Au Levain (Chicago) – sourdough English muffins that smell as heavenly as French toast. If anyone has the recipe, please send it to me!

Bagels & Schmear (NYC) – everything bagels!!!

Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits (Chicago) – not a secret at all, but truly the best biscuit out there: tall and flaky but still magically tender and velvety

Best Bagel (NYC) – even though it’s in Midtown, their bagels really are great

Chiu Quon (Chicago) – red bean pineapple bun, sponge cake (Da Ban was my favorite but they’ve sadly closed)

Court St Bagels (NYC) – all bagels, bagel sandwiches

Downtime Bakery (Philadelphia) – sourdough bagels and all their baked goods…don’t skip their cookies!

Edgar’s (Birmingham) – the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had

Floriole (Chicago) – cheesecake mousse (I’ve only had this once, but it was so good!)

La Cabra (NYC) – croissants, cardamom bun

Little Grace Bakery (NYC) – Basque cheesecake

Little Blue Owl Bakery (Philly area) – all laminated pastries and canelé (if they have it, the Korean garlic croissant is spectacular)

Ovenly (NYC) – alas, they have closed, but I loved their pistachio cardamom bread and peanut butter cookies so much and they were my go-to when I first started writing, so they will forever have a mention on my list

Chia Te 佳德 (Taipei) – pineapple cakes

Forn Fortino (Barcelona) – all of their breads

JONCAKE (Barcelona) – touristy, but their cheesecakes truly were top-notch!

La Violeta (Santiago) – chocolate truffles

Luna y Wanda (Madrid) – cheesecake

Origo (Barcelona) – cardamom buns

In Pomaire, Chile, there was a man selling alfajores near the main bus stop. They were the best alfajores I’ve ever had. I don’t know if he is still there, but if he is and you go, I hope you get a dozen of them.

Santo Bakehouse (Madrid) – canelé and any bread!

Yu Jan Shin 裕珍馨 (Taipei) – taro cakes, butter pastries

Berlin Literary Review – I love how they make a New Yorker-esque cover for each issue and admire how quickly they’ve built a robust international community

Brink – so well-made, full-color on matte paper, every issue has a theme and feels like a collectible book

The Dial – includes many translations and top-notch features that range from cultural criticism to journalism on current events

The London Magazine – the poems they publish are consistently stunning

Only Poems – they are really engaged in the literary community, offering helpful advice and opportunities in addition to the wonderful online publication they run

Paranoid Tree Press – bringing back art and whimsy and true coolness in their zines, available through snail mail ❤

The Rumpus – they are my definition of indie in the best way, really kind and community-focused with poems, interviews, reviews you want to read (I end up clicking almost everything in each newsletter because it sounds so good)

The Sun – not the tabloid, but a great mag with a huge audience and thoughtful editors who know how to craft approachable, moving pieces

Yolk – they look so cool! great work and looks like excellent print production quality, which is such a treat in this era