The world's simplest gift guide

Surprise me View in browser December 07, 2018 [photo by yours truly]    This week Hi, I'm back from my break and the world is—yup—still here. Thanks for your patience with my non-newsy newsletters. I spent two glorious weeks not reading the internet and looking at beautiful mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and volcanoes in Chile. (My camera roll is full of photos like the one above.) My brain felt cleaner. It's been weird to go back to sending 30 emails a day and scanning dozens of headlines at once.  While I was gone, Call Your Girlfriend featured real-talking historian Alexis Coe and a whole episode devoted to getting your personal finances together. This week we've got the delightful chef and author Samin Nosrat! (Have you watched "Salt Fat Acid Heat"? It's pure joy.) CYG's live show also made a cameo in my friend George McCalman's iconic SF Observed illustrated column. He quotes one of my key takeaways of 2018: "Make no mistake: Metallic is a neutral." You can also listen to me discussing two of life's pleasures, books and recreational drugs, as a guest on other people's podcasts: The Spine and Stoner.  I'm reading The year in monsters. The privilege of being remembered like a dead white man. What gender-reveal parties actually reveal. "Transition doesn’t have to make me happy for me to want it." Why Southern whites still don't understand the Confederacy. The Che Guevara of abortion reformers. The decline in online spaces for people outside the sexual mainstream to find each other. Toward a more radical selfie. How Victoria's Secret's strict femininity standards came to feel so dated. Where are all the sperm donors of color? A dispatch from Michelle Obama's book tour. Reconsidering the "Jewish American Princess." How the economy ruined millennials. The case of the pooping peacock. 50 people who are using their creativity to advance social justice. The hidden poverty in L.A.'s suburbs. The digital-media bubble is bursting. The end of Rookie magazine, which was one of the most exciting media experiments of the past decade. A divorce lawyer's advice for staying together. The nightmare of shopping for your significant other's dad. Maybe an Edible Arrangement? Eileen Myles on Houston's second-largest commercial airport. The sensual pleasures of cozy knits. The lady-hero's journey. And I read four novels while on vacation: Otessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation (so dark it was hard to tell it was funny, but I think it was funny?), Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow (a perfect light vacation read), Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune (a perfect read for this particular vacation), and Aja Gabel's The Ensemble (I love a story about group friendship dynamics). Members only This newsletter is my weekly gift to you: something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation. But you can make it a mutual exchange by becoming a paying member for just $5/year. And if you don't have the cash (hey, I get it), you can always support my weekly endeavor to improve your inbox by a) suggesting my Classifieds section to your friends who are looking for an affordable way to advertise their projects and businesses, and b) telling your friends and followers to subscribe. Thanks! I'm looking & listening Incoming congresswomen read the preamble to the Constitution. The utter joy of the "thank u, next" video. Robyn's slo-mo moves in the "Honey" video. I can't believe this Artforum cover is real. The Menopause Carnival. A new reported podcast, Broken Harts, from reporter Lauren Smiley: "In pictures and in public the family appeared to be an emblem of warmth, love, and protection, but postmortem accounts of the Hart Tribe, as many called them, paint a very different picture." GIFspiration Enjoy these seasonally appropriate psychedelic pines. The World's Simplest Gift Guide Gift-giving doesn't have to be hyper-capitalist! Here are 5 suggestions: 1. A subscription. Media, as an industry, is crumbling but there are still so many great magazines out there: Cherry Bombe, Out, The Baffler, The New Territory, The Gentlewoman, and lots more on Stack. (If you don't want to choose you can just give a subscription to a random assortment of independent mags!) A subscription to the local newspaper is also a great gift. Or just give the New York Times crossword. And for the digitally inclined, you can now support lots of great newsletters with your dollars. (Some paywalled faves of mine: Daniel Ortberg's Shatner Chatner, Jamelle Bouie's The Newsletter, Helena Fitzgerald's Griefbacon, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael's The Main Event.) And of course, you can always give the gift of weekly pie charts with a paid subscription to this very newsletter. 2. A membership. Museums are my go-to, but you could also gift a National Parks pass (for the outdoorsy), some yoga classes (for the flexible and want-to-be-more-flexible), access to a ceramics studio (for the clay lover), OnePassword (for the person who needs to get their digital life in order), etc. Some memberships are doubly great because they are also donations: Ways of providing ongoing support to important institutions. 3. A book you loved, purchased from an independent bookseller, with a thoughtful note about why you think the recipient will love it, too. There is something so special about a book with an inscription. 4. Something made by an artist. I love being able to tell my friends and fam, "Hey, not only did this beautiful work remind me of you, I was able to support this artist I think you'll really like!" Uprise Art and 20x200 are good places for prints. But I recommend just poking around independent stores in your city that sell work by local artists. You could also combine this with idea #1 and support an artist's Patreon on your recipient's behalf! 5. Something made by you. If you're not good with a hot glue gun, think about kitchen-oriented things. It could be party nuts. It could be jam. It could be cider sachets. Last year my pal Sarah gifted me delicious bitters she made herself, and I thought of her every single time I dropped them into some fizzy water or mixed them up in a cocktail. How was your 2018? Every year, I publish a little reflection on my year. And last year, I asked you to contribute, too. Let's do that again!   >> Click here to tell me about your 2018. << I want to hear a little bit about your year. I'll publish your reflections alongside my own. The Classifieds What if we cared about the environmental harm caused by factory-new clothes in the same way we thought about ocean pollution and plastic bags? And We Evolve is on a mission to make adopting secondhand fashion as easy and photogenic as stainless steel straws and sassy tote bags. Keep up with the most interesting & relevant stories impacting black & other underrepresented communities. Subscribe to Folding Chair here. Sure, you can “push through” and figure out many problems your own, but it’s easier with help. I’m a friendly, effective, certified life coach. Move over, tech bros! TECH BAE is your new favourite web series about Ayanda who tries to build a dating app. Help us make it real. How the media covers reading, teacher candidates, & more! The Grade sends the best education journalism to your inbox each week. Sign up. Become a champion of higher purpose and get inspired to imagine new possibilities for yourself, for your community, and for our democracy when you read Purpose Power: How Mission-Driven Leaders Engage for Change. Listen to Chapter 1, follow us @purposepower_ and pre-order now. At 23, Suhani Mohan grew frustrated with India’s menstruation myths. Now she’s on a mission to empower women and provide access to high-quality pads to end centuries of menstrual stigma. Discover Suhani’s story and how Acumen is helping her turn #OneGreatIdea into huge impact. Give yourself the gift of thousands of eyeballs! Click for ad rates and info. Testimonials "TFW the @annfriedman Weekly arrives at just the right moment to enjoy over lunch" -Crystal Paradis. When time zones work in your favor! "Me @ my inbox every Friday waiting for @annfriedman’s newsletter on the other side of the ocean, failing to even remember what time it is in LA rn" -Mayanne Soret. When time zones are just too much! "Kudos to @annfriedman for not apologizing in her newsletter but rather saying: 'Thanks for understanding my need to get away for awhile'. It's perfect and setting a beautiful standard for us all." -Alison Turkos. Truth: We all need to get away for awhile sometimes. This newsletter is giving all year long. Forward it to someone whose presence is a present. 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