Lala's (KalaLea) List: January 2025
Greetings friends, family, strangers and foes.
I hope all is well and that you’ve had moments of peace in this New Year.
For the past few years, I have been sending personal emails to stay connected—especially to my friends & family who live in various parts of the planet and now I’m using a different platform. For newcomers, I’m KalaLea aka Lala and this is my way of sharing parts of my personal art + media diet. The things that keep me inspired and engaged on a quarterly basis. I’ve made the move to substack to share with a wider community in a more formal way.
I hope you find something below in moments of downtime. Let’s go.
First the personal/professional:
Last summer, I resigned from my job with the New Yorker Radio Hour + WNYC. In the six years as a full time radio producer, the lessons were plenty and the teachers were many of the writers, editors and fact checkers at the New Yorker. I’m ever so grateful. Two of the segments I’m most proud of were my very first pitch and one of my very last pitches:
(1st) American Exiles in East Africa (a story of two Black Panthers (a couple) living in exile) Part One / Part Two
(last) An interview and live music performance with the phenomenal Cécile McLorin Salvant
The original plan was to teach at CUNY, my alma mater, and work on a few personal projects before looking for another job but the stars had other plans for me. Now I’m with Malcolm Gladwell’s company, Pushkin, working on a multi-part series about the Reconstruction Era. Not sure when it will launch but I’ll keep you posted.
Personal: I wrote and created this 3-minute Audio Flux story about my brief relationship with my one and only pet, OJ the Scaredy Cat (not his real name). It was presented at the 2024 TriBeCa Film Fest in New York City. Follow Audio Flux on IG for more news and short audio docs.
LALA’s (long) LIST
14 AUDIO PODCAST SERIES RECOMMENDATIONS
Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the New York Police Dept (NYPD). explores where the police came from by Crooked Media. Excellent series!!
The Wonder of Stevie by Audible (it’s worth the $20)
Letters from Sing Sing by ABC News
Things Fell Apart (both Seasons are great) by BBC
You Didn’t See Nothin’ by Invisible Institute (2024 Pulitzer Winner)
Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News by Slate
The Queen (as in welfare queen) also by Slate (first aired in 2019)
She Has A Name with Tonya Mosley by American Public Media
Hitler’s Olympics (Part 1 of 9) by Pushkin (Malcom Gladwell’s Revisionist History)
Reclaimed: The Forgotten [Negro Baseball] League by ABC Audio
The Godmother (life of Eunice Carter) by iHeart Media
The Fifth Branch by Tradeoffs
Sacred Scandal - Nation of Saints by Cultura Network
The Good Whale by Serial and NY Times
The Disney Dilemma by Vox’s Land of Giants series
SOME PODCAST NEWS
Al Jazeera launches global true crime video podcast. Hmmm. Isnt’t that just a true crime documentary? What does this mean for podcasting?
STAND UP COMEDY
True story:
Before Twitter became X, I recall a tweet that read something like this:
Name something that is unintentionally racist, but racist nonetheless?
Best response, imo: Winter.
Matt Richards | Canada is Canceled
Eva Evans | I Don't Date the Poor
Kellen Erskine | Negative Comments
NEW-ish PODCAST SHOW
Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong’o by Lemonada Media
HAPPY BELATED 100th BIRTHDAY JAMES BALDWIN
What James Baldwin can teach us about Israel, and ourselves by Code Switch
Robert Jones Jr. on How his radical honesty gave permission to be myself
Turkey Saved My Life - Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971 - BK Public Library
Notes on a Native Son - an audio series about the enduring influence of author and activist James Baldwin featuring the voices of those he inspired including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Nikki Giovanni, Bryan Stevenson and more.
NOTABLE AUDIO INTERVIEWS
Trevor Noah’s podcast with Ta-Nehisi Coates: Have We Missed The Message?
Nikki Giovanni on Talk Easy
Sarah McBride on the Fight for Trans Rights on New Yorker Radio Hour
AIRGO’s Lester Spence, Hustle-Knocker And Scholar Of Black Neoliberalism
Padma Lakshmi also Talk Easy
The Truth About America | Noura Erakat interview:
The documentary ISRAELISM is available on YouTube for FREE. Must watch!
CONVERSATION STARTER:
What are your experiences with Gen-Z? Does the content below track with your experience?
PODCAST SINGLE EPISODES
But first, I feel strongly pulled to revive this episode by Green Dreamer from 2023.
How can we better create community or collective living? A great example is this men’s group, Noname’s Book Club or SURJ, a racial justice org for white people.
The Fridge Light by CBC - Catch of the Day
Luigi Mangione & America's pent up pain on NPR’s Code Switch
When To Call A Thing What It Is? by Question Everything
It’s Been A Minute by NPR: Your date gave you 'The Ick?' That might be a YOU problem. (for cuffing season)
Shikata Ga Nai (It Cannot Be Helped) (ft. Mike Shinoda) - In a miraculous turn of events, Noor meets a group of Japanese American elders who were forced to live in US internment camps during WWII.
When [Jimmy] Carter called out America by Today Explained - Carter’s words here are more resonate and necessary today than in 1979 when he first gave his “Crisis of Confidence” speech.
The Alford Plea by Radiolab (criminal justice)
Audiofiles: What’s it like? “Chained to Marriage” by CUNY’s Craig Newmark Journalism School
This is the Case of Henry Dee by This American Life
The Breathing Expert: Breathing Through Your Mouth Can Cause ADHD, Diabetes & Child Sickness! with James Nestor by Diary of a CEO
This Is Love by Criminal Productions - The Kinseys (a love story)
Also, WNYC’s Notes from America, a 3-parter about the recovery of Hisham Awartani who was visiting family in Vermont over Thanksgiving break in 2023 when he and two of his friends were shot.
A Palestinian-American Victim of American Gun Violence Becomes A Reluctant Poster Child
Still In Recovery From Being Shot, Hisham Awartani Commits To a Summer of Activism
A Year After Being Shot in Vermont, Palestinian Student Hisham Awartani Sets His Sights on Home
2 SOCIAL MEDIA MENTIONS
The Gen Z Historian Kahlil Greene was awarded a Peabody.
Arms Embargo Art Kit on IG
MAGAZINE OF BLACK POLITICS AND CULTURE
5 NOTABLE BOOKS
Loca by Alejandro Heredia - Loca follows one daring year in the lives of young people living at the edge of their own patience and desires. With expansive grace, it reveals both the grueling conditions that force people to migrate and the possibility of friendship as home when family, nations, and identity groups fall short. (What a beautiful story and Alejandro’s writing is exquisite. Out in Feb!)
Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank by Justene Hill Edwards - The story of the Freedman’s Savings Bank of the mid-1800s and how the pioneering bank failed after less than a decade, due to a financial crash and mismanagement by an all-white board of trustees. (An incredible story from the era of Reconstruction)
NY Times review | Marketplace audio interview with the authorBreath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor - The book provides a historical, scientific and personal examination of breathing, with a specific interest in contrasting the differences between mouth breathing and nasal breathing. I liked listening to the audiobook on walks. The author’s Diary of a CEO interview.
Rest is Sacred by Octavia Raheem - Concise, potent, poetic messages of inspiration, direction, and encouragement for you to embrace rest and reflection as a deep spiritual practice.
The Matter of Black Lives Edited by Jelani Cobb and David Remnick - A anthology collection of The New Yorker‘s writing on race in America—including work by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Hilton Als, Zadie Smith, and many more. I was gifted this book last year and have finally made time to read the incredible work by New Yorker writers/contributors in one book.
NEW NOVEL COMING SOON (MARCH 2025)
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Abdulrazak Gurnah (Afterlives) returns with his first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2021. Set at the turn of the 21st century in Tanzania, Theft follows Karim, Fauzia and Badar, three young people lacking support from their families attempting to make their lives in rapidly changing Zanzibar.
11 (mostly) NETFLIX TV SERIES
Missing You - What would you do if your ex disappeared and came back into your life after 11 years
Black Doves - a six-episode spy thriller set in London
Average Joe - Joe must decide how far he’s willing to go to give his family the life they’ve dreamed about. Will he risk it all?
100 Years of Solitude - The literary masterpiece by author Gabriel García Márquez is the story of the Buendía family, tormented by madness, impossible love, war, and the fear of a curse that condemns them to solitude for a hundred years in the mythical town of Macondo.
Later Daters - six oldeer singles searching for love with the help from their family and friends plus an experienced dating coach.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandals - When Ashley Madison, a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs, is hacked, millions of users' intimate data is exposed, wrecking marriages and destroying lives. 3 fascinating episodes.
The Mind Explained (I often watch this while cooking) - Our minds are capable of great things, but they can also undermine our best intentions. Delve into the science behind creativity, brainwashing and more.
The Upshaws (Part 6) launching January 9th - funny, family-oriented sitcom on Netflix.
How Not to Die Alone (HULU) - an airport employee who’s never been in love and forgotten how to dream, until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living.
Tore (Netflix) - How do you deal with the loss of the most important person in your life - while trying to figure out who you are?
Bad Sisters (Season 2 on Apple) - This series follows the lives of the Garvey sisters, who are bound together by the premature death of their parents and a promise to always protect one another. I suggest starting with Season 1.
FILMS UNDER 2 HOURS-ISH
We Grown Now (Netflix) - In 1992 Chicago, imaginative best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, but their unbreakable bond is challenged.
Kneecap (Netflix) - story of Irish “rappers” taking on the establishment one rhyme at a time.
Exhibiting Forgiveness - an admired American painter who lives with his family, excavates beauty from the anguish of his youth. His path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father. Incredibly moving film!
His Three Daughters - estranged sisters reunite to care for their ailing father.
Rob Peace - a brilliant young man risks everything he's worked for to free his imprisoned father.
Your Lucky Day (intense/violent) - set on Christmas Eve in a small convenience store, a hostage situation breaks out over a $156 million lottery ticket.
Rafiki (friend) - “Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki want more. Despite the political rivalry between their families love begins to blossom, and the girls are faced with choosing between happiness and safety.
The Instigators (over 2 hours) - funny, smart and action-packed - Two reluctant partners: a desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to rob a corrupt politician's ill-gained earnings. But the heist goes wrong.
The Six Triple Eight (2h7min) - An army captain (Kerry Washington) leads her historic battalion of all-female soldiers as they face a mission unlike any other: to restore hope to WWII’s frontlines by delivering over 17 million backlogged letters. Based on a true story.
I’m still wading through this list: 25 Great Indie Films Overlooked in 2023.
4 TV/FILM UPCOMING RELEASES
Mo (Netflix Season 2 on Jan 30, 2025) - Desperate to return to his family, Mo juggles asylum troubles and side hustles as his relationship with Maria is threatened by an unruly rival.
You Hurt My Feelings (feature film) - an author begins to question her happy marriage and successful career after overhearing her husband's candid reaction to her latest book. It’s not great but it’s an easy watch, and at times, funny.
Paradise (HULU on Jan 28, 2025 - Featuring Sterling K. Brown, this series is set in a serene, wealthy community inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high stakes investigation unfolds.
White Lotus (MAX Season 3 airs Feb 16, 2025) and the actor and writer Natasha Rothwell will be returning as a guest at the hotel in Thailand this season.
In the meantime, Saturday Night Live’s Black Lotus …
WEB SITE FOR BOOK RECS (Black-owned)
Storygraph - a social cataloguing web platform for books, serving as a competitor of Goodreads.
2 FOOD RELATED MENTIONS
Season 7 of Chef’s Table on Netflix is live. The episode with Kwame Onwuachi, owner of Tatiana at Lincoln Center in New York. I have yet to experience the menu but it’s on the list for this year if we can get a reservation.
When I’m in Tanzania, my snack or cheat meal of choice is: Chips Mayai or Zege in Swahili. It’s scrambled eggs poured over french fries with whatever fixings you like. Delish!
6 MUST WATCH DOCUMENTARIES
HIGHLY RECOMMEND ART EXHIBITION AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM
(ends January 19, 2025)
Elizabeth Catlett: The Radical Black Artist America Exiled | Video Essay
and seeing this reminded me of another brilliant artist, Augusta Savage.
MUSIC - 1 SONG / 3 PERFORMANCES = FOUR
Seun Kuti (son of Fela) - T.O.P.
Virgina Rodrigues - Amor, Meu Grande Amor
Doechi on Tiny Desk
Black Pumas on KCRW Live
EXERCISE - MY CURRENT WINTER MORNING ROUTINE
20-minute Full Body Cardio HIIT workout with Juice & Toya
And finally with the U.S. inauguration close at hand, pay close attention to PROJECT 2025, a plan already in motion. Stay informed as much as you can handle, stay connected and remain vigilant.
Please send word when time allows, wishing you well!
How are you and your people? What are you up to?
What do you need/want for yourself in 2025?
How are you feeling about life and the world these days?
Do you have any recommendations for me or requests for the Spring list?
Sending positive, healthy vibes your way!!
Lala > KalaLea.com
p.s. SOURCES / WAYS TO SUPPORT or GIVE WHAT YOU CAN:
BIRDS FOR GAZA - Community art project for children to craft a unique handmade bird for each child killed in Israel's war on Gaza.
THE YEMENI LISTENING PROJECT by The New Humanitarian Project (and here is the 100 voices project)
SEMAFOR AFRICA - 2024 saw more than 160 anti-government protests
MERCY CORPS - How can individuals make a difference when challenges are so big?
GAZA/PALESTINE - reach out if you have specific desires, there are multiple ways to donate or boycott.