Edit: In the previous issue, the numbers listed for prisons in California were incorrectly stated (they were actually the numbers of incarcerated people). This has been adjusted in the web version.

Hi friends! Happy Friday the 13th! Thank you for being here, reading, emailing, and continuing to share. For paying subscribers, thank you for continuing to support the labor of a queer, Black & Asian woman. It means so much.

I recently read two classics that have been on my TBR for far too long. First I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I had been gifted a copy maybe 30 years ago but never felt ready to read it. I finally did, on audiobook, read by Maya Angelou herself. I was expecting to hear about some of the hard things, the racism, the sexual assault of her as a child, but I think I wasn’t expecting to also laugh as much as I did. I am so glad to have finally read it. The other classic I read on audiobook and read by the author is Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. Friends: I was not prepared. I am haunted and going to be thinking about that one for quite a while.

Newest EEDA Pod: I Am Choosing to Listen to This Podcast Right Now

This episode of Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice features hosts Patricia and Nicole discussing their adventures at the Oakland Museum of California White Elephant Sale where they scored vintage treasures. The main topic explores the concept of intentional choice as a tool for combating overwhelm and burnout. The episode wraps up with book recommendations

You can find our show, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also support the show on Patreon, where we have some perks for paid subscribers with even more coming this year. You can also just make a recurring donation through subscribing to our Patreon, as our show is independently run and without ads. It helps keep us going!

Reminder that over on the EEDA Patreon, we do weekly accountability check-ins and quarterly goal check-ins for paid subscribers. Subscriptions start at $3!

I love librarians!

Here’s what I’ve hunted and gathered for you this week:

Resource 1: @mplsmutualaid linktree

Clearinghouse of mutual aid for folks in Minneapolis and elsewhere in Minnesota.

Resource 2: Request a refund for your Ring cameras - even for very old purchases! via aawolf on reddit

I thought we all stopped using Ring cameras a long time ago but I guess some people still have them? You should stop using it and therefore aiding ICE and mass surveillance and also get your money back.

Essay: How to Build a Container for Special Times