Hullo, it is once again a Friday that somehow feels like a Monday, in advance of another Monday that I’m confident will feel deceptively like a Monday! On the weekend I plan to read as much as possible, write many lovely notes, do laundry, clean the loo, and edit very much podcast. If I run out of tasks I shall write letters to support democracy, because of course democracy is hanging on by a thread. Would you like to support democracy too? You can head over to Mobilize or Resistance Labs or Postcards to Voters or Vote Forward to check out some groovy volunteer opportunities! Many of the available opportunities can be done whilst listening to the Magnus Archives!
“Watching the series, I was unable to ignore one central question: Why should we give a damn about the emotional life of a racist, sexist white woman?” Angelica Jade Bastien is typically brilliant on Mrs. America. (link)
Judith Butler is not having it. (link)
Maisy Card considers her memory of Nanny, leader of the Jamaica Maroons. (link)
Code Switch tries to figure out what kind of books we should be reading during quarantine, with the help of Farah Jasmine Griffin. (link)
A wonderful profile of romance and thriller novelist Alyssa Cole! (link)
Here is an oral history of Wishbone. I love Wishbone! (link)
How do people understand each other? Linguist David Adger discusses how language works. (link)
The James Beard Awards got canceled this year, and it’s all a big mess. Here’s your guide to what’s going on. (link)
“It’s a system that can construct a fiction with facts.” ZZ Packer discusses the facts that were raised by Kentucky’s attorney general in the Breonna Taylor case, and the facts that were obscured. (link)
Aisha Harris has created a pretty incredible taxonomy of modern American blackface. (link)
An open letter from the UK & Irish publishing community, in solidarity with trans and nonbinary people. (link)
“I’ve spent the past four months watching sex scenes to determine which seeming sex symbols actually, you know, have sex in movies.” (link)
Can we rethink how YA frames coming out? (link)
“To answer a glaring question: No, collab houses don’t really make any money. It is not a wise business decision, per se, for a management company to spend lavishly on rent solely because fans like seeing their favorite TikTokers hanging out together.” This is fascinating. (link)
Rejoice! Despite the meaninglessness of all time, it is nevertheless the weekend! Eat, drink, and be merry! As for me and my house, we are in intensive quarantine and shall have no pancakes this Sunday, but we will struggle to get by all the same.