Courage and convictions

Surprise me View in browser August 24, 2018 Robin Cameron    This week I wrote the "trend" of donating maternity-leave days, pizza companies filling potholes, and other examples of how charitable donations and corporate PR stunts can't take the place of social policy. Nerdy, I know. But important! And on the podcast, we're looking ahead to the midterm elections—with guests  Cynthia Nixon and Felicia French, who are running for governor of New York and state legislature in Arizona, respectively. Have you picked a few midterm candidates to support yet? Now's a great time to find some candidates you align with, and commit your dollars and phone-banking hours.  I'm reading How modern philanthropists are creating as many problems as they're solving. The gig economy is a result of policy, not technology. A ride along the front lines of Brazil's truckers' strike. How a missing white woman in Iowa became a talking-point for anti-immigrant politicians. The scars left by family detention. Farmworkers are dying from extreme heat. The legacy of discrimination that divides Fresno. Inside a radical experiment to transform the lives of incarcerated women. Michelle Tea is archiving queer history. Imagining a way out of codependency. The engagement ring in Crazy Rich Asians is one that actor Michelle Yeoh actually bought for herself. How Birkenstocks became fashionable. The rise of the political bake sale. The big business of Vitamin D. Devonté Hynes on finding beauty in pain. Naomi Osaka on breaking through in pro tennis. The lazy trope of the unethical female journalist. What if a female CEO acted like Elon Musk? A huge art-heist wave in China. The crackdown on certain protesters across America. The rise of distraction. And a link I really needed this week: What to do when you feel overwhelmed by your workload. Plus, Michael Arceneaux's I Can't Date Jesus. Members only Become a paying member for just $5/year. [This is a secure site that takes all major credit cards but, unfortunately, not PayPal. For now.] I'd love your support. What are you missing? Click here to see what these pie charts are all about. I'm looking & listening The Whitest Cube, a podcast about the exclusionary history of art institutions from the perspective of people of color. GIFspiration Live footage of me reading the news of Trump-adjacent convictions and guilty pleas. (This is both symbolic and literal. The air popper is one of my most-used kitchen appliances.) I endorse Pop Up Magazine, a live magazine event! Next month, come see me and my good friend and collaborator Lara Shipley on tour with Pop Up. We'll be presenting part of a multimedia project we've been working on for years about a majority-immigrant town in rural Iowa. Other people on the tour include the fantastic writers Ed Yong and Jason Parham and Angelica Bastien, Rebecca Skloot (who wrote The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway, This American Life's Stephanie Foo, and so many more! Tickets are on sale now, and there's a $5 discount for my newsletter subscribers. Just enter the code ART5 at checkout: Sept 20, San Francisco Sept 21, San Francisco Sept 22, San Francisco Sept 25, D.C. Sept 27, Brooklyn Sept 29, Los Angeles* Oct 2, Portland Oct 3, Portland Alas, I won't be at the Toronto or Chicago dates because of scheduling conflicts, but I encourage you to go anyway! Especially Chicago, because Lara will be showing our work there. * For L.A. tickets, note that you'll need to click the "$5 discount" box first to redeem the discount—you enter the code up front, not at checkout. You endorse Rerouting your donation $ to organizations led by the people they serve. "I super appreciate everyone who donates to non profits and progressive causes, but white led organizations often have access and resources beyond the wildest dreams of organizations led by the communities they serve- specifically, organizations led by Black women and QTPOC. Also- when organizations hire representative leadership, they often lose funding from foundations or donors because white spending practices are racist. So maybe people can split the donation they were originally going to give to Planned Parenthood and use half of it to give to an organization like the National Network of Abortion Funds?" -Katherine McGuiness. A reminder: This section is curated by you, dear readers! What do you endorse? Submit a link here. IRL In addition to all those Pop Up dates, I've got some upcoming events in Los Angeles... Sept 1: In conversation with Thomas Page McBee about his book, Amateur, at Skylight Books Oct 8: In conversation with Heather Havrilesky about her book, What If This Were Enough, at Skylight Books Oct 10: In conversation with Leah Dieterich about her book, Vanishing Twins, at the Ace Hotel The Classifieds Join 55,000 other Hacker Newsletter subscribers to have great tech, design, and startup news delivered to your inbox every Friday. It's Taco or Beer Challenge time again! Eat a taco, drink a beer, fund abortion, challenge friends to do the same. #ToBC18 Women & friends of women! Help us save Roe & #StopKavanaugh. Join the massive National Day of Action Aug 26 (by NARAL MoveOn & more). RSVP! You're ready to do the damn thing. We're two BFF cofounders who make sh*t happen. Let's talk! Book your call + take 10% off with code ANN10. Ready to advance in your career on your terms, get paid what you deserve, and increase your impact? Join other dynamic professional women for a Career Fulfillment Retreat. Book your complimentary strategy call today! Coastal elite heads to Trump territory undercover to swing a Congressional seat blue. What he doesn’t know could get somebody killed. Read the story: Rules of Resistance, a new political mystery. Get fired up for the midterms. Click here for rates + info to buy an ad in this very space. Testimonials Thanks for all of your congratulations and well-wishes on the book announcement last week! Your support is better than any testimonial, really. This newsletter is always thinking about structures and systems. Forward it to someone who sees the big picture. 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