💀 I Delight In What I Fear
Instead of doing the work I’m supposed to be doing—writing a young adult novel—I spend most of my nights devouring books written by other people. My favorite author this week is Shirley Jackson. She’s best known for her short story “The Lottery,” a dark New England fable that is often assigned in high school, but she wrote dozens of other Sylvia Path-like stories about smart women slowly going crazy due to suffocating gender roles. She wrote fiction that feels as detailed and absurd as real life. As I face down each empty page of my own book, feeling hopelessly like I’ll never make anything good and I should probably just give up now, I try to keep her quote in mind: “I delight in what I fear.” I fear never finishing this book. I'll have to find the delight in facing down the challenge.
THIS WEEK'S COMIC
STUFF I MADE
Animated Videos - I write videos for The Nib’s dark, satirical animated series. Check out the newest episode, which features a rampaging tentacle monster and also an upbeat ditty about nuclear war.
STUFF I LOVE
Artists Supporting Abortion Rights - A collective of Argentinian artists have started this awesome social media campaign to raise support for abortion rights in Latin America: @LineaPeluda. They’re gathering black-and-green drawings from artists and then posting the drawings in public places around Buenos Aires (the image above is by @p0lyline). In just a week, they’ve gained 20,000 followers. Go, go, go!
This Photo Series About Trans Women in Peru - Speaking of women’s rights in Latin America, photographer Danielle Villasana is raising money right now to publish a bilingual photobook telling the stories of trans women in Peru. Her photos of really astounding. I kicked in $10, maybe you can, too.
Beyond Meat - This goes out to all the herbivores: I have been eating Beyond Meat chickn for two out of every three meals recently, it’s so goddang delicious. In my ultimate hierarchy of fake meats, it’s definitely Beyond Meat at the top and Lightlife down at the bottom right above beans. What is at the top of your best-of-fake-meat chart?!
Queery With Cameron Esposito - Usually I don’t like podcasts that are just chatty, chatty, chatty, but I’ll make an exception for this LGBTQ interview podcast hosted by comedian and downright charming individual Cameron Esposito. Start with the Margaret Cho conversation.
SOMEONE TO KNOW
Emilly Prado - I met Emilly years ago when she was interning at Bitch and, since then, she’s become a frequent freelance writer who is just killing it. She often covers Latinx identity in Portland, writes a weekly activism column for the Portland Mercury, and hosts a rad DJ night, too. Follow her! (Photo by Katharine T. Jacobs)
SOMETHING TO DO
Celebrate May Day in Your Own Way
I spent May Day 2017 in Berlin, where the streets are packed with people both protesting and partying all day and night (seen above). I miss it. In the United States, international workers’ day feels like just any other day, and no one gets the day off. So, do yourself a favor on May Day and take a break—even just an extra-long lunch break—and appreciate something that money can’t buy.
I’ll write to you in two weeks! In the meantime, keep in touch on Instagram and Twitter, okay? If this is your first time seeing this newsletter, you can subscribe here.