Words fail me

...or do I fail words?

Surprise me View in browser June 28, 2019 The deep end.    This week The podcast this week is all about pronouns , which is a topic at the center of the venn diagram of "justice" and "language." If you don't already include your pronouns in your email signature, this episode will convince you to add them. I also have to admit that language is a particularly touchy subject for me in this moment. The first draft of this book is due in a few days, and I am a husk of my formerly robust and word-confident self. No need to reply with a pep talk, because I truly do know that this part of the process. These feelings will pass. And the general tone and outlook of this newsletter will improve once I've had some decompression time, starting next week. Hope you're all taking a pause if you need one, too. **faceplants into the floor** I'm reading What attorneys saw and heard inside a U.S. migrant detention camp. The history we should fear repeating is our own. "I’m not stupid enough to think 'never again' calls for anything but constant vigilance." The Holocaust survivor who created a dictionary of Nazi doublespeak. The suffering of Facebook content moderators. E. Jean Carroll's account of being assaulted by the president and the many other hideous men who have harmed her. I'm just now catching up with a story that totally missed me: Tony Robbins' followers say he groped and mistreated them. Ugh, take his mic away forever. A history of the televised debate stage. The power of a peer group. Why isn't birth control better? Some bodies are considered obscene when it comes to advertising standards. "Intersex bodies are still being erased because we take an ax to this binary boxes bollox." Alanis Morissette at 45. Judge Judy makes it look easy. A critical look at pop culture's moment of "unlikeable women." Drunk at Epcot. An ode to Nike Air Force 1s. The poetry of motels. How graffiti became gentrified. The difference between epitaphs, epigrams, and epigraphs. "I feel that I owe it to grief to honor its pleasures. To recognize what love gives us, and makes of us, even as it takes." Consider the octopus. Consider not doing anything at all. 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 Drag Race archive is now on Netflix and it couldn't have come at a better time. I watched in real time, starting with season 2, but there's so much I'd forgotten and it's proving to be a crucially comforting re-watch. A short documentary about the lives of gay men living in rural Tennessee. A stripped-down version of "Sound & Vision." A super cut of Rihanna laughing. GIFspiration When you're sure you've got things under control and very suddenly realize your limitations. I endorse Raices Texas is often mentioned as a great organization worthy of your donations—which it is! Lately it has also been immensely helpful to me as I try to better understand the issues surrounding United States' appalling treatment of people who come to our borders seeking refuge from violence. This week, the New York Times and other outlets published a photo of the bodies of Óscar Alberto Martinez Ramírez and his 23-month old daughter, Valeria, who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande. The argument for sharing graphic photos like this is that they will shock Americans out of complacency and into action. I appreciated this response from Raices: Instead we are sharing this photo that was given to media outlets by the family. No less heartbreaking, this photo depicts the family’s truth. [...] Were they migrants? Yes. But before they were migrants they were a family. A normal family who wanted the best for their children and risked it all in search of refuge and a better life. Here. Today we honor that family and pay homage to the countless others who have made the dangerous journey here. We want to make this very clear: Restrictions like “Remain in Mexico” and the “Metering” policy which rejects asylum seekers who come to ports of entry asking for protection are what caused these deaths and the countless others that occur on the border every day. We can no longer stand by as this administration continues to build walls. It’s time we build bridges into our society, so that ALL members are afforded their rights and treated with dignity. #BuildABridge The Classifieds Feeling stuck? Get a free, weekly newsletter on how to have a happier, more meaningful life. Stalled on making a career move? Work with Henceforth to shift the narrative and tell the story of the leader you're becoming. Join us at Women & Power, featuring keynotes, conversations, and entertainment popping up across Omega's campus for a festival of resilience and rejuvenation. It’s a chance to gather our strength and take it back to #DoPowerDifferently. Sept. 27-29, scholarships available. Get yourself a classified! Next week's ads are on mega-sale. Click for rates and info. Testimonials "I’m a new paid subscriber, and I just had to comment that I had no idea the pie chart would be this good. Even an old 2015 pie chart got a laugh from me!" -Madeline.  "You’re pie hit the mark for me PERFECTLY this week! Even though it’s ostensibly a repeat it was perfect. Yay!!" -Nellie. You, too, can receive these pie charts for just $5/year! This newsletter is collapsed in a heap. Forward it wordlessly. 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