Main Street USA

Surprise me View in browser June 22, 2018 yours truly    This week I spent most of the past week in a town of about 2,000 people in rural southeast Iowa. There's a Tyson plant nearby. Main Street, pictured above, has two banks, a clothing shop that doubles as a botánica, a tax preparer, four grocery stores (two Asian, two Mexican), a panadería, a video store liquidating its DVD collection (and also selling hamburgers and paletas), three salons, a Burmese restaurant, a few lawyers and realtors, a dive bar, some storefront churches, a quilt shop, a Mexican restaurant. This place is definitely not perfect but it is evolving and thriving in a way that many tiny rural towns are not, thanks to immigrants and refugees and other residents who understand that we are all in this together. It’s been strange to talk to people here while national attention is rightfully focused on the atrocities happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Because this town, with its high percentage of immigrants and refugees, is what some bigots would probably consider to be the worst-case scenario for the US. But it is so crystal-clear here that everyone benefits when newcomers are embraced. That this is actually the best-case scenario for Main Streets everywhere.   I've got a bigger project in the works about this place (a collaboration with my friend Lara Shipley, a brilliant photographer) that's not ready for the public eye just yet. In the meantime, on this week's episode of CYG, Amina and I talk about the women complicit in this administration's horrors, plus the joys of the new Beyoncé video. I'm reading "They don’t cry like normal kids." What's horrific is not the novelty of Trump’s family-separation policy, but its familiarity: Just ask African Americans, Native Americans, Japanese Americans. Democrats also paved the way for this policy. Who's profiting from the detention of immigrant kids and how the ACLU is fighting back. "It’s not a deterrent; it’s forcing migrants to make an absurd, unnecessary, detestable choice." Dystopia is here. ​The List tallies Europe's migrant bodycount. Coco is the defining movie of this moment. "Why are people so afraid of what will happen if young people are inspired to think through their own identity?" Celebrating the expansion of lesbian narratives in pop culture. The writer who broke the Brandon Teena story considers what she got wrong. Rebellion, connection, and seeing the world thanks to Anthony Bourdain. What gets lost when only rebellious girls are lionized. A female chef regrets joining the boys' club. Men search for role models in addressing #MeToo in all of its nuance. Do Beyoncé fans have to forgive Jay-Z? How Desus and Mero conquered late night. The bullshit-job boom. How tech companies conquered U.S. cities. The story of a white cop who shot a black man, then sued the city for racial discrimination. The problem with suburban police. A Q&A with new San Francisco Mayor London Breed. What it means to dress like Harry Styles. The glorious grandmas of Instagram. Do androids dream of cooking beef? Members only Become a paying member for just $5/year. I'd love your support. What are you missing?  This week, it's an extra snarky chart about Melania's jacket. Click here to see what my pie charts are all about. I'm looking & listening Queer love in color. The first sex worker town hall. A brief history of Folsom Prison. Flo Kennedy's public access show. Also, I know there's a new Queer Eye out and lots of good audio work happening, but I've been taking refuge in rewatching Season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race. GIFspiration Grateful for Beyoncé and all this beauty. I endorse Educating yourself about what's going on, not just with family separation but with immigrant detention overall, and with the U.S. history on this issue. (I've got several links at the top of today's "I'm reading" section.)   Donating to orgs like the National Immigrant Justice Center, RAICES Texas to provide legal representation and support to separated families, Fianza Fund to help with bail bonds for detained immigrants.  Calling your reps, especially if your reps are Republicans.   Protesting. See you on June 30.    Talking to your friends and family about this issue and telling them why you feel personally invested in it and why they should be, too. Find a buddy and hold each other accountable and do this stuff regularly, not only when you feel that spike of fear and anger after reading some headlines on social media. Taking action is always easier for me when I do it with a friend.   (Many of these links via @prisonculture.) You endorse KidLitWomen. "A group of women created to look for solutions to issues of harassment, underrepresentation in characters and author/illustrators and editors, and other issues affecting women in publishing. I'm a former editor, a current author, and mom of a 5-year old daughter. The issues tackled in this group are big, uncomfortable, and potentially upsetting, but the essays posted daily in March all addressed the topics with respect, inviting dialogue, and sensitivity for the reader. The essays have been collected in the group and new conversations happen regularly." -Judy Carey Nevin.   What do you endorse? Submit a link here. IRL July 15, Los Angeles: In conversation with Glynnis MacNicol about her new memoir, ​No One Tells You This. The Classifieds Dessert Club Newsletter: weekly advice about how to stop dieting, enjoy food more, and live a more contented life with your fabulous, "imperfect" body. Want to make friends in New York? Subscribe to The Joy List! They feature events that you can attend solo, and leave with a new pal. Join the EarBuds Podcast Collective Listening Movement: a wkly email w/ a theme + 5 pods on that theme, each wk curated by another person! Stop compromising on your underwear. Shop Retort Lingerie for beautiful basics that are comfortable, affordable, and jive with your feminist side. Take 25% off your first order with AFW25. "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny..."– Shirley Jackson. Celebrate Lottery Day w/ The Imaginary Bookshop! 15% off w/ code JUNE27 Epic Digital is hiring for two positions in their San Francisco office: Creative Director and Storyhunter. We help brands tell extraordinary true stories and we need more writers/editors to join our creative team. Journalistic experience is a plus! Ads! They're great! Next Friday is almost sold out, but July is your oyster. Testimonials "I've always loved @annfriedman's newsletter beyond reason, but now she's regularly shouting out amazing poetry and fiction and I am completely" -Kate Reed Perry. I made a MORE POETRY 2018 resolution and it's really paying off. This newsletter is very Main Street. Forward it to your neighbors. AF WEEKLY Subscribe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Manage paid membership MORE ANN Email me About me Writing archive Public speaking Rent my brain Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Ladyswagger, Inc. PO Box 26932 | Los Angeles, CA 90026 © 2018