Happy new year everyone
little things you can do for yourself and others
Hey everyone! Like an insecure snowshoe hare, I’m sorry for the long pause. I was in Brazil for all of November working on this project and when I got back, the sudden transition from the tropics to a snowstorm plus an extra aggressive flu season plus my still not fully recovered immune system led to me getting a three week lung infection.
And then around the solstice, R and I did something we’ve never done the whole time we’ve been together: we relaxed! We actually took a vacation and (mostly) didn’t work! No sick beds, not a research trip for an article, no long hours spent writing or editing, just doing things that felt nice, like eating good food or hiking.
People who know me know I despise the Roman calendar: it makes my long list of Things to Abolish. But also, capitalism, the Empire, their hegemonic notion of time, all of these are things we’re forced to live under, and that power makes the fiction reality. So, if we’re gonna celebrate, let’s do it well!
To end the year with generosity, I’d like to share a few fundraisers that could really use some support. Then at the bottom, I’ve got some viewing and reading recommendations, juuuust in case anyone has a gentle hangover tomorrow or wants to take advantage of what is hopefully a day off to for some critical reflection on this world we all have to live in.
fundraiser intermission!
Please help spread these fundraisers and give some if you can! Our trans friends and family need our support more than ever.
Joan Jett Blakk is a queer anarchist drag queen and midwestern elder, who is a veteran of the gay liberation front, an OG radical faerie, and after living in Sandusky and Detroit, she moved to Chicago where she helped found the local ACT UP and Queer Nation chapters. She’s facing serious health troubles and needs support. You can help her out and also get a t-shirt for yourself or as a gift, here: https://www.willienorris.world/products/x-joan-jett-blakk-fundraiser-tee
This next one comes from a really good friend. Someone in their circles is in danger of getting evicted at the end of the month, because of a traumatizing medical crisis. Help her make rent -- Venmo and Cashapp: @catmoochie $catmoochie
Finally…
…if you tried contributing to the Firefund for Weaving Paths to Ecological Revolution and it didn’t work, or if you wanted to contribute but weren’t able before the fundraiser expired, we still need it! Unlike what it says on the Firefund page, we didn’t actually reach 137% of our goal, or 100%, because when it came time to collect, a few large donations couldn’t be charged (borders, banks, bureaucracy!). Other parts of the project really did work: strong connections and shared knowledge with amazing radical movements that can become even more effective with more access to resources. We’re getting more proposals for equipment or other expenses that will expand their reach, like travel costs for continent-wide seed sharing that will help restore traditional plants that are necessary for ecological agriculture and Indigenous spiritualities. You can send it to me via Paypal at @PGelderloos but please make sure to write “Brazil” or “Weaving Paths” in the memo line.
Please spread all three fundraisers, and if you have anything to donate, that would be a huge help!
party like there’s no tomorrow, then spend tomorrow watching TV or reading some thoughtful articles!!!
And now, here are some readings, viewings, and listenings that will help you sharpen your mind to deal with the struggles to come, or—just as valid—help you rest, help you stop the anxiety loops and endless pits of despair, without having to turn to absolute slop or addictive phone games.
Let’s start with that: media you can watch, kick your feet up, and disconnect with (or be perturbed by)
There might be close to 100 titles on my list, so please don’t feel like it’s outweighed by…
my revolutionary recommended readings, listenings, and watchings (and if not revolutionary, at least nonfiction and related to current events) :
An episode of The Final Straw with interviews of me and Gah Te Iracema, about the ecological crisis. The page also has links to other articles and sites.
“It’s Revolution or Death,” a three part video series from Sub.media that I got to help with, about the ecological crisis and how we can respond.
On the death of deep literacy (i.e. people don’t read books no more, and writing has also gotten more superficial or esoteric), from The Baffler
Here’s a thought-provoking newsletter from Raechel, from earlier this year:
And here’s a recent one—and a hopeful one—from Marcela from Feel the News:
I got a few things published this year:
With In These Times on February 3, “Betrayed by Green Capitalism, Here’s How We Can Build a Livable Future.”
May 14 on Truthout, “Trump’s Censorship Campaign Draws on Decades of Infrastructure from Big Tech”
With Prism Reports on August 9, “Colonialism and Extractivism Catch Up with the Chesapeake Bay”
On Organise, the “Weaving Paths to Ecological Revolution” article linked above
November 21 with In These Times, “COP30 Isn’t a Failure, It’s a Farce”
November 21 with Truthout, “The Real Models for Sustainability in Brazil Are to Be Found Outside COP30”
plus a podcast episode with The Final Straw and an interview on the Cool Zone Media Book Club with Margaret Killjoy… aaand some talks, in person or virtual, in Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Madison, Bloomington, Madrid, Linz and probably more places I forgot! i think Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Detroit were the very end of 2024…
Finally, if I had to pick three of my own newsletters from the last year, I guess it would be these:
From February 3,
From August 20,
(if you appreciate that one, go back and read the framing in Parts I and II, published on July 18 and July 29 on Surviving Leviathan )
From October 7,
Eesh, and if I had to pick one more it would be “Non-Profits Are a Silo” from June 4.
Okay bye take care of each other!
Happy New Year to you and R