The Audacious Round Up

For the week of June 14th

Jun 18

Register now for our discussion with Gabriela Garcia next week. And don’t forget to join us for awesome discussions over at Literati.

This week in the Emerging Writer Series, in his essay, “Used 2 Love U" Kenny Ng writes about learning to understand himself and the world beyond the lens of whiteness. It’s a powerful, incisive essay, edited by Brooke Obie.

Why Design Matters by Debbie Millman is available for pre-order. Yes, this link will be available in this newsletter until it goes on sale on 10/26.

In this week’s Work Friend, questions about exit interviews, giving informal recommendations, and being overwhelmed by a premature promotion.

Who gets to be an influencer?

TOMO is an awesome leash and collar system created by some really great folks. They have a Kickstarter and you can support it here, and get you a new leash/collar/harness.

In The Heights, one of my favorite musicals, is now a movie. It’s wonderful, exuberant, joyful. But the colorism is unacceptable. There are few Afro-Latinx people in the movie set in Washington Heights, a neighborhood dominated by Afro-Latinx people. Lin Manuel Miranda has apologized for falling short. It’s a pretty frustrating situation because this erasure was so easily avoided.

On celebrity apologies.

On Hacks and Ava as foil for Deborah Vance.

I go by Manhattan’s Little Island quite a lot. Not everyone thinks it is a good place, and with good reason.

I had no idea that zoos did all this to the animals. Free them all!

Elisa Gabbert, an exquisite poet and essayist, on longing for the company of strangers.

Kevin Hart complaining about cancel culture while also being the highest paid comedian in the world is… ironic, maybe? Ridiculous?

MacKenzie Scott has made another significant contribution to more than 200 nonprofits.

People are quitting their jobs rather than returning to the traditional office. Power to the people!

Power to the people!

But not all people want that power.

Tupac would have been fifty this week. I don’t normally care for imagining the birthdays of the deceased but this one made me think. Like damn!

Feminist writers are bring sexy back.

Ashley Ford was on The Daily Show!

Scrubs are getting an upgrade!

Men are embracing dresses!

The sentencing of minors remains egregious and inhumane. Jessica Schulberg spoke to Kip Kinkel, who as a minor was sentenced to more than 100 years in prison.

A beautiful essay about fire and coming to terms with an intimate life not yet lived.

A fascinating essay about pigeons and men in South Central, Los Angeles.