The Audacious Roundup
For the week of February 3rd
AUDACIOUS BOOKCLUB HAPPENINGS
Our February selection is Homeseeking by Karissa Chen. We will have a live book club discussion with the author on February 25th at 8pm EST/5 am PST. Registration is open! I hope to see many of you there.
THE NEWSLETTER WEEK IN REVIEW
PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL NEWS
Some upcoming events:
The Portable Feminist Reader is out on March 25th, 2025. Pre-orders are now open and it is always a huge help when you pre-order. Stay tuned for tour dates in Boston (3/25), Chicago (3/26) and New York (4/4).
Debbie and I gave some dating and relationship advice for Hinge.
Debbie Millman has a new book, Love Letter to a Garden, out on April 15th. Also included in the book are 10 recipes by me—a mini cookbook if you will.
Book and project buying links: The Portable Feminist Reader, Opinions, Do the Work, Stand Your Ground, Bad Feminist: Tenth Anniversary Edition, Hunger, Difficult Women, An Untamed State, Not That Bad, Rebind: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.
In case you need a timer for the end of this insane governance to which we are being subjected.
Some Venezuelans who might get deported are like oh no but yeah, Trump’s still fine by me. Others simply cannot believe Trump would do this to them which….leopards, faces, blah blah blah.
Trump has extended his poisonous reach to the Kennedy Center. So much for all that support of the arts. He also floated the idea of the US taking over Gaza which is absolutely vile and ridiculous on so many levels. It’s frustrating when the media takes every utterance of his as legitimate.
Fuck this guy. Truly. Just evil incarnate. And also fuck this guy!
El Salvador will take anyone the US wants to expel from its borders. SMH.
The call is coming from inside the house. And, unfortunately, the DOGE effort thinks it can bring a startup approach to government. And they plan on using AI all over the government which is the plot of all the Terminator movies.
It’s not just zygotes on Musk’s DOGE team, by the way. There are also some adults in the room. And one of those zygotes had to resign because of racist, and I do mean RACIST, posts he made.
As per usual, the administration is propagating all kinds of lies about, well, everything. And especially USAID whose employees have, largely, been placed on leave. And now they’re directing their attention to NOAA which includes umm let’s see here… the National Weather Service! Awesome!
And, the administration has, basically, gutted scientific research which will gut universities which is, of course, their goal. An uneducated populace is one they believe they can control. As for us… good luck with, well, anything being cured anytime soon. It’s just a travesty. Some bad actors have created a list of “DEI employees” in the federal government where DEI of course, means any person of color, probably Black. None of this is going to end well.
Predictably, there are some leftists who want to see DEI dismantled. They believe this is in service of class solidarity as if we cannot achieve solidarity while acknowledging and honoring our differences. I am disgusted with them, too.
The end of an empire may be a lot more unremarkable than we assume.
Literary organizations have come together to share a statement decrying Trump’s executive orders trying to erase trans people. It’s a good start.
Melissa Gira Grant writes about how the #resistance looks different this time.
Google is done with not being evil!
In some good news, the Proud Boys have lost the rights to their name. Now, a Black church they vandalized will profit from their hatred.
The surveillance state is real! But here is how you can fight surveillance pricing.
Ummm… Hope Solo, Han’s sister, is returning to the football pitch. Interesting. Lesbians, activate!
Amber J. Phillips offers some necessary guidance on being a strict bitch, aka having standards and prioritizing yourself and your needs.
My friend Alexandra Grant is launching a wine that combines bubbles and beautiful art. The first bottle, a California brut cuvée, features art from one of my favorite artists, Geneviege Gaignard. Cheers!
I am so proud that Debbie Millman is the recipient of this year’s Audio Vanguard award, which will be presented to her at the On Air Fest. Also, on February 4th, she celebrated twenty years of Design Matters. We will be doing a 20th anniversary event at Symphony Space on April 17th, where she will also be launching her new book Love Letter to a Garden. Get your tickets now!
A profile of Imani Perry.
Andrea Long Chu offers a brutal farewell to NYT columnist Pamela Paul. Chu coins the phrase the “far center,” which is absolutely brilliant.
Or…. the marriage already had issues.
The Superbowl happened. I was rooting for the Eagles even though we only watch football once a year and half-heartedly at that. Fly Eagles Fly! It was great to see the Chiefs get dog walked like that. It’s karmic. But even better than the Superbowl was the halftime show with Kendrick Lamar—brilliantly conceived and choreographed, with the perfect amount of petty and an appearance by Serena Williams. Drake has just been… well… dog walked, too. You haven’t lived until you hear 70,000 people singing A MINORRRRRRRRR. Also, one of the dancers unfurled a Palestinian flag with Sudan and Gaza written on it.
That said, New Orleans spent millions of dollars to move unhoused people into a freezing warehouse. The real cost of this spectacle is the human cost, both on and off the field.
But, speaking of New Orleans, some Black composers are finally being recognized for their talents.
Oh shocking. Ben Sasse was bad with money at UF.
A profile of Jennifer Finney Boylan. Her new book Cleavage is out now.
Angela Flournoy has a new novel, The Wilderness, out in September! I, for one, cannot wait.
RIP Alonzo Davis.
In news that will surprise no one, congestion pricing is working.
Hulu cancelled How to Die Alone which is really disappointing. The show was real and warm and so very funny and bittersweet. I would have watched a dozen seasons of the show.
Off Broadway stage crews are unionizing! On Broadway, we recently saw Gypsy with Audra McDonald. She is absolutely extraordinary in the show. The entire cast is. But truly, she is the star, in every sense of the word. Her frenetic performance really captures Mama Rose. Also, I didn’t know the story before watching the show so I gasped, OUT LOUD, at a few key points. Anyway, go see it, if you can. It’s worth it.
Very expensive violin.
I am very fascinated by the American woman in Pakistan. The story had me in its grips over on TikTok.
Valentine’s Day is coming up. Radicchio, not roses!
Comfort food is timeless.
Man, I’m so bummed about Hulu cancelling ‘How To Die Alone.’ That show is so funny and has so much heart.
Apropos "radicchio not roses", I always say I don't want a bunch of flowers, give me a bunch of vegetables! Beautiful, edible compositions... (This idea should catch up really).