The Audacious Roundup
Keep up with the Joel Gay Creative Fellows, Jet Toomer, Jesus Rodriguez, and Elspeth Michaels.
The August selection for the Audacious Book Club is Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen. Our conversation with Kirstin takes place on August 11th at 5 pm PST/8 pm EST. You can register online.
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.)
From the Emerging Writer Series, Three Men and a Body by Jordan Young.
New Work Friend—how to come out without coming out, when to share retirement news, how to deal with an oversharer and what to do when your new workplace is toxic and unwelcoming. As usual, send your work questions to workfriend@nytimes.com.
Being wrongfully convicted is traumatic but so is being exonerated and thrust into an unwelcoming world.
This story about Jumi Bello and quite a history of plagiarism but so much more is mostly just… sad.
Joni Mitchell performed at the Newport Folk Festival last weekend and sang several songs alongside folks like Brandi Carlisle and Marcus Mumford. Here Mitchell is with an incredible rendition of Summertime.
Music can move us inexpressibly.
Beyoncé has released her new album, Renaissance, and it’s pretty great. No skips! An actual album with a coherent narrative. Here are reviews in Pitchfork, The New York Times, Oddly, Beyoncé used the same ableist slur Lizzo was recently criticized for using and Bey will be removing the word from her song. Kelis wasn’t told that one of her songs would be sampled on Renaissance but the true culprit here is Pharrell. Free Kelis’s masters! Nova Wav produced half of the album and they are talented!
Deshaun Watson has been suspended for six whole games despite his predation of dozens of women. And Mystikal has been arrested for rape, AGAIN. He has shown us who he is. Act accordingly.
Zahara Jolie-Pitt will be attending Spelman! They grow up so darn fast.
The trailer for Andor looks spectacular.
This is just ridiculous.
Rest in Power, Nichelle Nichols. Your memory will live long and prosper. As Lieutenant Uhura, Nichols was groundbreaking in every way.
After taking some time away from the public eye, Will Smith offers a more complete and thoughtful apology for his actions. I can’t believe this is still a thing.
Have whatever opinions you want but I simply cannot take your opinions seriously if you are too cowardly to sign your name to them. If you believe bullshit, own it. And why did Inside Higher Ed even publish this?
I didn’t win the MegaMillions.
Racists are gonna racist.
The flavors of India in Mississippi. Also, when I spell Mississippi, I spell it the way I did as a child.
Ownership of the Jet and Ebony photo archives have been transferred to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Huzzah!
This Brooklyn pastor was robbed of $1 million of jewelry he was wearing (ALLEGEDLY) and turns out, he is a pretty shady character.
A new story from Brandon Taylor.
Elderly student debtors. Truly, student loan debt with compounding interest is a moral failing of this country, one of many.
Gilbert Cruz will be the next editor of The New York Times Book Review.
Local journalism is necessary. We can never say this enough.
Once you start with the anti-aging products, they’ve got you on the hook.
Where architects really live.
A review of Machine Gun Kelly in concert.
Corporate landlords will do anything to menace tenants and evict them.
At long last, Emily Gould has found an apartment.
What President Obama is reading and listening to.
Apparently, John Roberts tried to preserve Roe v. Wade but I don’t care. As Yoda has told us, there is no try. Do or do not. Fuck him and the rest of the justices who voted to overturn precedent and women’s autonomy.
Sydney Sweeney on the challenges of being an actor in this day and age.
A review of Netflix’s Uncoupled, which I liked well enough. But there were some baffling things going on in the show, too.
Instagram is fine with being terrible.
The Biden administration has made an offer for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
Still with the Pink Sauce.
The life and death of Daniel Auster.
On his 100th birthday, Normal Lear reflects.
The planet is getting warmer, we are dealing with unprecedented heatwaves and as usual, the poor are disproportionately affected, both here and abroad.
Adele has rescheduled her Vegas residency!
RIP Paul Sorvino.
Artists on the return to live performance.
The stats on Black men serving time for crimes they did not commit are staggering, disconcerting, mind-boggling and angering. Exoneration WITHOUT compensation, integration, education, compassion, rehabilitation is just another type of condemnation. Just sayin'
Sadly or gladly, I didn't win the megamillions either. LOL!
I love that NFT/donut analogy!