The Audacious Round Up
For the week of April 25
I am raising money for Hope for Haiti, a wonderful non-profit I work with. My dad is the vice-president of the board and helps them build schools and hospitals and other kinds of infrastructure in Haiti. I could not be prouder of how he chooses to spend his time and energy. If you would like to contribute to our annual fundraising drive, the Hike for Haiti Challenge, you can do so online. I would be so grateful.
Keep up with the Joel Gay Creative Fellows, Jet Toomer, Jesus Rodriguez, and Elspeth Michaels.
The first Roxane Gay Books have been announced—And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu, Lush Lives by J.V. Lyon, and Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter.
The May selection for The Audacious Book Club is Memphis by Tara Stringfellow. We will be in conversation with Tara on May 24th. Registration is open.
Tressie, Debbie Millman and I are hosting a writing workshop retreat in July 2022. You can also register for this if you want to spend a weekend with us. We hope to see you there! It will be fun and more.
Roxane Gay Books is closed to unagented submissions until 6/15/2022. I’ve found, I think, my first few books! I am open to agented submissions so please send me great books! I am also open, again, for submissions to The Audacity’s Emerging Writer Series. Read the guidelines and submit your best writing. Submissions will be open until I have 24 essays.
Don’t Forget: Why Design Matters by Debbie Millman.
On The Roxane Gay Agenda this week, I speak with visual artist Genesis Tramaine about her practice, her new show and much more.
A new graphic essay from Aubrey Hirsch on ways of teaching men some of the basic science of women and their bodies.
Debbie and I were on Hrishikesh Hirway’s podcast Partners.
In Work Friend, I counsel against giving in to the office bully.
Martha Stewart had a tag sale. At her house. And she sold tickets starting at $250, just to browse her wares.
Would you like a very fancy participation trophy?
Silver Art Projects is inviting applications for its 2022 artist residency at the World Trade Center. The ten month residency will provide 25 artists with a stipend and free studio space in Lower Manhattan’s World Trade Center. In addition to the free studio space, artists will be connected through Silver Art’s programming, to curators, artist peers, mentors, arts professionals, collectors, and thought-leaders. The 2022 Residency Dates are September 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023. Deadline to apply is May 22, 2022.
A powerful essay about black women’s labor, the poultry industry and what that kind of work can cost people.
A profile of Elisabeth Moss.
Speaking of, three adults are suing the Church of Scientology, saying they were trafficked as children.
Netflix hired a bunch of writers, mostly women of color, and then fired them less than a year later with only two weeks severance. It is so incredibly fucked up.
A new essay from Leslie Jamison about daydreaming.
The New York Times has a three-part series on how Tucker Carlson became Tucker Carlson.
RIP night club maven Régine.
It is time to cancel student loans, without means testing, in full, immediately. And it is also time to rethink student loans moving forward, getting rid of interest-bearing loans. Expand the Pell Grant program. Make public education free! Ignore the haters! We all pay for things that don’t benefit us. It’s called living in the world.
Michael R. Jackson’s brilliant musical A Strange Loop has made it to Broadway and now he is profiled in New York Times Magazine.
Men are getting surgery to make themselves taller. Seems painful.
Boris Becker has run into some trouble and is headed to jail.
Among the many abhorrent practices in law enforcement, ticketing minors is up there among the worst.
The First Lady on Showtime is… interesting and Viola Davis’s portrayal of Michelle Obama offers quite a lot to talk about. Still, Viola does not care what you think and I respect that.
Mixtapes from Fire Island chronicle a gay history. And speaking of, Zach Stafford writes about how few black people own homes on Fire Island.
Kristen Arnett on social media and finding her literary community.
Books as wedding favors? Sure! Why not?
Janelle Monae’s afrofuturist vision.
The execution of Melissa Lucio in Texas has been halted.
Brittney Griner’s agent writes about why she was playing basketball in Russia and the pay inequities in American professional sports.
Same.
In truly shocking news, Justin Lin has stepped down from Fast & Furious X.
Megan Fox, keeping it weird. I like it.
Elon Musk bought Twitter.
A million people have died and there has been no real means for acknowledging the grief of that, as a culture.
A profile of Natasha Lyonne and season two of Russian Doll.
Julia Roberts is starring in Gaslit and she is interviewed in the Times.
Pandemic as birth control.
Hi! How can I watch the replay of Roxane's talk with Maud Newton? Something came up and I had to miss the live call. The book was excellent. Thanks so much for selecting it for your April book club. With thanks, Andrea
That southern perspective piece on black woman in the chicken industry makes me want to quit meat far more than any stories about the condition the animals are raised in -- that is so powerful (I'm pretty much vegetarian at this point anyway and pieces like this just increase my resolve). Thank you!