An Atmospheric River of Links and Recs
My fav book of the past month + a bonkers celebrity vow column + best exercise top on sale + much more
LINKS/RECS BELOW, but first: a Trans Santa Update!!! Two months and dozens and dozens of Trans Santa fulfillments later (and several conversations with both Amazon and my bank after they tried to flag me for fraud) I have finally completed the process of buying $17313.31 worth of Transanta Gifts. That includes $2688.54 in PayPal donations, 13624.77 in Venmo donations, and $1000 in matching funds from me. We spent $14753.31 fulfilling Trans Santa registries, and in early January I donated the remaining $2,560.00 directly to the Trans Santa organization, which then used the money to help equally fulfill remaining requests.
For transparency, I’ve collected all receipts here (because we were fulfilling registries and buying individual gifts it’s a LOT more complicated than any other crowdsource fundraising project I’ve done, and I’m happy to walk you through the math if you’re curious).
But what really matters is this: pooling our resources, we were able to buy wheelchairs and iPads and computers and eBikes. For several people, we were able to help buy a gender-affirming wardrobe. We bought beds! And crafting supplies! And whole sets of bedroom furniture! And three guitars! We bought fun things and necessary things and delightful things and things these kids and young adults didn’t think they had a chance of getting, things that made them feel beloved and cared for. I’m so grateful we could do it together.
Also: I’m working on a piece on resistance to “Airbnb Space,” a decorating style that’s a part of “AirSpace, which you definitely know as soon as you see it. ” If you’ve stayed in a rental space (doesn’t matter if it’s through Airbnb) that resists this aesthetic (and is still awesome), I’d love to hear more. Click here to tell me about it.
First off, if you don’t know what an atmospheric river is…..read here. It has defined my Lummi Island winters. And it’s perfect, honestly, for indoor work: like outlining my writing schedule for the new book, and getting authentically excited about diving back in to research mode. (Many of you have sent me reading suggestions, but if you have more — please drop them below)
I’ve also lost myself fully in the Crown of Thorns and Roses series in preparation for a forthcoming episode of the Culture Study Podcast, and wow, if you’ve been there, let me just say that I’m two thirds of the way through Book 2 and (HOT) SHIT IS HAPPPPPPPENING.
Even though I’ve spent the last few days reading like a teen, I still have an abundance of links and recs that I’ve amassed over the last month to share for this sopping wet midwinter Sunday — and can’t wait to hear your thoughts about any of the below. (Gift links have been added whenever possible).