Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice, Vol 4, Res 22: PODCAST!, Literary Activism, Xmas Shipping, & Palestine Resources
This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!
Hi friends! There have been some high highs and low lows since the last newsletter. The horrors persist, and so do I. Some of the good news, in case you missed it, is that we finally got our podcast trailer out in the world! You can hear the full version on our podcast website eedapod.com and subscribe/download it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon (Audible), IHeartRadio, and elsewhere. I’m still trying to get us distributed on Google/YouTube but since Google Podcasts is going away, it’s proving tricky right now.
You can also hear the short version and give us a follow on Instagram!
Gratuitous dieffenbachia pic:
It’s a resource week so let’s get to it!
Resource #1: Xmas Shipping Deadlines
I hate that this article is titled “Mark Your Calendar With These 2023 Holiday Shipping Deadlines” when they are only talking about Xmas. If you’re going to say “holidays,” then be inclusive of other holidays, otherwise, just say Xmas. Words mean things. Sigh. Anyway, for those of you who send off gifts and you want them to arrive by December 25th, the aforementioned article has your shipping dates.
Resource #2: Literary Activism
As you know, I generally try not to link to things on Substack but Literary Activism is free and says it will remain so. My Book Riot colleague Kelly Jensen is doing some absolutely phenomenal reporting on the book bans happening across the US and this newsletter keeps me up to date as well as offers ways to take action. My Book Riot colleagues have also written an ebook (currently $2.99 and for Kindle) How to Fight Book Bans and Censorship. I have not yet read it but considering books are what we do, I am confident there is some incredibly useful information in there.
Resource #3: Resources For a Free Palestine Round-Up via We Here
“We Here LLC was born out of private communities for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who work in libraries or archives” - from the We Here About Page. Nothing but love for my fellow librarians doing the work. You can access the shared doc of Resources for a Free Palestine here.
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.
Recently Read:
He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters by Schuyler Bailar (Bookshop | Amazon | Libro)
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark (Bookshop | Amazon | Libro) (Note: holy shit, this may already be my favorite fantasy book of 2024)
The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work by Simone Stolzoff (Bookshop | Amazon | Libro)
Currently Reading:
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele & John Joseph Adams (Bookshop | Amazon | Libro)
Your Salt on My Lips: (Mostly) Queer Literary Erotica by Liz Asch (Bookshop | Amazon)
Yellowface: A Novel by R. F. Kuang (Bookshop | Amazon | Libro)
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.