Deadline Crunch (TM)

Surprise me View in browser May 24, 2019 Spring idyll!    This week I'm tucked away in a farmhouse in Vermont, on a book-writing retreat with my co-author and pal Aminatou Sow. Does it sound idyllic? It is! And also grueling. We are slogging through the last few chapters of our first draft, and I'm incredibly grateful to have the space for it. So today and next Friday, you might find the newsletter a little thinner than usual. Thanks for understanding. A live conversation I had with the author Rachel Cusk last month at the LA Public Library is now available in podcast form. I was so nervous about this one because I am truly in awe of her Outline trilogy. Listen as I try to hold it together! And for today's episode of Call Your Girlfriend, we handed it over to Rose Eveleth, host of the Flash Forward podcast, who put together an incredible episode about futurism. I'm reading The fraught culture of online mourning. A mother experiencing homelessness writes an open letter to people who don't want her in their backyards. When mothers give up their children. End the plague of secret parenting. What if we considered uterine work to be comparable to other labors? Never again let anyone tell you that the fury or determination to fight for abortion rights is invalid, inappropriate, or inconvenient. What happened to the anger over police violence? How New York City taxi medallions became a trap for immigrant drivers. A new book perpetuates the myth of the American "frontier." Susan Sontag's defiant seriousness. How CBD came to be seen as a cure-all. Actress Aurora Perrineau reintroduces herself. The world's oldest breakup letter. Against advice. And Susan Choi's Trust Exercise, which I absolutely loved.  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 podcast Tell Them I Am. Some new songs from Bill Callahan. An ice cream truck jingle that sounds like Stereolab. GIFspiration The late Marsha P. Johnson with an important reminder in this moment of many threats to bodily autonomy. And I'm not just talking about the abortion bans. Several black trans women were killed this week, and the Trump administration also announced plans to allow homeless shelters to discriminate against trans people.  I endorse Mass-market fiction from the 1980s. The brain does strange things when it's deep in a very demanding project. The place I'm staying has spotty internet service and frequent power outages, so I've been relaxing the old-fashioned way: with Jackie Collins novels I found in the house. I hope you enjoy the opening credits of the miniseries adaptation of Hollywood Wives as much as I did. You've got answers What are we buying at Trader Joe's*? Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend [Ed. note: SO many of you picked this.] Dark chocolate peanut butter cups peanut butter filled pretzel bites!!! Herbs and Spices / olive oil popcorn Elote-flavored corn chips (aka Fritos) The bags of "teeny tiny" avocados! They are shockingly cheap and the perfect size for putting on toast. Frozen dumplings. A single parent needs an easy win every once in a while. Trader Giotto's frozen Gnocchi al Gorgonzola. It's my indulgent treat when I get a night to myself; I will unapologetically eat the entire bag. Their triple cream brie. It’s made with microbial rennet, not animal rennet (which is used in almost all brie) so it’s a great option for vegetarians. thai tea mini mochi!!!!! AKA "mini moch" AKA perfectly satisfying little nuggets that are not even that bad for you Candy cane green tea. It's decaf so I can drink it at any time of day, and it's not just "peppermint"y but genuinely candy cane flavored without being sickly sweet. It always makes me feel the coziness of the holidays. Frozen naan changed my life. OMG, I found Krackle Bread there and went on to order 2 cases of the stuff from the manufacturer. Never. Again. Unexpected Cheddar Non-edible picks: $6 gladiolus bouquet Greeting cards - cute and a good deal! Honey Mango Moisturizing Cream Shave changed my life And a few notes of dissent: nothing, too much packaging I've never been inside one, but I've gotten a lot of pomegranates and sweet potatoes from their dumpsters. Who or what is Trader Joe? Seriously. Now I have to go google it. I didn’t want to before I answered so I could write ‘seriously’ with some naivety. * Trader Joes is a grocery store where the focus is mostly on snacks and boxed/packaged stuff. This is not spon! I'm just snack-curious, especially in times of great mental exertion... such as my current deadline crunch. Wow, I should make a snack called Deadline Crunch.  The Classifieds New Yorkers: Come to our queer women comedy night, June 25, 7pm. Performers include Gina Yashere, Emma Willmann and Gloria Bigelow. Proceeds benefit Project LPAC, a nonprofit researching LGBTQ women's political community. Buy tickets here. Promo code STONEWALL50 for 10% off Feeling stuck? Get a free, weekly newsletter on how to have a happier, more meaningful life. Dealing with painful memories & trauma? Writing with body-based guidance is a beautiful way to heal. Get a free guide. Compassionate, feminist coaching by licensed professional with over a decade of experience. 50% off first session. Let’s do this together! Want to start a podcast? Come to Messy.fm: the all-in-one podcasting platform. Use our free software to go "idea to iTunes" in minutes! Ads keep this operation—and possibly yours!—afloat. Click for rates and info. Testimonials "I finally found that $5.00 to subscribe to your newsletter as a paying member. Of all my newsletter subscriptions, yours is one of the most pertinent and informative. Thank you for opening my world even farther than I'd managed to take it on my own." -Nancy. Ok, I love all of your testimonials but this one is SO sweet! This newsletter is getting in done, slowly but surely. Forward it to someone who could use a snack. 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 © 2019