NYWIFT Blog

Goodbye, winter caps—hello, summer hats! It’s that glorious time of year where many of us can switch from content creators to content consumers. NYWIFT members Mellini Kantayya and Kathryn O’Kane have put together #SummerHours, a series of fun summer books, movies, and TV shows by or about women.

By Mellini Kantayya

I have decidedly gone all-out-fan-girl over Issa Rae and her HBO series Insecure. I’m far from alone. In The Guardian review, writer Brian Moylan says, “There’s something quite remarkable about HBO’s long-gestating comedy Insecure. It’s the first pilot this season that comes close to perfection, the sort of show that leaves you feeling giddy, eager to tell all of your friends about it.”

Issa Rae in HBO’s Insecure

Indeed. But why stop there? I first discovered Rae through her 2011 web series The Mis-Advenures of Awkward Black Girl, which follows J, a likable twenty-something nerd, as she navigates laugh-out-loud uncomfortable situations, exacerbated by her own self-consciousness. The series has that fun-indie-film feel à la Clerks and you’ll buzz through the episodes quickly.

This summer, I am also looking forward to reading Rae’s New York Times bestseller, also titled Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Comedic luminaries Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling have both sung its praises, describing it as “brilliantly wry” and “lovably awkward” respectively.

(Cover photo by Bridgette Matthews)