A perfect Sunday with... Alyssa Wong
Eggs benedict, Calvin & Hobbes and peaceful forest trails
Every week, a top writer, artist or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today, it’s the turn of Escape From Valo co-author and my fellow Star Wars: The High Republic writer, Alyssa Wong.
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… brunch
Brunch always feels like a treat to me, even when it's just brunch at home. I'm not sure why it feels so indulgent, but it does! I'm a sucker for eggs benedict and really good hot chocolate. Or just a pile of cured meat and really good hot chocolate. Maybe a baguette, too, if I'm feeling ambitious.
My favourite brunch experience, though, is telling stories with my spouse over food. The food itself doesn't matter as much as the company.
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… read
I really want to get my hands on Ronald Meyer's translation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Gambler and Other Stories. I've heard it's great. In terms of things I read recently, though? I love Kim Fu's short fiction collection, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. Her short story, “Pre-Simulation Consultation XF007867,” just won the Shirley Jackson Award.
I also loved Usman T. Malik's novelette, “Challawa,” which was published in Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror. It's gorgeous. "Challawa" is one of my favourite stories I've read in years.
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… comic
Sundays are for chill nostalgia. I love Calvin and Hobbes. It's a childhood favourite and one of my very first comics. Two more childhood favourites are Franken Fran and Pet Shop of Horrors, two horror comics that are comfort reads. Lots of body horror and medical horror, plus a sweet protagonist
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… movie
When I was growing up, I used to watch Spirited Away every year on my birthday. I watched it again recently and it still holds that magic for me.
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… TV binge
I love a good Let's Play series and RKG I love a good Let's Play series, and RKG with Rory Powers, Daniel Krupa, and Gav Murphy is my current favourite. They started as an IGN UK feature called Prepare to Try, which focused on trying to beat Fromsoft games, before going independent a few years ago as RKG. Their ongoing Elden Ring series is very charming and I'm enjoying the lore deep dive. It's also a great way to experience the games if you don't have access to them.
I'm not sure if it's relaxing, but The Haunting of Hill House TV show is a forever banger. The Haunting of Hill House is also one of my favourite books. I guess that makes me a Hill House girlie.
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… podcast
You're Wrong About with Sarah Marshall is my Perfect Sunday Podcast pick for sure. I like to put it on while playing video games. (I do the same with true crime TV shows, but You're Wrong About has firmly cemented itself as Favourite Thing to Listen To While Murdering Sheep in Elden Ring.)
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… album
Polyphia's album Remember That You Will Die. It's incredible. "Playing God" is a work of art.
I've also been lowkey hooked on the Barbie movie soundtrack!
Alyssa’s perfect Sunday… treat
There are a lot of beautiful forest trails nearby, so I love going on walks. My spouse does photography, so they take photos and I write. It's peaceful and a good reminder to get off my phone.
Escape From Valo by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong is out now from Disney Lucasfilm Press!
Star Wars: The High Republic, the New York Times best-selling series, continues. . . . For light and life!
Journey to the embattled Occlusion Zone in this action-packed adventure set hundreds of years before the Skywalker saga! It’s a dark and dangerous time for the galaxy in which communication has been rendered nearly impossible in Nihil-controlled space as the nefarious pirates continue to threaten the Republic’s very existence. Join Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram—and some Jedi younglings—as they plot their escape from enemy territory.
Hopeful Jedi younglings will have to work together to overcome their fears in order to survive—and help save the galaxy.
Alyssa Wong writes award-winning fiction, comics, novels, and games. Their stories have won the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Locus Award. Alyssa was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and their fiction has been shortlisted for the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and Shirley Jackson Awards.
Alyssa’s comic credits include Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Marvel (Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, Alligator Loki, Extreme Carnage), DC (Batwoman, Wonder Woman, Spirit World), and Adventure Time. In 2023, Alyssa joined the Star Wars: The High Republic storytelling initiative and their debut novel will be released in January of 2024. Alyssa has also written for Overwatch and Blizzard Entertainment’s Story and Franchise Development.