My Playlist

About the DJ: Emily is a sophomore at Interlake High School who already knows that she will disagree with whatever prompt is on her AP English Language test on Friday, or any other prompt she ever sees because she is a second negative policy debater who can disagree in some capacity with almost anything. Her other talents include having more hair than everyone else she meets and distributing dinosaur stickers to strangers.

1. East of the Web
East of the Web is one of my oldest discoveries. When I was 10 and happened upon a link to infinite, absurd short stories available to me on my father’s glossy desktop, I was so enthralled by the copious amounts of worlds I could jump into in a matter of minutes that I forgot where I was. I still like to catch up with the unusual, intriguing stories in between study sessions. My favorites range from classics like “The Lottery” to inexplicable stories like “The Great Orbital Road.”

2. Banana Yoshimoto
This famous Japanese author now has several books translated into English that tell stories of diverse, ruminating characters, often revolving around loss. Some of her stories take on magical realism, others hint at Shinto, and her characters range from a fierce, beautiful, and transgendered mother to a nonchalant train-rider facing a shape-shifting fellow passenger who seems to be following him.

3. 3rd Rock from the Sun
This show may have started before I was born, but I didn’t notice until the second season in. Four aliens come on a mission to investigate society on earth and try to assimilate only to be baffled by things like gender, social norms, race, how Kleenex keep appearing after you pull them out of the box, etc. to make for a very entertaining 20-minute-at-a-time diversion.

4. The Bremerton ferry
If you enjoy quality cheap sushi, fountain parks, boardwalks, or Cold Stone, then I highly recommend going to catch the ferry to Bremerton for about $5 in downtown Seattle. My favorite part is the beautiful ride over during which you can sit inside if it’s cold or run around on the decks and catch glassy waves, a beautiful sunset, or the best view of the stars a Seattleite will find when the clouds are gone. It makes a good 3 to 5 hour outing, getaway, or date — and if it goes poorly, then at least the way back is free.

5. Poetry Foundation poem-of-the-day emails
Every morning, three periods after I wake up, I get a brand new poem delivered to my inbox, generally that I have never read before. I love the diversity; they have a series of lengths, cultures of origin, time periods, types, and topics and are a great way of ensuring that at least some thought is provoked each day.