"remaining hopeful is an act of defiance"

Nice Stuff #14

Author

Sandy Allen
March 10, 2026

Welcome to What’s Helping Today, a newsletter about the everyday work of staying alive on earth — written by author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen.

Hey all,

I liked Jane Fonda’s question to the Handsome pod, on hope itself …

Jane Fonda asks about hope

Podcast Episode · Handsome · March 10 · 55m

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jane-fonda-asks-about-hope/id1702258458?i=1000754425868

As Fonda pointed out, in a world that wants us feeling hopeless, “remaining hopeful is an act of defiance.”

These are dark, dark times.

What’s helping you sustain hope lately? Feel free to reach out …

Just wanted to share some links.

What’s Helping Today is John Waters:

mandating equality in public accommodations is so woke 1.0. woke 2.0 means mandating that every building accessible to the public have a John Waters Restroom (all gender)

— Laurel Powell (@laurelpowell.net)2026-03-10T15:43:53.573Z

Shoutout to these moms …

The moms risking arrest to protect gender-affirming care for trans youth

The government wants to ban the care nationwide. Hospitals are shutting down treatment. Parents just want it all to stop.

19thnews.org/2026/03/moms-arrested-gender-affirming-care

A fun piece …

‘Old Man in Flip Flops’: Notes from a Surprisingly Exciting Water Tasting Class

Camper English’s popular water tasting course is an exercise in attention — even for us tap-lovin’ plebes.

www.coyotemedia.org/san-francisco-water-tasting-class

A lovely tribute …

What It's Like To Have Roxane Gay As Your Mentor

Writer Ashley C Ford reflects on the enduring impact of Roxane Gay – both on culture and a personal level, as she reflects on their mentor-mentee relationship.

www.service95.com/ashley-c-ford-on-roxane-gay

Rad new project alert, attention fellow writer types …

The New Scratch

How is anyone who writes making any money right now?

www.talkscratch.com/the-new-scratch

Alright. Will keep this one short today.

Sending love,
Sandy

p.s. Hey … if you like this newsletter, will you consider sharing it with a friend or two who may enjoy it? Word of mouth is the number one way this newsletter finds new readers. I appreciate the help!

Thanks for reading What’s Helping Today, a newsletter by me — author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen. If you were forwarded this message, WHT is free; you can subscribe here. If you like my work: Please consider supporting me via my Buy Me a Coffee. Thanks!