The Audacious Roundup
For the week of April 6th
AUDACIOUS BOOKCLUB HAPPENINGS
Our April selection will be Black. Single. Mother. by Jamilah Lemieux. We will be in conversation with Jamilah on April 29th, at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. Registration is open.
For newcomers, there is a bookclub FAQ if you have questions about how it all works. And this is what we will be reading for the rest of the year. We’re partnering with the lovely people at Allstora for the Audacious Book Club. Now, you can sign up to have the monthly selections delivered to your doorstep each month! Otherwise, I’ve put together an Audacious Book Club storefront if you want to buy current or forthcoming book club titles.
THE NEWSLETTER WEEK IN REVIEW
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL NEWS
I wrote about book clubs and the pleasures they offer both readers and writers for The Los Angeles Times. And here is a video of my conversation with the illustrious Imani Perry at the New Orleans Book Festival.
I will be at the University of Michigan on April 14th (5:40 pm, League Ballroom) and April 15th for the annual Hopwood lecture! All are welcome.
On May 2nd, I’m hosting a one-day memoir writing conference called Writing a Life. Our keynote speaker is Kimberlé Crenshaw and there will be workshops from Alexander Chee, Mira Jacob, Lauren Hough, Kelly Sundberg, Savala Nolan, and Mary H.K. Choi. It is $100 (lunch included) and space is limited.
For my Australian readers, I will be back in Sydney on June 12th, in conversation with Narelda Jacobs! Tickets here!
On June 18th, I am joining Hope for Haiti in a fundraiser for their capital campaign to build a new medical campus in Haiti. They are a wonderful organization and my dad is on their board and I am so impressed with the work they do AND that all of their clinics and operations in Haiti are run by Haitians. If you want to support this campaign, please consider a ticket or table (if you have the scratch), and enjoy an evening of conversation, Haitian food, and music!
Debbie Millman is going to make her off-Broadway debut in The Menopause Monologues. You can buy tickets here! I’ve read her monologue. It’s perfect and powerful and it will break your heart before putting it back together again.
Book and project links: Books I’ve Written, RGB Imprint Titles, Rebind: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton; The Forgotten Occupation.
READING MATERIAL
The war in Iran continues. JD Vance went to Pakistan to negotiate an end to the war and failed. Meanwhile, Trump took in a UFC fight. He’s also planning another ugly monstrosity.
The cryptkeeper continues to do his evil deeds.
Pete Hegseth is trying, among many other terrible things, to resegregate the military.
There’s this bullshit about restricting where people can enter the US.
California congressman Eric Swalwell has been accused of sexual misconduct by four women. He denies the accusations but he is quickly losing support and may face expulsion from Congress. Men!
After being held in Iraq, journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed.
Pope Leo has had it with Trump’s shit.
Artemis II has completed it’s moon adjacent mission (yay science!) and the astronauts have made it back to Earth safely. If you’re interested, they ate well while up there. Ad astra per aspera.
There’s a new evil AI situation on the horizon.
In France, a 9-year old boy was found in a van where he had been imprisoned since 2024. I just… don’t understand the ways people can harm other people. I hope he gets all the help he needs to heal.
Author Helen Dewitt was unable to do all of the promotional requirements for the Windham Campbell prize so she had to refuse the prize. Alas.
This year’s National Book Foundation’s “Five Under 35.”
How can publishing deal with the encroachments of AI? Off the top of my head, pay editors fairly, hire enough editors, and make sure they have time to actually edit books.
The WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the studios which is a huge relief for most of us in the WGA.
Higher education is struggling but small private colleges are especially grappling for how to survive.
Meet the first lady of lowriding.
Need some book club recommendations? Here are 101.
Blah blah blah biohacking blah blah.
A family chose to get total gastrectomies because of their genetic disposition toward stomach cancer. This story also highlights the importance of medical research for specific ethnic communities.
This isn’t a new thing but a lot of men are, to varying degrees of success (!?) to murder their wives. Just a suggestion but don’t be alone with men. Don’t get on boats with them. Don’t go hiking. Don’t go skiing. They (not all ha ha) cannot be trusted!
(Kan)Ye has been denied entry into the UK for a festival performance and, in turn, the festival has been canceled.
An essay about the silence of men around sexual predation and violence.
One night in the life of a Relay delivery worker.
Afrika Bambaataa died and that’s all I’ll say about that.
Camonghne Felix asks what language we should be using to write about the world as it is and as we would like it to be.
Philz Coffee, in the Bay Area of all places, is going to take down their Pride flags? Say what?
If you have an older Kindle working perfectly fine, don’t worry! Amazon plans on rendering it useless, soon.
A review of Larissa Pham’s Discipline which I have read and quite enjoyed. Euphoria’s third season premieres tonight and critics aren’t feeling the long-delayed season.
Here are some book club suggestions for readers of every stripe.
Sad to see that FSG is shuttering their McD imprint.
Keeping up with the Beckhamashians.
Conspicuous consumption aka the wealthy are getting wealthier and enjoying the perks. (La Premiere on Air France is… exactly as awesome as everyone says it is. Allegedly.)
Hell hath no fury, indeed… And shout out to Akira’s dad for being a real one. See also: Veneta and Big Cheryl.
A profile of Aaron Rupar. A conversation with Frankie Muniz.
Mother Jones is hiring an editorial fellow.
Route 66 is turning 100 years old this year! Go get your kicks! Charlie got the Angels back together.
A 24-hour diner in Houston!
World Cup tickets are ridiculously expensive and FIFA remains an elaborate scam.
Freida McFadden’s real identity has been revealed. And she’s a doctor!
I love public art as activism, especially when it tells ICE to get fucked.
A real life animal crossing! More! More!
A new poem from Morgan Parker. An amazing journalism correction. And an amazing collection of live concert recordings.
THE RUMPUS WEEK IN REVIEW
Essays:
Always Watching from the Roof by L.F. Khouri
Notes from the Playground by Elana Kupor
Fiction:
Invasive Species by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles
Born on a Dying Planet by Anjali Sachdeva
Poetry:
A Day in the Life by Christine Shan Shan Hou
“WHEN PRAYER DIDN’T AWAY THE GAY, MY DAD TAUGHT ME HOW TO PLAY DOOM ON THE FAMILY COMPUTER [Golden Shovel]” by Ty Raso
Two Poems by Philipe Abiyouness
Two Poems by Hannah Brooks-Motl
Criticism:
Horror as a Crucible for Connection in Zefyr Lisowski’s “Uncanny Valley Girls” by Ana Hein
Interviews:
A Conversation with Jonah Mixon-Webster by Dustin Pearson
A Conversation with Emma Straub by Alia Spartz
The First Book: Janan Alexandra by Janan Alexandra
Always the best, cannot thank you enough for doing these roundups!
That Brené Brown correction tho.