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 want to support my work (and this newsletter) continuing on: You can do so via my Buy Me a Coffee — with a one-time or monthly contribution. Many thanks!

Hi, there! Hello especially to my new subscribers … Been many of you (by my standards) since this week’s Proxy episode — which is so cool!

If you’re new: Here’s a primer about me and my work and this very newsletter.

First, a bit of housekeeping:

It’s our LAST CALL for pitches and recommendations for our forthcoming books review series (edited by me and Maris Kreizman for Lit Hub). The full details on what we’re looking for and how to pitch us are here. Our deadline is 9/1 (at 11:59 pm eastern, I’ll further specify).

Second reminder/announcement: We’re still enrolling for my upcoming fall nonfiction writing workshop, for The Workroom. This is a course for intermediate/advanced literary nonfiction writers of all kinds, from journalists to essayists to memoirists. It’s focused on how we write about ourselves and others. Learn more and sign up here. The online class starts at the end of September, late afternoons/early evenings my time. If you’re willing, you sharing about the course anywhere is a big help! I’m admittedly (always) paranoid my classes won’t enroll and I won’t get to teach them! Thank you for your help!

If you have questions about any of the aforementioned or anything else, you can contact me here. See this page for more Announcements from me … Like calls for story subjects and also surveys.

Mostly I wanted to send around some newsier and perhaps useful links, as I sometimes do … A longer links post for your holiday weekend.

Weekend Content

Here is a very thoughtfully made, comprehensive, and user friendly package re: climate change and what you can do:

Here’s a delightful guide to Austin’s gay bar restrooms:

Here’s a how-to for fully breaking up with the Harry Potter author and her IP:

Here’s a great new resource for tracking the various horrors:

ICYMI, trans people do exist in this country — despite whatever official efforts to erase us (in word and in reality):

Great coverage from Assigned and the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Speaking of the anti-trans hate poisoning our media (and society): Here’s a recent exemplary headline on why substack sucks …

A topic I’m often returning to (since I moved this newsletter off it late last year).

Speaking of soap boxes I’m often getting on to rant about how something sucks: AI …

Here are some recent links re: AI sucks, AI sucks, AI sucks (Labor Day edition), AI sucks (our earth dry), in “mental health” contexts especially, AI seems truly horrendous (CW: youth suicide) …

Periodic reminder, in case it needs saying: Chatbots aren’t “smart” in the ways that they can sure seem … But don’t take my word for it; listen to their creator:

This … is accurate:

If applicable, send this to any authors you know (in case they’re eligible and want to sign up for this class-action lawsuit):

I do love this idea of starting a book club for you and your friends to try to deprogram your MAGA-loving relatives:

Regarding the MAGA-brainwashed (and the like) … and who really ‘cuts off’ whom, I wholeheartedly agree with Peter here:

Here’s a link you can share with anyone still wanting to fight re: gender and sports:

Here again is my link for anyone needing to argue with annoying “centrist” stances re: trans people and whether we deserve human rights:

And finally: I admit I am tentatively excited about this no bullshit, Andor-loving oyster farmer who’s challenging Susan Collins. Here’s a profile of him:

I’m noticing, as ever, who leads and who follows, when it comes to the most crucial activism, and the most brave …

I’m noticing those vulnerable people who do stand up, who use their voices, in whatever ways, even when fighting an unfair fight …

I’m noticing those who speak up, despite real or perceived risks:

However unappealing a proposition that might be, individually …

Because yes: So much is frightening right now, especially for trans adults and kids in this country, amongst other vulnerable groups … this is reality …

But really for everyone, this situation’s just so increasingly scary, in so many real-world ways (as the ‘mirror world’-faithful and deluded are now in charge):

Speaking now to everybody else, to those who feel okay still, who feel comparatively safe, who are privileged in whatever ways (re: trans rights or whatever else):

Everybody else also joining in, you all standing up and speaking out, you participating however you can, in my view this matters … for many reasons … including because of the message it sends to everyone else:

re: being an effective ally (to trans/queer people right now, or whoever else), here’s my concrete evergreen short advice post I often re-share …

Again please check out this week’s episode of Proxy for more of my words on these topics! Listen wherever you listen to podcasts! As I said therein: Cis allies, right now given everything, when it comes to allyship there is no ‘too much’ … Please “perform” away!

And, as I’m often repeating, especially if you’re just now jumping into this fight, please start with yourself first and foremost. And take care of yourself; here was my recent post with a refresher re: my views on “self-care” itself.

Here’s a useful resource:

Here’s a story re: joy as a resilience builder (which I wrote about last week):

More advice on surviving these times (from a fellow journalist who in my view really gets it):

Brief analysis of why Epstein and other horrific stories in the news aren’t “a distraction”:

Some good advice for parents re: having tough conversations with your kids:

Sending you all love and strength,
Sandy

p.s. What’s Helping Today: Truly, all the lovely things people have said to me directly and online about the Proxy episode; it means so much. 🥰 For example:

p.p.s. Speaking of, I’ve really enjoyed listening to Avery’s new season …

p.p.p.s. Another fav podcast of mine I’m stoked is back: Home Cooking. I was grateful Samin gave some jam-related wisdom, which helped as I made Contender jam this morning …

p.p.p.p.s. Also helping today: This bear, an icon:

Thanks for reading What’s Helping Today, a newsletter by author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen.

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