diff --git a/docs/release-notes/0.10.8.md b/docs/release-notes/0.10.8.md
index 6ebe8f0ad..65fd3889d 100644
--- a/docs/release-notes/0.10.8.md
+++ b/docs/release-notes/0.10.8.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-### 0.10.8 {small}`the future`
+### 0.10.8 {small}`2024-06-20`
 
 ```{rubric} Bugfix
 ```
@@ -6,10 +6,8 @@
 * Write out `64bit` indptr when appropriate for {func}`~anndata.experimental.concat_on_disk` {pr}`1493` {user}`ilan-gold`
 * Support for Numpy 2 {pr}`1499` {user}`flying-sheep`
 * Fix {func}`~anndata.experimental.sparse_dataset` docstring test on account of new {mod}`scipy` version {pr}`1514` {user}`ilan-gold`
+
 ```{rubric} Documentation
 ```
 
 * Improved example for {func}`~anndata.experimental.sparse_dataset` {pr}`1468` {user}`ivirshup`
-
-```{rubric} Performance
-```
diff --git a/docs/release-notes/0.10.9.md b/docs/release-notes/0.10.9.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28cba4a49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/release-notes/0.10.9.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+### 0.10.9 {small}`the future`
+
+```{rubric} Bugfix
+```
+
+```{rubric} Documentation
+```
+
+```{rubric} Performance
+```
diff --git a/docs/release-notes/release-latest.md b/docs/release-notes/release-latest.md
index 3fcf609f6..34f8b35d6 100644
--- a/docs/release-notes/release-latest.md
+++ b/docs/release-notes/release-latest.md
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 ## Version 0.10
 
+```{include} /release-notes/0.10.9.md
+```
+
 ```{include} /release-notes/0.10.8.md
 ```
 
diff --git a/src/anndata/_io/zarr.py b/src/anndata/_io/zarr.py
index 741a2e7b1..0e015244a 100644
--- a/src/anndata/_io/zarr.py
+++ b/src/anndata/_io/zarr.py
@@ -106,8 +106,6 @@ def read_dataset(dataset: zarr.Array):
         return value
     elif isinstance(value.dtype, str):
         pass
-    elif issubclass(value.dtype.type, np.str_):
-        value = value.astype(object)
     elif issubclass(value.dtype.type, np.bytes_):
         value = value.astype(str).astype(object)  # bytestring -> unicode -> str
     elif len(value.dtype.descr) > 1:  # Compound dtype