def parse_jupyter_include(file=".jupyter-include"):
    """
    open a .jupyter-include file and parse the contents into a list
    """
    # open and read the contents of the .jupyter-include file
    with open(file, "r") as jupyter_include_file:
        include_criteria = jupyter_include_file.read()

    # remove lines that are commented out or empty
    include_criteria = include_criteria.split("\n")
    include_criteria = [
        c for c in include_criteria if not c.startswith("#") and c != ""
    ]

    return include_criteria