EEDA Newsletter Vol 6, Res 8: Credible Sources, Sitting with Emotions, and Organizing 101
This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!
Hi friends! I have an obscene amount of things I want to get done tonight so this intro will be short. I will say that since the last newsletter, I’ve had some social time with people both in-person and on Zoom. It was incredibly healing(?) to have conversations about things that aren’t The Horrors™, though of course, we always start by checking in about how we’re managing The Horrors™. I got to talk about kids being hilarious and forgotten family history and the particular joy of making music with another person or people. These kinds of conversations were good for the soul. I need to continue to make space for these chats and I encourage you to do the same.
It’s a resource week so let’s get to it!
Resource 1: Sitting With Your Emotions: What Your Therapist Means and How to Do It by Kamron (Taylor) Melton via Therapy for Black Girls
This article shares very clearly something that it has taken me multiple therapy sessions to understand. Do I do it? No. BUT, this is still incredibly helpful and I probably should learn how to sit with my emotions so they don’t show up in other even less savory ways.
Resource 2: Organizing 101 via Center for Third World Organizing
If you’ve been here a while you know it’s rare that I share resources that cannot be accessed for free. This is one of them, though there’s a sliding scale if that is helpful. Shoutout to The Audacity by Roxane Gay for this resource.
Resource 3: How to Identify Credible Sources by Kelly Jensen via Book Riot
I am so grateful for Kelly Jensen’s reporting on book bans and censorship and now I am extra grateful that she wrote this piece for me to share. I used to teach a short lecture on this and it’s something I spent some time on while getting my Master’s in Library and Information Science; however, I have been too overwhelmed by the idea of actually fleshing out a whole piece and again, 10,000 gold stars to Kelly Jensen! I’m always happy to share her work.
Quick Action: Release Mahmoud Khalil & Protect All Student Activists
This link will take you directly to Action Network, which will pre-fill a letter for you to send digitally. It is under 5 minutes to do. This action is sponsored by Adalah Justice Project.
Recent & Current Reads
Inclusion of a book in this section is not necessarily a recommendation and these books won’t necessarily be added to my Bookshop. Links are affiliate links.
Recently Read:
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
Currently Reading:
A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects by Robell Awake
Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets and the Fever Dream of the American New Age by Leah Sottile (out 3/25)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown
That’s it for this week! You can shop many books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. In fact, any Bookshop, Amazon, or Etsy links in this newsletter are affiliate links so if you shop through those, it helps support my work. Or you can leave me a tip on Ko-fi, Paypal, or Venmo.
If you want to send me some snail mail, you can find me at P.O. Box 21481, Oakland, CA 94620-1481.
You can find our podcast, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts.