book, I wanted to throw it against the wall, in a complimentary way. A few weeks after I finished this book, I watched A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) and thought about Emmanuelle multiple times.
[literary fiction, dystopian fiction, social work, written by a first-generation chinese-american novelist and author, longer read]

"If they're having their own baby, why do they need hers?"

Black Spokane: The Civil Rights Struggle in the Inland Northwest by Dwayne A. Mack (2014) | Quick summary: As it sounds, this is a book about Black history in Spokane, Washington.
I'm not at all from Spokane, but I am from Washington State, and I do find it annoying when people act like we don't have Black people or Black history here. We certainly do, and it's a rich history! So I picked this book up to read about the east side of the state's Blackness. (No Rachel Dolezal jokes will be tolerated! It's infuriating that she's the Black representation for Spokane!)
[nonfiction, civil rights law, written by a Black professor of history, editor, and author, medium-length read]

The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan (2015) | Quick summary: A semi-autobiographical portrait by a fucked up guy struggling to love.
I'm pretty sure I know this book because of Leslie Jamison, one of my very favorite writers, but I didn't fact-check that. Regardless, I've owned it for years because someone I admire admires it.

This was the only crime: boring people.

I didn't really know what to expect going in, but was floored by and envious of McClanahan's writing and even more so, honesty. A banger. I love the most fucked up of the fucked up. (Again, compliment.)
[fiction, dark humor, written by a white american writer, economist, explorer, and martial artist, shorter read]

Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care by Dr. Shelley Sella (2025) | Quick summary: Stories about late-term abortion from an abortion doctor.
I'm personally long past (was I ever even there?) needing stories to convince me of the need for abortion to be accessible. But that doesn't mean I don't love reading stories, especially from impassioned abortion providers. I love Shelley Sella. I might write to her after reading this. Though I typically devour a book in about a week, I read this one over the course of months. I can't wait to add it to my abortion bookshelf.
[nonfiction, reproductive rights, abortion read, written by a jewish, brazilian-american board-certified OB-GYN, and the first woman to openly practice third-trimester abortion care in the US, medium-length read]

Wednesday's Child: Stories by Yiyun Li (2023) | Quick summary: A story collection about loss, aging, and life.

Narantuyaa was lucky—she has mothered him, yet she was not his mother, and he had grown up to be her closest friend. 

Short stories can really hit, and can also really not hit. I thought the writing across the board in this book was fantastic, but I already don't remember the heart of most of the stories, if any of them.
[fiction, stories, written by a chinese-born writer and professor, medium-length read]

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (2019) | Quick summary: A woman takes a job from a former roommate, entailing dealing with her two strange stepkids.
One of my best friends gave me this book, which is one of my favorite ways to read. I thought about her a lot, reading this book about a woman "nannying" two kids who are capable of spontaneously combusting. The writing is gritty and realistic, despite it all. As someone who loves kids, especially kind of fucked up kids, this book was For Me. (Thanks, Nelson!)
[fiction, stories, written by a chinese-born writer and professor, medium-length read]

[books I heard]

You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Other Stuff I Should Only Tell My Therapist by Kari Ferrell (2025) | Quick summary: A memoir by "the Hipster Grifter," Kari Ferrell.
I came across an interview with Ferrell and decided to stop listening to it and check out her book instead. I love to read about the indie sleaze scene and could read millions of memoirs of women taking advantage of men. I don't condone Ferrell's actions across the board, but I did delight in her admission and introspection.
[nonfiction, memoir, written by a korean-american adoptee, producer, writer, speaker, activist, and creator, longish listen, read by the author]

Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win by Marshall Allen (2021) | Quick summary: A guide on how to avoid predatory medical bills.
This was a "boring," but informative listen by someone who has been fucked by america's healthcare system and wants to make sure you also aren't. I need to buy it and not just listen to the audiobook. It'll be a good reference for life!
[nonfiction, health policy, written by a white journalist, read by the author]

Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks (2018) | Quick summary: The real story of a woman who was vilified after leaving her kid in a car for a few minutes during an errand.
If you know me and what I'm all about, it's this book. It's the way we make it impossible for people, particularly women, to parent in a society where we strongly encourage, if not literally force, women to be parents. I was mad but not surprised listening to this book, and am lowkey obsessed with the "family advocate" she befriended. Should I be a family advocate???
[nonfiction, motherhood, sociology, written by a white author, read by the author]

Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams (2026) | Quick summary: The history of Black-owned bookstores.
This was such a good read. I think Adams did such a great job of writing this story and following it through the present day. Once again, my heart was broken reliving the support white people showed Black people and their passions in 2020. It should have never happened like that, and I so desperately wish that support had been sustained.
[nonfiction, Black history, book history, written by a Black award-winning journalist, read by Shayna Small]

[what I recommend]

• If the family policing system also pisses you off: The School for Good Mothers, Wednesday's Child, and/or Small Animals
• If you like to read about parenting: The School for Good Mothers, The Sarah Book, Beyond Limits, Wednesday's Child, and/or Small Animals
• If you want to learn more about reproductive justice and abortion: Beyond Limits
• If you like a good memoir: You'll Never Believe Me
• If you support Black: Black-Owned

Does survival count as progress?
The School For Good Mothers

And that's all we are. Candy bars and stars.
The Sarah Book

That, she thought, was civilization: tears shed for a fictional spider and a fictional pig, rather than for a child who nearly got slaughtered like a pig. Wednesday's Child

A wicked child was the most beautiful thing in the world.
Nothing To See Here