I'm back! Let the killing of the joy commence!

Friends! Thank you for still being here and for being patient as I took August off from writing to you. I want to say that I didn't think I'd come back to devastating climate-change-doom-storms, banning abortion and the abandonment of Afghanistan but really, who am I kidding? We knew it would be a fresh new hell-scape.

If you'd like to help women in Texas have access to abortion services, here is a list of funds:

If you'd like to help mutual aid work in Louisiana for those dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, here is a list of those as well, which includes aid to indigenous communities.

Does anyone else feel like a deflated balloon when you know that the wealth to solve all of these problems easily exists and should not be coming from people like you and me? I feel grateful for communities coming together though, and want to recognize how necessary a social safety net is even if it's not coming from people with the most resources.

For me, the past month was spent planning all things tour-related, writing new songs, a secret writing project, and working on art prints for Unique Markets, which happened last weekend. Things are going well, but all I can say is thank fuck for to-do lists, the Notion app, and my planner. Wow.

Somehow amidst all of that I managed to go to my first big show in 18 months and of course, it was to see friends Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock play at an amphitheater in Garden Grove, CA. [cue joke about Sublime] Five of us took a lil road trip and unfortunately missed Small Crush because of traffic, but the show was such a relief. Forgetting my earplugs and buying a pair at the venue was a JOY. I have never stood in the back with my arms crossed in such happiness.

The two days before had been spent outside at Unique Markets with Cass selling zines and prints and things. I haven't done an art/craft market in a long time, and we went all out on our display setup. There was a lot of building and spray painting going on for the past couple of weeks and if anything, I'm proud of how all of that turned out. One thing I created just for the market–because I can't bring myself to make this part of my ongoing aesthetic–is a print that said "If I'm too much go find less." It's inspired by a TikTok trend, which I'm pretty sure is influenced by someone who has a Live Laugh Love sign next to a Wine O'Clock mug. It's just far enough out of distressed-wood-affirmations territory and into an empowerment zone that I thought it entertaining enough to draw.

Y'all. When I say people stopped to take photos of this print. So many women. So many moms. Stopping. In. Their. Tracks. This hit a big nerve! I really really wanted to roll my eyes at it and just think it's something cheeky to sell at an art market. But the more I saw people's reactions, the more I thought it's actually a pretty fuck-you feminist thing to say, and the fact that so many people (90% of whom were definitely not men) were reacting to it so strongly almost made me feel bad. It was kinda upsetting. I'm laughing as I'm typing this but really, some folks are seriously fed up!

Getting It Together

• I recently found out that you can customize the colors of your Google Calendars beyond their default swatches and it has made my intense schedule a lot more pleasing to look at. It's the little things!
• I enjoyed this post by Jessica Valenti yesterday on how abortion is not just an 'ending' but often times a 'beginning', too
• When it comes to conversations with creatives, I've recently liked listening to The Lisa Congdon Sessions and also The First Ever Podcast from Jeremy Bolm
• I've had about a million conversations with a few different friends this year on making merch and merch fulfillment. If anyone has any questions about mailing the things you make, supplies, label printers, web stores, I am very happy to share that knowledge. It feels too specific to share in-depth here, but maybe I'll do a breakdown for paid subscribers? Either way, feel free to email me! Seriously!