A break from reality

Surprise me View in browser November 16, 2018 Photo by Lisa Vanthournout on Unsplash    This week I'm leaving today for a two-week vacation. Two weeks! No email and no work! I cannot remember the last time I took a trip this long and didn't do something work-related or visit family or both. Anyway, this is a real break and I'm very excited about it. A few vacation-related housekeeping notes: The next two newsletters will be a little different (um, less newsy) than usual, as I'm writing them in advance. Also, if you make a change to your subscription status (going from paid to unpaid or vice-versa) between now and December 6, you will not see that change reflected until the December 7 newsletter. Thanks for understanding my need to get away for awhile.  Ooh, and on CYG this week, Amina talked to the whip-smart lawyer, activist, and writer Josie Duffy Rice about all things criminal justice. You already listen to Josie's podcast Justice in America, right? It's so good. I'm reading Mike Davis once argued we should let Malibu burn, and Gustavo Arellano points out that we now live in the world Davis predicted. A reminder that incarcerated people are often the ones fighting these fires. Algorithms are increasingly helping to determine who should be jailed and who should be released. I keep telling myself that the only reason I haven't left Facebook is that I'm a journalist and it's a useful way to contact people. Nationalize Amazon. Margaritaville and the future of aging. All of the houses Lucia Berlin lived in. Oprah interviews Michelle Obama. Gayle King is more than a bestie. Sherrilyn Ifill on Trump's hostility to black women journalists. Podcasting grows up. Period-tracking apps aren't really built for women. Untold stories of the housing crisis. The story of Jannie Duncan, who was either a con artist or a woman wronged. Excellence as a survival strategy. School districts are spending billions to "protect" students from gun violence. A harbinger of memes to come. The great sex recession. War poetry. The end of endings. And Nikki Darling's stunning novel, Fade Into You. Members only Become a paying member for just $5/year. Support my work and get some hand-drawn goodness, too! What are you missing? Click here for a taste. I'm looking & listening Jorge Rivas is with the migrant caravan right now and posting some photos and stories to Instagram. Sad Trump in a Cemetery. The history of meatless meat. A musical vegetable man. "Toxic," Oxford's word of the year, prompted me to revisit the video for the Britney classic. And... wow.  GIFspiration ✌️ I endorse It's not only wealthy Malibu celebrities who have been displaced by the fires burning in California right now. Many families won't receive relief due to their immigration status. The 805 UndocuFund is a collective effort among grassroots community organizations to assist local undocumented immigrants who are economically impacted by fires but excluded from many relief programs such as FEMA assistance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance. Consider kicking them a few dollars. You endorse Roxane Gay's Goodreads account. "A few months ago, I discovered that Roxane Gay has a Goodreads account where she reviews books she's read. Looking at her list may make you feel like an unproductive wastrel (she's read 900 books and reviewed 400 of them, somehow while also writing her own books and teaching) but it's where I go when I'm looking for a new book to read. Many of the titles are by women writers, POC, and LGBT writers. And, as you would expect, her short reviews are incisive and witty." -Lizzy. What do you endorse? Submit a link here. The Classifieds Both light-hearted and empowering, the humor gift book New Erotica for Feminists is a sly, satirical take on what turns feminists on. The US lags behind when it comes to awareness and practice of sustainable clothing habits. (Australian Vogue has a sustainability editor!) Let’s catch up. Try the AWE Box, a monthly or quarterly subscription box of clothes in like-new condition, styled to your specifications. Apply by Nov. 30 to ONA’s Women’s Leadership Accelerator — a yearlong program aimed at advancing the careers of women in digital journalism. Don’t know what to buy your man for the holidays? Original Grain has got you! Selling watches made from reclaimed wood & steel while redefining what one should expect from a watch. Give the gift of originality. Sign up for their emails to start shopping their Black Friday Sale. Apostrophe Copywriters is a female-lead copywriting agency. If you’re doing good things for the world, please get in touch. We’d like to write for you. Diamonds, meh. Part of her thinks an engagement ring is sexist, but she does like gold & platinum. Giftable even to self: CubicZirconia.com Strange Magic is the podcast for the thinking witch. Join us each week as we discuss tarot, spells, art, magic, philosophy & more. Tune in wherever you listen to your fave casts. You've only got a few more chances to run an ad in 2018! Click for rates and info. Testimonials “And, as usual, thanks for the awesome newsletter. You make Fridays go by so much faster. <3” -Christine. And Fridays are already fast! "What a bargain! Thanks for all of the great information you compile each week. I appreciate all that you do." -Stephanie, satisfied pie chart customer. This newsletter is taking off. Forward it to someone who needs a vacation. 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