The crabbiness continues! But I'm finding ways to tap into small joys and meaningful actions. On the podcast, we have a very special musical episode. It's about community resistance choruses (aka singing together as activism) and the sustaining power of art in difficult times. There is something so primally soothing about being sung to. I loved hearing a group of people harmonizing: "Days fly by but weeks are slow, I'm waving from my window." I caught myself waving back.

The tenants who evicted their landlord. The case for packing the Supreme Court. Long voting lines are the new poll tax. Some domestic violence programs are losing funding for supporting Black Lives Matter. Horrific reports about ICE torturing people into signing their own deportation orders and allowing abuse to flourish in detention. The US government has no way to reunite parents and children it forced apart at the border. More than 12,000 people have come forward to say they were abused while in the Boy Scouts, which covered it up. Nigerians are protesting SARS, a police unit that is "random, vicious, vilely extortionist." (Feminist Coalition is raising money to support the protestors.) A mysterious Russian concussion weapon targets diplomats and spies. On chronic illness and the fear of being "lazy." What the "zoom dick" incident tells us about the haves and have-nots of modern media. An interview with poet Nikki Giovanni and a profile of scholar Saidiya Hartman. A guide to protecting Black mothers in childbirth. The largest-ever study of intersex people. The hobbyists who collect strangers' diaries. Fortunetellers as therapists, influencers as retailers, and TikTokers as manufactured girl groups. The surprisingly short history of creativity. On David Byrne's gray suits. The 10-step skincare routine is over. Finding comfort in blobs and squiggles. Reconsidering harissa. "We are laying by memories for winter, as the bear puts on fat, in hopes what we have will be enough for the long, dark times to come."

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An apocalyptic Pantone color series for 2020. Chinatown senior street style. Performance artist Eiko Otake's salute to grief, which led me to Otake's site-specific series "A Body In..."  Periodicals from The Washington Area Spark Archive, which is named after Spark, a radical left-wing tabloid founded in 1971. The new season of Lost Notes, all about music with a tie to 1980.

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Mind Your Practice, a series of short pep talks (like, 6-9 minutes each) for artists and creative people of all stripes. If you've ever wondered, Why is it so hard to make things? How am I supposed to share my work? Does my art even matter? WHY AM I SO CRABBY?, then this podcast is for you. I've already listened once and will definitely be listening again. And again.

And one more—unrelated—small joy: I endorse sending this mascot dance-off to your group chat and asking people tag themselves. Almost as good as actually dancing with your friends. (Thanks, Morgan!)

Mon, Oct 26: Join me to do some phonebanking with Sister District! I have a lot of election anxiety, and one thing that makes me feel better is setting aside just 2 hours to make some calls. Sister District works to elect state-level candidates in swing states, with a special focus on places where the state legislature controls redistricting efforts. In other words, they are playing a very strategic long game.

If you've never phonebanked before, don't worry. There will be training beforehand, a script to follow, and support throughout. Do it on your schedule—there are lots of options! If you select Mon, Oct 26 from the list, I'll be there on the zoom with you.