Spring 2026 Choice Cuts
Or, Why Public Radio is Better Than Podcasts
Happy June and welcome to Choice Cuts! Here, I’m giving you the best that I’ve got: my thoughts on life, books, music, movies, and culture.
This is my monthly wrap-up, where I reflect on five good things from the month prior. Today I’m recapping the Choice Cuts from March, April, and May.
March was a whirlwind. I traveled for 17 out of 31 days of the month, to Los Angeles, Austin, and Georgetown, Guyana. I went to LA for Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood, where I produced an incredible conversation between Bozoma Saint John and Brooke Devard about trusting your intuition. In Austin, I attended the IHeartPodcast Awards, where I won my second award in as many years for Naked Beauty, a podcast about beauty and culture I’ve produced for the last three years. And in Guyana, I watched my friends say their vows during a blackout and discovered the glory of sorrel and rum.
April was incredibly chill by comparison. I enjoyed a few really delicious spring days in DC, where everything felt so GREEN and new. My nephews visited me on their spring break, which I used as an excuse to act like a kid. I raced them up the hill at the Washington Memorial, but stopped short of rolling down with them because I remembered that I’m grown and grass makes me itchy. I spent a few days in New York for work and had a delicious dinner with my friend Mallori at Markette, a modern Caribbean restaurant helmed by Chef India Doris.
In May, I traveled to Atlanta for our second wedding of the year (2 down, 2 more to go!). My friend Kayla got married to the love of her life, Syed, and I got to show off my college bhangra team dance moves, so it was an excellent night for all involved. May also included a trip home to Virginia for a baby shower, a karaoke session with Tembe and Connay, and the launch of a new podcast I’m producing, called Take Your Time.
On to five good things from Spring ’26…
1. Losing You by Solange Knowles
Every Spring, I rediscover the song ‘Losing You’ by Solange Knowles and proceed to run it into the ground. This Spring was no different. Losing You is a single from Solange’s EP, True, which I’ve been obsessed with since it came out in 2012. Despite the subject matter, the song is effervescent — it makes me want to dance. This year, Losing You became a part of my travel routine. I play it after I check into my hotel and dance around my room, just to feel something. Something about the song draws out the 15-year-old version of me that first heard it, and suddenly, my anxiety dissipates.
2. Goop Kitchen
When I was in Los Angeles, I did an informal (read: unpaid, unrequested) assessment of Goop Kitchen, the latest iteration of Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness brand. In many ways, Gwyneth represents the journey from Person to Celebrity to Brand, which is, of course, the modern American dream. The Goop Kitchen website boasts of preservative-free marinades and salmon from fjords in Norway, so the whole operation feels very apt for our health-paranoid, time-limited society. I travel constantly, and I’m always looking for options that are reasonably priced, delicious, and high in fiber. So, I decided to put Goop kitchen to the test. Over the course of a week in LA, I sampled the goop teriyaki bowl, GP’s turkey bolognese, the green beans and caramelized shallots, the garlic-roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, and the teriyaki salmon hand rolls. I hate to admit it, but everything I tried was delicious. The only negative feedback I have is that the green beans were undercooked. Maybe Gwyneth’s calling was in fast casual dining all along.
3. JMM Sunglasses
While I was in Austin, I decided to treat myself to Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses, a little gift from me to me for getting nominated for my second iHeartPodcast award. I don’t usually buy expensive sunglasses, but I’ve been itching for a really good pair of semi-tinted lenses. I went in with an open mind and asked my sales associate to pull funky, colorful glasses. I tried on several pairs and walked away with the ‘Ann’ frames. Three weeks later, I lost said sunglasses by leaving them on a table at a BBQ restaurant. Reader, I could not live without them. I promptly re-ordered the sunglasses, they shipped to my home two days later, and I am once again whole.
4. Tanya Mosley x Jill Scott for Fresh Air
Public radio is in the background of my earliest childhood memories. My uncle’s radio would turn on at 5 AM, cycling through the BBC World Service, Morning Edition, and the BBC News Hour while we all got ready for school and work. Then, in the afternoons and evenings, Fresh Air and All Things Considered were the backdrop as I did homework at the kitchen island. Recently, Fresh Air has started publishing on YouTube, and I’ve fallen back in love with listening to the “radio” thanks to Tanya Mosley’s incredible interviewing skills. I particularly loved the conversation she had with Jill Scott for the release of her new album. They talk at length about Jill’s girlhood dreams and how it feels for Jill to realize those dreams as a woman. I’ve been throwing on Fresh Air episodes while I cook in the evenings, and it’s been a great reminder that most podcasts pale in comparison to good old-fashioned public radio.
5. The Best Compliment I’ve Gotten All Year
Dacy Gillespie featured me in her newsletter, Unflattering, and gave me the best compliment ever. She writes, “Her style is obviously delightful, but even more than that, she seems to have an enviable sense of “bien dans sa peau” or feeling good in her own skin.”
Isn’t that so kind? Dacy asked me some great questions about my style; it was so illuminating for me to sit down and really think about my approach to fashion and why I like what I like. Read the full profile here!
One Great book:
Leave Your Mess At Home
Leave Your Mess At Home is a novel by Tolani Akinola (her debut, at that!). I toted this novel to NYC with me and tore through it on the Amtrak. The book is a formidable debut. The plot is propulsive, and I found myself thinking about the characters in between reading sessions, wondering how things would resolve for them. As the title implies, the book is messy. The story centers around the kind of family dysfunction that often goes unnamed and unresolved. Akinola writes about themes of estrangement and abuse with real care and an excellent sense of humor, and I’m excited to see what stories she’ll tell next.
Okay, you’re all caught up. How was your Spring? Comment or email me back about the Good Things you experienced. We have to savor the sweetness!
X Mbiye