NovemberIssue 4 The Long TableReading SulaOpportunities Residencies for Black Women

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Little delights.

A literary lifestyle magazine by author Isis Bradford, with a monthly print magazine, a book club and twice-yearly retreats.

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We Should All Be Reading Toni Morrison! A Beginner’s Guide on Where to Start & How to Keep Going.

Her books have a reputation for being “hard,” but that’s part of the magic. As a writer who adores Morrison’s work, here’s which of her novels to read first (not Beloved) + practical reading tips!

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Reading Life · What I’m Reading
25thoughts

Reader Favorites

The Creative Life · Writing Life

If I Want to Be Creative, I Have to Be a Weird Bitch

A little essay about being a weird b*tch, loving God and a good cuss word, unfollowing whoever you want, and making a life that feels like yours—even when other people don’t understand it.
Sep 22, 202644thoughts
A woman looks out of a rain-streaked car window at night
The Creative Life · Short Stories

Tuesdays at Joe’s

A short story about love, loss, and the things we leave unsaid.
Sep 24, 202613thoughts
The Creative Life · Writing Life

I Sold My Instagram Account to Reclaim My Creative Life

After years of growing an Instagram audience to 100k, I felt increasingly disconnected from why I was online in the first place. So, I traded the pressure to create content for something quieter.
Oct 2, 202610thoughts

Reading Life

More Reading Life

A Christmas dinner table set with red flowers, gold glasses and candles
Reading Life · Reading Rituals

How to Set a Christmas Table That Feels Like a Novel

Candlelight, linens, mismatched vintage china, place cards with a line of poetry and a menu card, for a Christmas table that feels like chapter one.
Nov 6, 20261thought
Isis and her mother-in-law, her “mother-in-love,” in matching red plaid pajamas and antlers by the Christmas tree
Reading Life · Reading Rituals

In Defense of Matching Christmas Pajamas

Yes, they're corny, and yes, you should do it anyway. Here's how to pick a set the whole family will wear (husband and dog included).
Nov 5, 20262thoughts
Two little elf dolls tucked into Christmas mugs on a kitchen counter
Reading Life · Reading Rituals

25 Little Delights for December (One for Every Day Until Christmas)

An advent calendar of small, cozy and mostly free December joys, one for every day from the first of the month to Christmas morning.
Nov 4, 20261thought
A woman reading a book in a sunny window seat
Reading Life · What I’m Reading

Winter Reads by the Fire: Books by Black Women and Women of Color

Big, absorbing winter books by Black women and women of color, from The Vanishing Half to Black Cake and Homegoing, perfect for reading by the fire.
Nov 3, 20261thought
A copy of A Christmas Carol on a cozy blanket beneath a lit Christmas tree
Reading Life · Reading Rituals

Jólabókaflóð: How to Host Your Own Christmas Book Flood

Iceland's Christmas Eve book flood is my favorite holiday tradition. Here's how it works, how to host your own, and the books by Black women I'd gift.
Oct 22, 20262thoughts

Literary Travel

More Literary Travel

The USS Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park on Mobile Bay
Literary Travel · Literary City Guides

From Christmas Lights to Carnival: A Holiday Season in Mobile, Alabama

Christmas lights at Bellingrath, a MoonPie drop on New Year's Eve and the start of Carnival: how to spend December and January in Mobile, Alabama.
Nov 10, 20261thought
Woven straw bag on a mosaic table on a balcony overlooking Lake Atitlán and a volcano
Literary Travel · What I’d Pack

Gifts for the Traveler: 8 Pretty, Practical Things for Every Trip

A carry-on suitcase, packing cubes, a cashmere travel wrap, a jewelry case and more: pretty, practical gifts for the friend who always has a trip coming up.
Nov 6, 20262thoughts
Charlie the dog peeking out of his travel carrier on top of a green suitcase at the airport
Literary Travel · What I’d Pack

How to Travel at Christmas Without Losing Your Mind

Booking smart, flying on Christmas Day, packing gifts, carry-on tricks and a lot of grace for delays. Here's how to travel during the holidays calmly.
Oct 31, 20261thought
The Wiener Christkindlmarkt in front of Vienna City Hall, lit up at night
Literary Travel · Literary City Guides

My Christmas Market Wish List: Vienna, Strasbourg, Prague and More

My dream list of European Christmas markets, from Vienna and Strasbourg to Edinburgh and Bath, plus practical tips for visiting without the stress.
Oct 29, 20261thought
Champagne being poured into a row of flutes for a New Year toast
Literary Travel · Literary City Guides

New Year’s Traditions From Around the World

Twelve grapes in Spain, soup joumou in Haiti, black-eyed peas in the South and more. Here are the New Year's traditions around the world I love most.
Oct 27, 20262thoughts

On Screen

More On Screen

Promotional portrait of the four stars of the UPN sitcom Girlfriends in black dresses against a red damask wall.
On Screen · Rewatch Diaries

5 Lessons About Adult Friendship I Learned From Rewatching Girlfriends

Rewatching Girlfriends taught me five lessons about adult friendship, from loving flawed friends to grieving the ones who drift away.
Aug 27, 20261thought
A scene from Living Single: a woman in a black shirt mid-conversation in the warm, art-filled brownstone living room.
On Screen · Rewatch Diaries

What Living Single Taught Me About Running an Indie Magazine

I rewatched Living Single for comfort and found a business plan: what Khadijah James and Flavor magazine taught me about running an indie magazine.
Jul 14, 20262thoughts
A still from How Stella Got Her Groove Back: two women in wide straw hats sitting on a bench in the Jamaican hills.
On Screen · Style & Spaces on Screen

The Dreamiest Hotels in Black Movies, Ranked by Whether I’d Actually Book Them

Last Holiday’s Grandhotel Pupp, Stella’s Jamaica resort, the Girls Trip hotels in New Orleans and Coming to America’s Waldorf, ranked by whether I’d book.
Mar 13, 20261thought
A few moviegoers scattered across rows of red seats in a nearly empty theater, watching an animated film.
On Screen · Watchlists

Going to the Movies Alone Is the Best Treat in Town (Here’s How to Do It)

Why a weekday matinee alone is the best treat in town: the empty theater, the solo movie date, my little rituals and a few matinee manners.
Jan 7, 20261thought
A woman in a denim jacket and apron at a kitchen sink, looking back over her shoulder in a warm, lived-in kitchen.
On Screen · Style & Spaces on Screen

The Dreamiest Kitchens in Black Movies (and What I’m Stealing From Each One)

Soul Food, Waiting to Exhale, The Photograph, Love & Basketball and more: the kitchens in Black movies on my mood board, and what I’m stealing from each.
Sep 21, 20251thought

The Literary Circle

More from The Literary Circle

The Creative Life

More from The Creative Life

A floral spiral notebook and a pencil on a gray stone tabletop
The Creative Life · Opportunities

Writing Residencies With Spring Deadlines (March to May)

Writing residencies with deadlines from March to May 2027, from Millay and Hedgebrook to Ragdale and Bellagio, with fees, stipends and fine print.
Nov 14, 2026
A small house by a river below a hillside of autumn trees
The Creative Life · Opportunities

Writing Residencies With Summer and Fall 2027 Deadlines

Writing residencies with summer and fall 2027 deadlines, from Storyknife and Switzerland’s cabins to Provence, plus one for Black women closing Nov 19, 2026.
Nov 12, 2026
A snow-covered wooden cabin seen through a window as snow falls
The Creative Life · Opportunities

Writing Residencies With Winter Deadlines (December to February)

Thirteen writing residencies with deadlines from December 2026 to February 2027, with fees, stipends and who each one is really for.
Nov 12, 2026
A sunlit attic studio with a writing desk, a wooden armchair and a cart of books
The Creative Life · Opportunities

Free Writing Residencies (No Fee to Apply or Attend)

Twelve writing residencies that cost nothing to apply to or attend, from Lake Como to Switzerland and a Black women writers' fellowship.
Nov 12, 2026
A fountain pen resting on a lined spiral notebook on a wooden table
The Creative Life · Opportunities

Writing Residencies That Pay You: Stipends and Fellowships

Fourteen writing residencies and fellowships that pay a stipend, cover travel or both, from $175 a week to $1,250 a month.
Nov 12, 2026
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Mail Club · a paid paper subscription

A little literary delight, in your mailbox

A 32-page print magazine, a companion booklet and an original watercolor print, made by hand and mailed to you every month, plus a seat in the book club. From $16.99 a month, US & international.
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A retreat guest on a rooftop terrace overlooking an Italian city

Retreats

Read, write, and wander together

Small-group reading and writing retreats for Black, Indigenous, and other women of color: slow mornings, good books, time to write, and somewhere beautiful to do it.

Join the waitlist