Hey, party people!

Hope you had an awesome week. This letter’s format is hella-different. I’m presenting my first-ever (I think) Summer Reading List and instead of the Club Vault, I’m offering you two weekend playlists. Enjoy!

MY FIRST ANNUAL SUMMER READING LIST

These 10 books—both new & older—speak, in some ways, to issues of race, music, sexuality, and culture. They are listed in alphabetical order with affiliates links.

A Change Is Gonna Come - Craig Werner

A deeply soulful exploration of the gospel, blues, and jazz impulses in Black music.

Anna - Amy Odell

Craig Seymour, Black gay music critic @craigspoplife

Finished this 342 page book in 3 days. I came to it for ☕️. But I got a fast-paced, nuanced character study of a seemingly impenetrable icon. I learned invaluable lessons about decisiveness & overcoming mistakes (being wrong is synonymous w/ being human). Thank you, @amyodell 🙌🏽

Dilla Time - Dan Charnas

A brilliant blend of biography, critical analysis, and social/cultural history.

How You Get Famous - Nicole Pasulka

Craig Seymour, Black gay music critic @craigspoplife

Just finished @NicolePasulka’s How To Get Famous. It’s extraordinarily well-written & spills all the ☕️. Turning complex cultural history into an easily digestible, gripping narrative is nothing less than one of the most righteous forms of activism✊🏽🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ bookshop.org/a/21066/978198…

Just Above My Head - James Baldwin

The Baldwin book nobody reads, but everyone should: It’s got sex, race relations, gospel, & all kinds of gay.

Craig Seymour, Black gay music critic @craigspoplife

One thing about 👑James Baldwin: He was gonna sissy that walk!

Liner Notes for the Revolution - Daphne Brooks

Summer is a great time to tackle a big book, and this one shows the many ways that Black women have contributed to popular music, not just as performers, but as fans, businesspeople, archivists, etc…Truly illuminating!

Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination - Jack Hamilton

A thorough, highly readable examination of the racial myths surrounding Rock & Roll.

Shine Bright - Danyel Smith

Craig Seymour, Black gay music critic @craigspoplife

.@danamo's SHINE BRIGHT is the clap back that Black women in pop have needed since rock criticism was born.

Wrapped In Rainbows - Valerie Boyd

I’m not recommending this biography of Zora Neale Hurston because it was written by one of my best friends. I’m putting it here because it presents the challenges Black creatives faced in the early 20th century, and sadly, most are still relevant today.

The Warmth Of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson

I know, I know. This is the book you’ve been meaning to read or the one you started and didn't finish. But trust, you will learn everything (except much to do with queerness #shade) that you need to know about the culture African Americans built from unthinkable adversity.

MEMORIES

Memorial Day is special for Black, gay folx in D.C. Find out why in the piece I wrote in 1998.

WEEKEND PLAYLISTS

CRAIG’S BLACK PRIDE MEMORIES

CRAIG’S COOKOUT PARTY, 2022

AMEN CORNER

Stephanie Mills - “I Had A Talk With God Last Night”

Thanks for hanging out again. I hope you enjoyed the letter. Until next week, be cool, be kind, be creative, be yourself. Love, Craig

Craig’s Pop Life

Craig's Pop Life: 5.27.22