The Audacious Roundup

For the week of September 13th

Sep 18, 2021

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 11/9 (damn supply chain).

Our next book selection is Renunciations by Donika Kelly. Sign up on Literati to join our great discussions about the book of the month. You can register, now, for our conversation with Donika on September 22nd.

Tressie, Debbie Millman and I are hosting a writing workshop retreat in July 2022. You can also register for this if you want to spend a weekend with us.

Roxane Gay Books is open for submissions.

I partnered with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and published five thoughtful, compelling essays about the importance of a financial safety net.

Wings and Fleas by Quinisha Jackson-Wright.

Living in the Age of Uncertainty, One Aisle at a Time by Hoang Samuelson

When Breath Isn’t Enough by Amy Kenny

A Good Parent by Rosa Garcia

A Moral Argument for Basic Income by David Williams

And in the Emerging Writer Series Lana or the Wazazhe ie Word for Guilt by Chelsea T. Hicks

Reimagining the Black ABCs.

Henry Giardina reviews Maggie Nelson’s On Freedom for Into.

The October cover story of The New Republic tracks how Tucker Carlson descended into the mire of trolling, white supremacy and other bullshit on which he thrives. You know how sometimes, in New York (or other cities), you’ll step in some murky, fetid water at a curb. It’s an odd color and there’s a film of grossness on the top and who knows what lies beneath. Anyway, that’s a metaphor for Tucker Carlson.

The Alvaro Barrington show The Quiet Storm at Nicola Vassell’s gallery is excellent. Highly recommend. The show is up until October 23rd if you can pay a visit.

A great article on understanding the money aspect of selling a book.

An interview with Ocean Vuong.

Supply chain issues have come for books, too.

Speaking of supply chains, here is a great Twitter thread explaining what all is going on. And a syllabus.

Calling in Nicki Minaj. Now, I respect the sentiment there and think calling in is a useful strategy but in this instance, I’m fairly certain Minaj needs to be called out. As does her husband. And there’s always a cousin.

Philly is gonna pay.

I am a fan of Ryan Ken. That’s it.

A new era of Black Westerns.

Fast food hip hop wars.

Simone Biles shares that she learned about the extent of Larry Nasser’s crimes from the amazing reporting of the Indianapolis Star.

Erin Overbey has been working on a byline diversity project at The New Yorker. The results will not surprise you.

Lil Nas X, a master of marketing, has created a baby registry for his new album Montero. Each song has an entry in the registry for contributions to nonprofits.

Levar Burton doesn’t want to host Jeopardy anyway.

A travel points hacker shares how he does what he does.

New television series Reservation Dogs, is opening up a necessary conversation about suicide in indigenous communities.

Buy now, pay later.

A timeline of the Gabby Petito case.

The “reality” show The Activist, is being retooled from a competitive show to… uhhh…. something else. OKIE DOKIE!

A conversation with Jean Smart. See Hacks!

The 500 greatest songs of all time.

Some Texas abortion providers have stopped doing abortions all together which, we all know, is exactly what those craven lawmakers intended.

A short story by Brandon Williams.

A guy wrote some fake Dear Prudie letters.

A review of Harlem Shuffle.