Saturday Content

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.

If you’re new to receiving this newsletter, it means you’ve either recently subscribed to WHT — there’s been a lot of you! — or you’ve contacted me via website (in the last year or so). I have this week tried to … actually merge these two databases, however imperfectly.

So my sincere apologies if you’re receiving my newsletter and you’d rather not. If it bothers you, no worries of course; please just unsubscribe below. Thanks! – SEA

Hello everybody,

Just a bit of background, quickly:

As some of you might even recall, a decade ago or so, I used to write a Medium, later a newsletter, called Sunday Content (which grew out of my various professional gigs curating longform, on a weekly basis).

I thought I’d maybe start doing so again, here on this very newsletter. Perhaps Saturdays this time, which gives you all a chance to check out stuff over the weekend …

So! Here is some …

Worthwhile analysis…

(A uh literal dude I know from college! I do have thoughts!)

This next one is … predictable and yet indeed very awful (if it comes to pass):

Just to underscore the cruelty re: the above: Trans healthcare, including for adults (like me) is gate-kept by mental health care providers … for example if we want to get surgery covered by insurance we often need to get two letters (as we discussed for example on this week’s Cancel Me, Daddy).

As our federal government succumbs further to eugenicist misinformation, here’s a helpful vaccine-related resource:

Important words about a horrendous and terrifying reality happening right now:

For your consideration …

Another something FYC …

As a mental health-focused reporter, I think a lot about: How — in Western societies, under capitalism and such — we tend to over-emphasize the individual, both in terms of the bad and the good … while we neglect other powerful forces. So, like we put too much on solo humans (alone); meanwhile we neglect our all-powerful communities, our societies, our whole human family, our great planet …

Speaking of, if you’ve not yet read it: My latest essay, for Eater:

Something that got trimmed out of the above, just to recommend it here (again): In earlier drafts, I went on for a while about how much I love Braiding Sweetgrass, which is highly recommended to all. (Probably like a top 5 book, in terms of ones I’d just recommend to anybody.)

She’s also got a sequel out, The Serviceberry, as I’ve mentioned but am again. It’s recommended (especially to anyone who enjoyed her first one). I liked listening to her read the audiobooks of each.

Consider … divesting!

Consider … signing! (I did.)

Consider … donating (if you can) to help keep trans people safe (a trans-led project I recommend):

Or join me in donating to help trans kids (especially in the South):

I know these are hard times, for a lot of us. fwiw, periodic reminder, as I’m sometimes saying: Doing good, altruism, is good for you, too (the doer). Science shows this and lots of spiritual traditions teach versions of this … I certainly try to remember this, myself, and indeed re-learn its truth in my life, all the time …

I asked my followers on Bluesky what were the best things they’d read/listened to/etc. this week and many folks recommended many things (lots of which I hadn’t heard of, some of which I had, or even adore, like Marilynne Robinson’s novels, including Housekeeping)! Here’s just a tiny bit of what folks said (the first bit’s super sweet).

Two things that just arrived in the mail that I’m excited to check out … (Congrats to The Believer on their 150 issues!).

Some podcast recs from me: If Books Could Kill on Skrmetti is worth joining their Patreon for, if you can.

The new WWYDM is hilarious; the last few minutes especially, just ridiculous. (And I’ve listened to that show, few skips, since its beginning.)

Much enjoyed Niko Stratis and Josh Gondelman on You Are Good talking Lebowski (my favorite movie).

Okay! Again, please listen to me on this week’s Cancel Me, Daddy, if you’ve not already! Now available wherever you listen to podcasts. Or watch us on YouTube! And if you like the episode, please share it!!!

Here again was the long, two-part post I wrote along with the episode kinda, just going in-depth on transphobia in our media and society. (Part One; Part Two; but if you’re new to all this I’m discussing therein, start-start here.)

Here again was the last WHT, a Dear Sandy column recommending some alternatives to problematic media outlets (responding to a fellow trans person who still wants to … get the news).

Take care,
Sandy

p.s. Just repeating myself but: To media professionals and to mental health ones of all sorts (therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, so forth), I’ve recently announced I’m now available for professional-to-professional consulting. Much more information here. On that page, you’ll also find tons of testimonials from mental health and media professionals of all sorts as well as people with lived experience / mh patients and our families (and other nice messages I’ve received over these 8+ years, from a variety of people who’ve encountered my work). I’m also available to speak.

p.p.s. If you’re newer to my stuff and don’t know where to begin, I’ve created these Starter Packs, rounding up various past pieces of mine, according to your potential interests ...

p.p.p.s. What’s Helping Today: Speaking of, I genuinely LOLed at Josh Gondelman’s new special! (On YouTube.)

Thanks for reading What’s Helping Today, my free newsletter about mental health and gender and such in our culture and society.

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