The Audacious Round Up
Keep up with the Joel Gay Creative Fellows, Jet Toomer, Jesus Rodriguez, and Elspeth Michaels.
The October selection for the Audacious Book Club is Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi. Our conversation with Omolola takes place on October 26th at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. Register now! Our conversation with Elaine Castillo is now up!
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.
Debbie also has a new project, The Remarkable Life Deck, if you want to think through what the next decade of your life could look like. The cards are really beautiful and this is such a valuable exercise for looking ahead and taking stock of where you are. I don’t say that lightly. Normally, this isn’t my kind of thing but The Remarkable Life Decks is excellent.
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.)
In my latest Work Friend, wanting to work from home, yearning for closure, the busy work of professional goal setting and dealing with an inexplicably hostile colleague.
I guess we have to make butter boards, now. But how to handle double-dipping? That is the question.
There is a nice profile of Poppy Seed Health, a pregnancy care app, in The New York Times.
I see your tiny home and raise you a teeny tiny apartment.
Protests are ongoing in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, murdered by Iranian morality police. In the ensuing weeks, a number of protestors have been killed but people and women especially are undeterred. In many ways, these protests are an extension of the protests in 1979, when women protested newly imposed strictures on their lives.
An in-depth Reuters report on gender care for children. I am wary of this kind of reporting because it is generally done by cisgender people who treat these issues like they’re up for debate. At the same time, lots of people struggle to understand gender identity and moving beyond binaries. This reporting seems like it was pretty well executed.
The times loves a rich people trend story and this week, it’s that rich people are building extra kitchens in their home.
A history of Black college dance teams.
Men tip better when women wear their hair in pigtails. It’s amazing how the more we learn about (some?) men…
Speaking of, a man lost a basketball game to a woman, so he killed her.
Speaking of, a woman beat a man in a poker hand and she was accused of cheating because they didn’t like the cards she played. Like… you cannot make this shit up. I play poker and here’s what I’ve learned. When a man plays raggedy cards, he’s brilliant. When a woman plays raggedy cards and reads her opponents well, she’s a bad poker player. I don’t make the rules.
Karen Attiah on the politics of toxic Black men.
Herschel Walker’s campaign is imploding. May he lose his forthcoming election by a landslide. Long story short, he paid for a woman to get an abortion while walking around having the absolute AUDACITY to be “pro-life.” Motherfucker what?
The more we learn about Brad Pitt and what happened between him and his family, the more the way Angelina Jolie bounced makes sense. What a shame, all around.
All the allegations against David O. Russell.
Which reminds me, Kanye West is terrible. He has shown who he is countless times.
An interview with Constance Wu whose essay collection Making a Scene is out now.
Country music singers Rissi Palmer and Miko Marks are not rivals even though the industry tried to make them so.
A family is traveling the world before two of their three children lose their eyesight.
RIP Judy Tenuta, one of the funniest comedians to ever do it. And RIP Loretta Lynn. And RIP Coolio.
Shania Twain is baaaaack, though she never really left.
An interview with cousin Richie from The Bear.
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature goes to Annie Ernaux.
The National Book Award finalists.
A profile of Whoopi Goldberg, who remains fascinating.
A profile of Cathy Park Hong who is also fascinating.
Indie bookstores are still doing well.
Carmen Maria Machado on Jennifer’s Body.
That dark ass dragon show gets darker every week. Like, literally.
The magic of summer basketball.
Asian Americans are fighting back!
There is a dog restaurant in S.F. with a $75 tasting menu and people are acting like this is the end of civilization but I will be taking Max there ASAPtually.
Jeremy Strong doubles down. He is who he is.
The challenges of dating with a chronic illness.
Biden is working to decriminalize marijuana and pardoning people convicted of simple possession. It’s definitely a start, long overdue.
What next after we change everything in our lives?
Raaza Jamshed writes about what happens at the periphery of language (and much more).
Delivery workers in NYC are FINALLY going to have access to a public charging hub.
Do you guys remember Chris Gaines? Lost in You was a great song. IDGAF.
The Linda Lindas are rocking out and being teenagers and going to school and generally being awesome.
In praise of bidets.
This man…. sure held a grudge.
The movie Bros did poorly at the box office.. The film’s writer and star says it was homophobia and maybe it is, buuuut sometimes, movies flop, even good ones. Sometimes, a studio thinks it is better to market a gay ass movie to straight audiences instead of queer audiences which makes… no sense. Random fun story—I auditioned for a role in Bros. Clearly, I wasn’t cast probably because I am not actually an actor. Big mistake. HUGE! I have to go shopping now. In all seriousness, we have to stop acting like it is a moral duty to support art from marginalized creators. They did this when the very terrible Red Tails came out. We see it all the time. I think people should support all kinds of art from all kinds of creators. People should overcome their biases to see interesting art. And not all art is good. This is what I am talking about when I discuss the burdens of representation. The amount of pressure, what’s at stake when movies like Bros are greenlit, is untenable. It’s not fair. White cishet people make the shittiest movies with impunity and continue to work in Hollywood. That’s a pretty low bar to aim for, but you get my point.
I haven’t seen Bros yet and I am looking forward to seeing it. But also, BIG MISTAKE!
The Onion filed an amicus brief and it is exactly as great as you would expect.
Preparing for a loved one’s end of life, when they decide when to go.
The new restaurant Owamni seems pretty great.
There are these guys called The Try Guys. They make lil videos on the internet. One of them cheated on his wife with a staff member. And wow! All hell broke loose.
An interview with Paulina Alexis, one of the stars of Reservation Dogs.
Ryan Ken never misses.
Trevor Noah is leaving the The Daily Show. He will be missed.
Congrats to the new WNBA champs.
If I ever get asked where I "get my news", I will shamelessly say "The Audacious Round Up". Also, The Daily Show with Roxane Gay has a nice ring to it. Lizzo could do the intro music on T. Jefferson's rib cage/flute
I love your round ups. Thank you! The perfect thing to read while up with sick kids. (Again.) Also, I was not prepared for what was waiting on the other side of the ummmmmm link.