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,

In the spirit of being honest with you all: I realized I forgot to do a Nice Stuff 7! I published a Nice Stuff 8 the other week but never 7, then a day later noticed I’d made that error. (I’ve had a lot going on and this newsletter’s got too many numbers-things perhaps … and also, I’ve never been great with numbers.)

Anyway for your weekend enjoyment, here’s the sometime lost seventh round of:

Nice Stuff

Meaning whatever I have liked watching/reading/listening to lately. (And in this post’s replies, here’s some more recs from my Bluesky followers.)

I am OBSESSED with this song and this video …

I was covering it just this morning at my piano.

I appreciated the new Search Engine on microplastics:

A book I keep meaning to re-recommend (in case you’ve subscribed more recently): Lucy Sante’s Nineteen Reservoirs is about the history of the Catskills where I live and also so much else. It’s highly recommended to all New York City people … but also to all Upstate New York people … and everybody else, especially lovers of slim volumes of well-crafted nonfiction prose. (I liked her recent memoir as well, as I’ve mentioned.)

I enjoyed the Pamela Anderson doc on Netflix, which I finally watched last week. I found her very inspiring, in brief. I love her big heart and willingness to keep getting it broken, by people, by the whole world …

Re-sharing some of my links in case they’re helpful to have around (or to send to anyone else) …

Here’s my recent post for trans people who feel despair:

Here’s my (older but evergreen) post for cis folks who feel despair:

Here’s my best advice for the most painful days (painful in various senses):

Here’s my two-part advice column about how we might respond to transphobes and other bullies:

Here are my older posts about anger and about taking baths and about breathing and about meditation … and this more recent one about my being ‘Mr. Self Care’ by my own description (however in jest). The latter contains a refresher about my own attitudes and best practices re: all this “self-care” business.

By which I mean: Staying okay-ish as life does whatever it does to me, each day (and despite whatever else I’ve survived). As I discussed more in this one:

ICYMI: Here was my newsletter from earlier this week, in which I went longer on the problem of cis “allies” — and especially elected Democrats, even queer ones — who don’t really support my rights (namely Pete Buttigieg):

Thanks to those who’ve read and shared this latest newsletter. I had a high-by-my-standards volume of people responding to this one enthusiastically online … and a couple of bigots and reply-guys being annoying in my mentions (and some of my followers fighting them, as is all to be expected nowadays, I suppose). I spent a few days offline, which was helpful.

Thanks again to those who’ve read and shared my Boston Globe op-ed:

And thanks again to all who’ve read and shared my recent essay about my time at Brown, in light of recent events:

Thanks to this kind Buy Me a Coffee supporter from the other day:

Thanks to this other new Buy Me a Coffee supporter, whose candor I appreciated:

Speaking of, for anyone who’s not yet read … I do highly recommend my Believer essay:

And I also of course recommend my first book.

What’s Helping Today: Being home after a reporting trip away. Getting to report out this particular story related to trans history, a profound honor … Growing a variety of gorgeous sunflowers this year, ones started by a friend:

Take care,
Sandy

p.s. Just wanted to mention once again … I’m teaching an online nonfiction workshop this fall. Learn more here:

p.p.s. If you like my work and want to make sure I can keep doing it, consider giving me a few bucks. You might even consider signing up there to support me monthly … I’d really appreciate it!

p.p.p.s. If you like this newsletter, consider forwarding it to a friend or two (or sharing it wherever you share things). Thanks for helping to grow this community of readers! 💚 

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