Our favorite pop culture picks in 2021

In our annual Year in Review episode, Lee Rawles speaks to her ABA Journal colleagues Blair Chavis, Matt Reynolds and Amanda Robert to find out how they spent their free time in 2021.

Like many people, we’ve found it more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic to read for pleasure. So this year, we’re also sharing what TV shows, movies and podcasts we would recommend, in addition to our favorite books and audiobooks.

We also share what we’re adding to our to-read and to-watch lists in 2022. Have your own favorites? Email them to us at [email protected], and you may hear them featured in a future episode.

In This Podcast

Blair Chavis

Blair Chavis, an assistant managing editor, joined the ABA Journal staff in 2019. She manages the magazine’s National Pulse and Practice Matters sections and online Your Voice essays. Chavis also worked as a journalist for publications such as Crain’s Modern Healthcare magazine, the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Public Media (Chicago’s NPR affiliate). She has bylines with Gothamist, Huffington Post and others.

Amanda Robert

Amanda Robert, a legal affairs writer, joined the ABA Journal staff in 2019. She previously worked for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer as an assistant editor and staff writer, and for Legal Newsline as a contributing writer. She also handled communications for a national intellectual property law firm and was a reporter for Illinois Times and the Centralia Daily Sentinel in Southern Illinois. She earned a Master of Arts degree in journalism from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, with a certificate in social justice, from Saint Louis University.

Matt Reynolds

Matt Reynolds, a legal affairs writer, joined the ABA Journal staff in 2020. His work has also appeared in Chicago magazine, Narratively, USA Today and MarketWatch. He covered several criminal and civil trials in Los Angeles for Courthouse News Service, including the Grim Sleeper serial murders and the Blurred Lines copyright case. In 2019, he graduated with a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.