Keep up with the Joel Gay Creative Fellows, Jet Toomer, Jesus Rodriguez, and Elspeth Michaels. And speaking of the fellows, we had dinner recently and it was a blast. These are a great group of writers and thinkers.
The July selection for The Audacious Book Club is Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Our conversation with Kali is on July 26th and you can register now. If you missed them, our conversations with Maud Newton and Hernan Diaz are now uploaded to YouTube.
The Audacity. is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber but especially a paid subscriber.
I am reading 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.
If you’re looking for a nice notebook, check out my new Draft Writing Journal from Baron Fig. It’s pretty swank if I do say so myself. (The first printing is sold out but more are on the way.)
A new Work Friend with advice on attending office birthday celebrations via Zoom, explaining employment gaps on the job market, passive aggressive responses to good intentions, and finding employers whose values are aligned with yours.
A beautiful, lyrical essay, “Fourteen Ways of Looking,” by Erin Vincent.
An excellent profile of Mavis Staples.
Looks like there was a juror who wasn’t supposed to be on the jury in the Johnny Depp trial. How on earth this could have happened is beyond me but it could void the verdict.
Protestors in Sri Lanka have stormed the homes of the president and prime minister. The people are fed up with the government’s inadequate response to ongoing economic devastation in the country.
The domestic terrorist in the Highland Park mass shooting has been charged. His father helped him buy assault rifles and stands by his decision to do so despite the tragedy his son created. People in the community are shocked. And angry. A great many people have expressed a lot of surprise about how this took place in a wealthy suburb. Despite a mass shooting nearly every day, people still think it won’t happen in certain kinds of places. Sadly, in this climate, we are not really safe, anywhere. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Police in Akron, OH shot at Jayland Walker 90 times during a traffic stop for a broken taillight. Sixty of those bullets hit him. I don’t even know what to say anymore/
On Eleven Madison going vegan and the many problems that has created. Now, I like Eleven Madison. The food is always exceptional and even the dishes I don’t love, are interesting. The service is impeccable. It’s truly wondrous. The prices are… outrageous but you do kind of see where all that money is going. I will admit I liked the food better when it was omnivorous. It just seemed like it was more joyful. The vegan menu is excellent. I’ve read many of the reviews and they’re not necessarily wrong but they aren’t necessarily right either, if that makes any sense. If you have some big splurge money you won’t regret going for a nice dinner. The wine pairings are also a treat but again, $$$$$$$. All that said, it’s the staff, both in front and back of house, that are the real gems of this restaurant. They deserve better pay and better working conditions and I hope they get that.
Joey Chestnut, victorious again!
RIP Tony Sirico aka Paulie Walnuts.
In shocking news, Elon Musk is pulling out of his deal to buy Twitter.
DoorDash had a glitch that allowed people to buy pretty much anything for any amount of money without actually charging them.
It’s amazing how absolutely stupid and cruel that so much of the Republican agenda is.
Universal chargers NOW!
Congratulations to Carmen Giménez who is the new executive director and publisher of Graywolf. She is an incredible editor with really smart ideas and good taste. I am looking forward to seeing how Graywolf evolves under her leadership.
The one and only Brandon Taylor is now an acquiring editor at Unnamed Press and I am so excited! He has an unparalleled intellect and unique sensibilities.
I was in Sun Valley, ID this week giving a talk with the local community library in Ketchum. Gorgeous place and I got to spend time with some wonderful people and especially my host Jenny and a wonderful group of teenagers I got to spend time with. It’s a blue dot in a very red state. Anyway, as we landed at the tiny, adorable airport, I noticed a shocking number of private jets. Like, more than fifty. Then I remembered that the billionaire summer camp was happening at the same time. Anyway, the next time one of these billionaires opines on global warming, tell him or her or them to get rid of their planes before speaking further. Truly, they need to shut the entire fuck up. While I was there, I also learned that Bruce Willis and a bunch of other celebrities live there. The influx of wealth is creating a massive housing problem. The people who work in the community can no longer afford to live there. I encountered the same problem in Jackson, Wy. I have no grand conclusions but so many people are being driven out of their own communities and it’s not fair. (I know, I know. Life isn’t fair. STILL…)
Brittney Griner is still wrongfully detained in Russia. She has pleaded guilty to the drug charges but the trial will still continue. BG has written Biden a letter urging him to help her and Biden has finally spoken on the phone with BG’s wife Cherelle.
Isaac Fitzgerald wrote an amazing and moving essay about his decision to not have children.
British politics are so interesting and different and SPICY. Boris Johnson is resigning, sort of. His own party wants him out of his office and he defiantly resisted their calls to resign as his entire government resigned dramatically despite knowing who he was all along. Now, he is calling himself a caretaker until a new prime minister can be chosen. It’s like BoJo, no one wants you around. Go caretake your hair. Anyway, I am calling this episode BORXIT.
Some Netflix showrunners share how strange and opaque the streamer can be about sharing viewership data.
Adele is performing again. Praise Beyoncé!
Shinzo Abe, the former, right wing Japanese prime minister, was assassinated.
All obituaries should be this honest. The man who wrote it has no regrets. His dad was a terrible dad.
Some prominent Democrats are unhappy. This article is fascinating but I chuckled when I read that Debra Messing said she got Joe Biden elected. I kept thinking, “Does Joe know that?”
An interesting essay about crime fiction and whose stories are being written.
Scromiting: Reefer Madness 2022!
The politics of prison labor.
A floating city!
New Yorkers, alternate side parking is baaaaaaaack!
I look forward to the round up every week. Thank you for all of it. Especially for sending me to read Fourteen Ways of Looking. Also, I got to see Mavis Staples at Red Rocks last year. Getting to hear her sing I'll Take You There with my kids beside me. Just one of those moments that sticks, you know?
Sri Lanka: When people are not fed, they get "fed up" and they revolt against their oppressors. There ought to be more of that going on globally.
I totally agree with "Uncle" Isaac. People have the right to choose to be a parent or not. I chose to be a mother, other women do not. Folks need to stop asking other folks WHY they don't have kids. Really! STOP!
The simple answer to Prison labor: First prisoners should have the RIGHT to choose to work or just "lift weights" or absolutely do nothing if that's what they want while serving their time. However, for those who want to work to learn a trade, earn some money, make the time go faster, get fresh air...whatever their reasons, they should have the opportunities to do so in a safe environment.
Fourteen Ways of Looking: Wow! Sad but indeed beautiful.