Brain Food #3
March 2026
Welcome to (or back to) Brain Food — a monthly roundup of media favorites from me + some creative gals whose art/work/creations I hugely admire.
Brain Food was born with the idea of bringing more people together through a shared love of media and of shining a light on creatives whose tastes I think are worth paying attention to.
I hope something here makes its way onto your watchlist, reading list or listening queue — and if you’ve discovered anything great lately, please feel free to leave your own list in the comments!
❤︎ Dancing on My Own by Robyn — I treat this song like a daily supplement, as in I have to listen to it to have a good day. I haven’t listened to her new album yet, but I’m excited to.
❤︎ The God of the Woods — Admittedly, this is the only book I read in March… I’ve been in such a reading rut. But I got through this almost 500-page mystery novel in three days. I literally could not put it down. Would absolutely recommend it to anyone also looking to get out of a slump.
❤︎ library180 — My friend Mia brought me along as her +1 to her library180 appointment this month, and thank god because you have to book that out like it’s a doctor’s appointment (Mia made the appointment four months ago). We got to look through incredible magazines and art books from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s… it was endless and magical. My favorite find was the June 1996 edition of Interview, cover star Patti Smith.
❤︎ I went to Paris this month, and I’m using that as an excuse for not consuming much media. Instead of consuming media, I let Paris consume me.
❤︎ Grace Byron’s whole substack, Female Small Business Owner. Specifically this essay called Look Mom, I’m a Hegelian E-girl which I think was a really great POV on Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash and books of that ilk (I’ve never published a book so you know hats off to the structure of LL deserves applause, and I personally really did not like it). Grace says it best: “Satire isn’t protection from scrutiny.”
❤︎ Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel. I never read it before because my family business is a psychiatry private practice that actually helps people so the ’90s antipsych memoir just never interested me. It’s really hitting with the current state of the world though.
❤︎ The Technical Delusion by Jeffrey Sconce. The best thing my least favorite professor in grad school assigned us to read (the opening chapter on media schizophrenia is a must-read). Sidebar: one class he was wearing a neon yellow Carhartt beanie over wet hair (strike 1) and that same class I had to pause my presentation on the assigned Deleuze (strike 2) to chastise him for hitting a weed pen (strike 3).
❤︎ I Hate Myself, specifically their Four Songs EP from ’97. I exclusively listened to his during my last period and it was very therapeutic.
❤︎ Alpha by Julia Ducournau. I’m about to write about this and I hate spoilers so please just go pay money to see this movie it’s phenomenal.❤︎ This TikTok account of two people named Harry + Liz who have been making improv videos together. Geniuses.
Maya Kotomori is a writer, editor, cultural critic and fashion person. She is currently the managing editor of Byline Magazine and the news editor at Magasin. You can find her work here and her blog here. You can also find her on Instagram here.
❤︎ Joan Didion’s 1961 essay, On Self-Respect, came to me at exactly the right moment. It reminded me how deeply I admire her writing. There is a simplicity to her prose that feels effortless and captivating.
❤︎ Ibi Hans’ latest album, An Acquired Taste, has been on repeat for me and is such a beautiful body of work. I had the pleasure of meeting Ibi some time ago on set, and it has been truly rewarding to witness her evolution as an artist. This album feels deeply honest and emotionally resonant. I’m so proud of her and excited to see where her journey leads next.
❤︎ All-In Magazine, Issue No. 6, is one of my favorite publications. Its presentation is especially compelling because the pages are unbound, existing as loose leaves rather than a traditional binding. I love being able to spread them out across the floor and take in the entire composition at once. There’s also a beautiful interplay when you hold the pages up to the light; the images on either side align in such an unexpected and striking way, forming a single, cohesive picture.
❤︎ Industry season 1+2. Mentally I think i’ll always be there. Harper stern hive please rise.
❤︎ Upstairs neighbors podcast. Dom and Maya are such a Ki and I just love listening to them bounce off of one another.
❤︎ My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr., left me both speechless and in tears. It made me reflect on my parents lives growing up in Nigeria-and how their experiences have shaped not only who they are, but who my siblings and I have become. The use of sound in the film was so incredible and it really reminded me of home. I need Akinola back in the director’s chair asap.
❤︎ All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, is truly dreamlike in its execution and is a film that will stay with me for a long time. It’s a deeply beautiful exploration of sisterhood and was told with such tenderness and care. Beautiful film all around.
Ife Ibraheem is a marketer for Wales Bonner, a freelance creative consultant and stylist, and the former PR director for worldofmyownnyc. You can find her on Instagram here.
❤︎ GUNK — an NYC indie music physical zine + online blog. They distribute beautifully curated monthly issues to local businesses – each featuring a calendar of upcoming local shows, interviews, poems, and other pieces of writing.
❤︎ The new Underscores album U — mind-bendingly original. a remember-where-you-were-when-you-first-heard-it kind of project.
❤︎ shaad magazine from writer shaad d’souza — refreshing and thoughtful writing that always stops me in my tracks when it appears on my feed.
❤︎ I’m still thinking about the film Sorry, Baby by Eva Victor. I watched it on the plane a few months ago and cried multiple times. It is so quietly brilliant and devastating.
❤︎ The Dungeon Crawler Carl book series – I’m on the third book, and all of my friends are reading it. It’s wacky and unpredictable and a refreshing change of pace from my go-to genres of woman-depressed-in-city and memoir.
❤︎ This video of Sutton Foster performing “Forget About The Boy” at the 2002 Tony Awards. Absolute perfect theatre.
❤︎ The Maintenance Phase podcast always finds its way back into my rotation — a funny deconstruction of diet culture, health misconceptions, and grifters in the wellness space.
Sabrina Song is an NYC-based musician. You can find her on Spotify here, on Instagram here, and on TikTok here.
❤︎ 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields — One of my favorite albums ever, I return to it every Spring. I’m the biggest Magnetic Fields fan maybe ever — I truly think Stephen Merritt has penned a song for every situation I’ve ever encountered.
❤︎ Want by Gillian Anderson — I have the biggest crush on her but that is beside the point…) There is so much bravery and vulnerability in the submissions featured, and to my delight, an incredible amount of humor.
❤︎ Love Overboard — Obsessed with this iteration of bad reality TV where Love Island meets Below Deck and illuminated contestants get dumped by having to walk the plank.
❤︎ Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney — I’m late to the party but absolutely loved this. Sally Rooney is a genius and has such a gift for writing about relationships, friendships, and human connection amidst the chaos and noise that we all endure.
❤︎ Fat, Evil Children (the band ;)) — Especially their album ‘Fat Evil Dogs, Fat Evil Cats, Fat Evil Bears, Fat Evil Rats.’ No notes.
❤︎ @isabelradford_ — Loveeeeeee her videos. Every time I see one pop up in my algorithm it’s a welcome reprieve from the brain rot I’ve been consuming all day. She’s so incredibly inquisitive and curious and we could all use a little more of that.
❤︎ The Princess Diaries — My comfort movie :))
Lea Sarnblad is an artist manager at Stern Management. You can find her on Instagram here.
❤︎ Nana Manga book — I love the anime, and I got the book recently, it has such COOL fashion inspo (Vivienne Westwood vibes) and an entertaining storyline at the same time.
❤︎ @natashahasthemunchies — as a w33d girlie this series brings me so much joy haha.
❤︎ Ancient Myths and Isis Mystery by Rudolf Steiner — a cool way to look back into myths and the parallels of how it shows up in the world now! Suchhh a good interesting read!
❤︎ My Scene — played My Scene on the computer. I used to love this dress up game and it got me feeling inspired again.
Ocean van Exel is an NYC-based model and content creator. You can find her on Instagram here and on TikTok here.
DANCING ON MY OWN IS A SPRING ANTHEM