AUDACIOUS BOOKCLUB HAPPENINGS
Our September selection is The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter. We will be in conversation with Regina on October 2nd (rescheduled from 9/25) and registration is open. Please do join our bookclub discussions when the threads are posted. We have great conversations and all are welcome.
Our October selection is We’re Alone by Edwidge Danticat, and she will join us on October 30th at the usual time. Registration is open!
THE NEWSLETTER WEEK IN REVIEW
PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL NEWS
I had the pleasure of joining Brené Brown on her podcast Unlocking Us where we talked about “Stand Your Ground,” and many other things. Brené is the consummate interlocutor. I always enjoy talking to her.
October 1st, I will be in conversation with Edwidge Danticat at Rutgers at 7 pm in the Ruth Dill Johnson Crockett Building, First Floor Conference Room. GPS address is 162 Ryders Lane. The first 50 attendees will receive a free copy of Danticat’s new essay collection, We’re Alone.
Also in October, find me at the Circa Queer Histories festival in Los Angeles. I will be part of the closing plenary, “The Future of Queer History: LGBTQ+ Writers on the Election,” on Sunday, October 27, 2024, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre. I will be joining Eric Cervini, Justin Torres, Tre’vell Anderson and George M. Johnson in conversation.
Debbie Millman has a new book, Love Letter to a Garden, and it will be published on April 15th, 2025. Also included in the book are 10 recipes by me—a mini cookbook if you will. Pre-orders are open!
Megan Pillow and I wrote a book called Do the Work. The Tenth Anniversary edition of Bad Feminist is available. The Portable Feminist Reader is coming out on February 18th, 2025. Pre-orders are now open and it is always a huge help when you pre-order.
Details about our new writing contest and the winner and runners-up of the inaugural contest are up!
READING MATERIAL
After attacking the pagers of members of Hezbollah, the UN asked Israel to chill on the violence so they decided to do a “small” ground incursion into Beirut. Now, all hell is breaking loose and all of this was preventable.
Cornell University is trying to get a student who protested in support of Palestine deported.
Bisan Owda, a Palestinian journalist, is now an Emmy winner despite bizarre efforts to get her disqualified from contention.
NYC mayor Eric Adams has been a terrible mayor and a bad, bad, man but in just the silliest, most parodic ways. He has been indicted on corruption charges. There is some shady business with Turkey. And he has been unnaturally cozy with the NY Post. He has extended his grift to his girlfriend, too! The indictment is kind of a fun read, I must admit.
At Gettysburg University, a white student “etched” the N-word into the chest of the only Black student on the team. He used a box cutter and he has now been dismissed from the university. Who knows why this happened but what is irritating is how the university keeps referring to “complexities and nuances.” There is nothing complex or nuanced about a hate crime. Also, what was the rest of the swim team doing at this party while this was happening? Racism is just so tiresome.
Someone did the Appalachian trail in forty days which… is absolutely the work of an overachiever.
A very long profile of Ta-Nehisi Coates and what he’s consumed by now which is bringing attention to the injustice of Palestinian oppression. Coates was on CBS This Morning and was remarkably composed in the face of a bizarrely antagonistic interview.
The brutes in Missouri who don’t think women are people and deny trans people healthcare also killed Marcellus Williams, an innocent man.
Elon Musk is a liar, liar, pants on fire. Also he is planning in making the block feature on Twitter useless.
Most of Black Nazi Mark Robinson’s campaign staff quit. Sinking ships, rats and all that.
In more Frighten the Horses news, Oliver wrote a charming essay about the story behind his book’s cover for Print and an essay for Lit Hub about the journey from the zygote of an idea to a published memoir he didn’t always know would be a memoir.
Hurricane Helene rampaged across the southeast and the effects are catastrophic. In Asheville, massive flooding and destruction, no water or power. Entire towns have been washed away. In Georgia, a chemical plant is burning and polluting everything. There is no refuge from global warming.
Georgia is trying to do some voter suppression before the election. Republicans in Nebraska tried to do a little suppresh too but did not prevail.
Did you know bacteria can communicate? Biology is fascinating.
I’m always interested in the discourse about Keith Lee whose TikToks I quite enjoy. I would love to profile him. And here is a profile of Chloe Gong who is very online and I guess I am not anymore as I am not yet familiar with her.
Journalism scandal! Oh my! Anyway, Nuzzi is on leave. She is messy. The men in her life are messy.
The Texas Tribune spent 24 hours on the U.S. southern border to see what’s really happening down there.
A Chinese family is donating $5 million to San Diego State University to honor the Black family who were the only people willing to rent to them. n
If you have like $270,000 you can buy a Louis Vuitton bed trunk. It is a bed in a trunk!
There was a Fyre Fest for Bridgerton…
In California, if you’re going to use your kids for clicks, you have to pay them.
Chappell Roan isn’t endorsing anyone for president, as is her right! People are LOSING their minds in response.
In Kentucky, a sheriff killed a judge in his chambers. I’m pretty sure that’s not how law enforcement is supposed to work.
Olympic shooter Kim Yeji is gonna do some acting!
Janet Jackson dabbled in a little birtherism but then she apologized or didn’t, it’s a bit unclear. Look, she puts on a good show, I’ll tell you what. Bless her heart.
What are algorithms doing to our lives?
Meta has come up with some nerdy AR glasses. I mean yeah, I’ll get a pair when they’re available, but still…
Speaking of… it’s startling to see how Zuck becomes even more unlikeable the more he speaks. Like dude, say less. He reminds me of Data but not sexy. Data was actually pretty hot.
A Republican politician without a wife and children posted with a friend’s family and tried to pass them off as related to him. LOL. They really are so weird.
Over here in realityville, crime is down.
A bunch of executives (a quit of executives?) at OpenAi have quit. Sam Altman seems like people don’t like him.
Hoda Kotb is leaving the TODAY show. But not today.
Sewell Chan is the new editor of CJR. Fun fact—Sewell is the editor who brought me into the New York Times and was my first editor there. He is a good egg.
The tenured faculty in Stanford’s creative writing program are abusing their power, simply because they can.
Some Korean adoptees are seeking accountability for being treated like commodities rather than people.
Who are the weirdos leaving comments on porn sites??? I’m going to bet they’re the same people who comment on any internet site. I think many men need friends and hobbies, in that order.
Shelf life column with Jami Attenberg! Her new novel, A Reason to See You Again, is out now. The first chapter is featured at People.
I don’t even know WTF this is.
Rudy Giuliani’s daughter is endorsing Kamala Harris. So is The New York Times.
Alex Jones, a poster child for fucking around and FINALLY, FINALLY finding out
In Birmingham, AL, a mass shooting otherwise known as a day ending in Y.
RIP to Dame Maggie Smith who was, indeed, a real dame. RIP John Ashton. RIP Kris Kristofferson, a real silver fox. RIP Dikembe Mutombo. RIP Fredric Jameson. RIP Gavin Creel. RIP Michaela DePrince.
Behind the scenes of influencer families.
Flagrant criminal Diddy, is facing yet another lawsuit.
A little guide to freelancing.
Dartmouth is hiring a nonfiction writer.
Get your free COVID tests once more.
Pride and Prejudice (2024)
Thanks. I get so excited when I see your newsletter in my inbox. :)
What a perfect summary of the week’s events without all the exhausting detail. No one should ever be paid by the word.