“In case you weren’t satisfied by the Netflix’s Tiger King documentary series, or the reunion episode, or TMZ’s Tiger King investigation, or that podcast about it, then maybe you’d be interested in reading about it. According to Joe Exotic’s husband Dillon Passage, the controversial zoo owner is spending his 22-year prison sentence writing a book. However, it’s apparently less about tigers and more about his difficult childhood, and now all they need is a publisher.” Calling all publishers! “Poetry has been speaking to me and for me these days. It has been an anchor, keeping me from drowning in despair and fear of the unknown. I am turning to poems like one calls up an old friend who always knows what to say. I am handwriting notes to loved ones and including lines from poems that have touched me, made me smile or reminded me that hardship, uncertainty and loss are nothing new to this world, that people — poets — have come before me and left on record how to survive. I often say that I was raised by poets, I grew up memorizing their words and writing my own. They left their stanzas as gifts for me, as roadmaps to find my way.” Listen to Black women, and turn to poetry. “Whether you’re climbing the walls, anxiety-watching the news, or simply lying in bed at night, wide-awake because shelter-at-home has completely thrown off your sleep schedule, you’re probably in need of a little escapism. And nothing screams full immersive escapism for me like sitting down and watching the super long director’s cuts of the Lord of the Rings movies. No matter what, watching Sam and Frodo fight to make it to Mordor always serves to distract my frazzled brain just long enough to actual relax a little. But what if you’ve made it through all of Tolkien’s works on the page and screen, and are craving something else? Luckily, lots of authors have taken their cues from this master of fantasy and built expansive, all-encompassing worlds of wonder, whimsy, and darkness. Get ready to journey into parts unknown with these five fantasy reads.” The Shire ain’t the only whimsical place, after all.
