Cruel compendium #12 🌕

Listening to John Lewis, collecting moons, and going full-bro

Aug 07, 2020

On Tuesday I shared some exciting news: In September, I’m setting off on a road trip around the U.S. for the rest of 2020. Thanks for all of your well wishes and travel tips! Tell me the one place I must stop on my trip in the comments.

I’m reading

Together, you can redeem the soul of our nation by John Lewis. His final essay.

Insane after coronavirus? by Patricia Lockwood, in which she recounts her extreme and long-lasting symptoms. I will read every word she writes.

I’m traveling, even though I’m stuck at home by Rick Steves. The travel expert is spending his first summer at home in Seattle since 1980, and remembering that travel is a mindset.

Why a generation is choosing to be child-free by Sian Cain

The climate crisis has presented an opportunity to rebrand being child-free, once the greatest taboo, into the ultimate altruistic act. At the same time, parenthood is framed as the ultimate investment in a better future. But choosing to have children is neither inherently good nor selfish, and the same goes for being child-free. We must challenge the orthodoxy that says choosing to live one way is a criticism of another.

The Lynn Shelton that Marc Maron knew by Dave Itzkoff. Marc Maron on publicly grieving his love.

Nick Cave on living with loss by Maria Popova in her newsletter, Brain Pickings

I’m listening to

On Being with John Lewis—a replay of a 2013 conversation with the late Congressman and civil rights leader.
Two Dope Kings on This American Life. Two former addicts start a podcast about wild drug stories, until the worst thing that could happen, happens.

This week I went full-bro. I rewatched two seasons of The League and listened to actually ten podcasts with Jason Mantzoukas, who I’ve long been obsessed with. A few I really enjoyed are Jason on the Tinder podcast DTR, Gilmore Guys, Reply All, and of course any episode of his own podcast, How Did This Get Made.

Questionable self-care advice

Mike @MikeG7_

Seems to me it is no longer a party in the U.S.A

Support I got that you might need to hear

Jessica Dore @thejessicadore

Find the real source of the yearning

You should know about

Collectible Trading Moon Game. The rules: See a moon. Collect it in a drawing, poem or song. Reflect on it. Repeat. Challenge other collectors to a moon fight. I’m dying to read the full text of this poetic “game” for dreamers. h/t The Whippet
A second round of author Jami Attenberg’s wonderful #1000wordsofsummer will run from August 10-16. Writers of all kinds, sign up! And here’s a post on how to prepare.
I watched this dozens of times this week:
jillathrilla @jillathrilla
The way I laughed outloud
1:09 PM ∙ Aug 1, 2020
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