Having a hard week with the patriarchy? Grab some tea and curl up with a good link.
What can I expect when I read the Hot List? We share a variety of newsletters, long-form, magazine series, and other non-fiction from our network (The Collective), FLOWLab members, and other social justice futurists and historians. We also share more well-known writers to subscribe to (because there is so much out there you may have missed it anyway).
These works and writers we amplify not for the faint of heart. This is for the heart-led social justice humanitarians who want to learn, grow, and do better. It's for anyone who questions EVERYTHING and likes to go deeper.
These selected newsletters, long-forms, and features are just what the 2020's dumpster-fire-decade ordered.
Who is this for? Advocates, Allies, Accomplices, Creators, Writers, Researchers, Technologists, Educators, Founders, and friends...Anyone doing the work, wanting inspiration, solid content, and data/science/history informed positions. This is a community who gets it. Is that you? IYKYK.
What topics are HOT? A mix. Current events, academia and economics, civics, climate and human rights activism, media literacy, anti-racism, gender equality, accessibility, designing for inclusion, entrepreneurship, bro culture, solidarity economy, worker cooperatives, the philanthropic industrial complex, cultural history, and anything else we fancy.
The bulk of what we share will remind you the planet is burning and they're burning books too! We're still on earth after all, in a pandemic, breathing smoke from climate catastrophes, war, poverty, all the -isms, PLUS both sea levels and white supremacy on the rise. It sure is a lot to process. All of these problems are man-made, by men...so, uh...Yeah, like we said: Welcome to hell.
Is it all struggle, the fall of humanity, and doomsday? Actually, no. We share some helpful and optimistic content as well as some purely for joy, relaxation, reflection, or leisure.
When you need fuel for your fire, check The HOT LIST first. Save yourself from the firehose of content coming at you daily, doom scrolling, and a never ending feed of Ads and news selected by patriarchy to have you ignore the other stuff.
Process all the feels, feel less alone, learn, and be inspired by some seriously rad writing, incredible research, and human-centered storytelling.
Warning: A lot of what we share will be bonker balls. NSFW.
Content may make you audibly swear, shed a tear, laugh––so you don't cry, or want to crack that bottle of bubbly and toast the end of the world.
May not be safe for work, children, highly-sensitive people, empaths, under 18, millennials, Gen X, or Boomers. parents, caregivers, pet owners and animal lovers, people who love fresh air, and anyone who is a little bit tired.
With tabs and to-do lists, you need a trusted editor. We’re a sponge but one you can ring out slowly. coFLOWco’s VIP content includes suggested reads, talks, threads, pods, videos, digital toolkits, recommended artists and creators, and more. Be in the know, or at least in on the joke.
Let’s celebrate our Collective wins and amplify the work. After all, it’s our mission.
Curated inspo and fuel for your fire. 🔥
Read the first 5 Issues here. Download the Padlet app for the best experience of our mini-feed.
Read the Neurodivergent Hot List - Special Edition here.
We want to keep curating and creating for you. We're invested in surfacing rad change-makers and moving breath-takers. The HOT LIST - Top 5, and otherwise, takes time, and time is money for humans in the 2020s. The people we feature, like us, do their work for a higher purpose. They aren't branding purpose for profit; they are trying to change the system.
Community building, curating content, creating social justice campaigns, and connecting communities is work, even if it's Invisible Labor or part of the "Informal Economy"––aka, a woman's work. We love our mission but leading with purpose can't pay bills. Paying in exposure will not keep us warm. Our labor is not a favor.
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Read more of The Hot List - Writers edition here. Next issue, Fall 2022
Check out a special issue: The Neurodivergent Hot List.
The HOTLIST Top 5 - Writers Edition
Do you know Luvvie Jones? She wrote one of my favorite articles ever about how Black women are the grownups in the room.
"Black women are the moral center of the universe and can’t nobody tell me different. In spite of the fact that we have our heads stepped on, we’re disrespected constantly, and treated like we are disposable, we show up. We speak up, show out, and stand up for everyone, even those who don’t deserve it." Black women are the Adults in the ROOM, ZORA, April 2020
Read on for some of my favorite grownups. Share them, subscribe to them, and compensate them for their work! Happy reading! -Em
Platform: Substack Newsletter title: Sharon Hurley Hall's Anti-Racism Newsletter For: White people who want to do the work and learn, and anyone that likes direct, concise writing about some truly effed up stuff. For Black people who want to feel seen. For those of us who want to do better (all of us) check it out and #subscribe.
Sharon Hurley Hall's newsletter is my go-to for straight talk about White Supremacy and Anti-Black Racism. Sharon, Founder and Curator-in-Chief (We love this title!), is on a mission to “fight racism one article at a time.”
Sharon was awarded a Substack fellowship last year and you will see why. Full disclosure: We are mutual fans; she gave me a shout-out too, after I posted a shorter version of this in the HOT LIST). (Total coincidence!) Sharon is also a member of the FLOWLab and a frequent contributor to rich conversations about everything from racism to the best tool to use for your stack.
Sharon's was the first newsletter I finally paid for (I was already supporting creators on Patreon though.) Zero regrets, except all the subscriptions for far too many other newsletters I have signed up since. I recently renewed and it's always spot on.
Sharon's sister, Lisa Hurley is a rad human.
She is also a prolific writer and creator (and they co-host a podcast together for introverts).
Lisa wrote an epic piece for Juneteenth that is a must read for anyone (white) who still doesn't know exactly what to do on the 19th. Read on and subscribe to get her updates too.
Platform: LinkedIn Read: Women don't owe you shit (a post on LinkedIn, not from her Newsletter). Also read Issue 6 for a personal piece, perfect for Pride month.
For: Intersectional Feminists doing the work, people who love opinionated, strong voices and solid writing! Anyone wanting straight talk, no B.S. from a rad AF queer Black woman, DV survivor, C-Suite human resources innovator and speaker.
Subscribers: Close to 40k, she had 27k subscribers in the first 2 weeks!
Deets: Great sections and layout. Fun and engaging while serving the tea and truth around startups, the workplace and DEI. Cute af graphics.
Madison Butler is doing ALL THE THINGS. Speaking, writing, coaching, consulting, founder, co-founder, and a full time roll where she was recently promoted to Chief People Officer. She is a force and we are so here for it.
Learn more about her creation and launch of Black Speakers Collection (Over 2k speakers and counting!!) She was even featured on the airtable blog.
She's also co-founder of Rage 2 Rainbows (with me, Em!). Enough said.
Hire Madison here at Blue Haired Unicorn.
For: Intersectional feminists who want a STRONG voice. Read her and shout yes, yes, yes every single time. Mona Eltahawy- (Former reporter, current curator) and feminist author, commentator and disruptor of patriarchy.
"Every day on Twitter, I curate news of patriarchal fuckery and feminist resistance to it from around the world. I am moving that curation here, where twice a week - Wednesday and Friday, paid interns—younger feminists I am delighted to work with and to share my platform with—will collect global feminist news and weave it with brief commentary."
Follow her on Twitter for SURE. She has a really interesting background and I love how she has no effs to give.
One of the best writers ever. THE AUDACITY does not disappoint.
People curate what they put from their lives into the public sphere but a good writer makes what they curate one hell of a story. That’s what I hope to do with this newsletter—tell one hell of a story about the world we’re living in, the culture we consume, the things that bring me joy, the things that infuriate me, the things I think we should talk about.
I am also going to use this space to feature the work of others.
And she hosts a monthly book club for subscribers.
Roxane Gay also features emerging writers' essays, like this piece by Kaushika Suresh "Examination Abridged is mind-blowingly brilliant. "Kaushika Suresh is the non-fiction editor for Black Warrior Review. Their work has appeared in Joyland and The Masters Review. They are currently at work on a novel about gossip, girls, and existing between cultures. @kaushikasuresh"
The Audacious Roundup is a weekly hot list from one of the best voices out there. She is on top of the latest in pop culture and the news...which I find helpful af.
Seriously read ANYTHING by Roxane Gay including any of her essays in the NYT.
As Gay notes,
"Michelle Goldberg wrote about how feminism is struggling and younger people, in particular, don’t identify as feminist or believe feminism is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with her essay but I am surprised by how often we accept the results of one study as an indication of anything."
Clearly I agree about bad data. See this post on why it can be dangerous if not vetted well.
I too found Goldberg's piece fine and interesting but concur it stirs controversy which may not be a wise move.
I don't know Allison nearly as well as some of the others. Well I only personally know about half the writers mentioned here. I have only recently discovered Gaines' work. It makes her no less bada$$ and in fact it shows how many amazing voices there are worth amplifying and sharing I have yet to discover. She is a prolific blogger/publisher. IMHO she is one to follow, one to watch.
His writing is the bomb and his Juneteenth piece was on point.
Use this list from "100 Years of Politics, Persisting, and Patriarchy" by Emily Weltman, published in The Ascent ahead of the 2020 election.
Don’t just study the true history of being Black in America; use it to act.
Pay BIPOC creators and artists, via Venmo, cash app, or “Buy me a Coffee” links. It is appropriate and more than welcome to pay them for their labor.
Spend at local Black women-owned businesses and share lists like these.
Follow and pay Black independent journalists and photographers.
Fulfill urgent needs from mutual aid orgs like Snack Bloc and the Rural Project of Oregon.
Donate supplies to local activations. (Refer to local lists requesting individual needs like this one).
Give to local Black-led organizations like Don’t Shoot PDX or the Black Resilience Fund whose efforts directly help Black communities.
Support Black candidates: Volunteer, canvas, and finance grassroots campaigns.
Fight for Black women’s suffrage. Bring them to the polls or watch their kids so they can go vote.
The HOTLIST Top 5 - Writers Edition
Have you read anything about current events that just has a way of putting a whole new light on it. This months writers do just that. They are all about shedding light on the truth about our nation, and exposing how totally effed it is. If you are into learning about nefarious industry and government plots, or the not so secret ways people are racist, homophobic, misogynist on the web, this one's for you. Read these creators/scholars for a master class in saying the damn thing, laying bare the truth, and doing it in a way that makes you say "Damn kid, that's fucking brilliant."
Finding great creators outside the mainstream is not hard. We try and tell you all the time... "Hey we know stuff too." Still, white news guys forget we know stuff, and they announce their "revelations" as if they are geniuses. Of course, often they are realizing the obvious for the first time.
From time to time we need to remind them, women, trans, queer, Black, Brown, Indigenous, Latina, disabled, neurodivergent, gay et al...we know stuff too. If more people listened it would save the world a lot of time. There are so many hot writers worth reading. Here are some of my favorites who nail the mic drop often.
Platform: Substack
Theme: Current Events in the U.S. News Newsletter title: "Letters from an American" For: Americans, duh. People who want a passionate yet very understated account of current events told through the eyes of a professor of American History who never swears and whose outrage always seems both nonpartisan and justified.
Read it when you want to know what happened. (An alternative option: WTFJH. More on why WTF is also a good option later this month.)
Her July 30th issues...You couldn’t write a movie more gripping or salacious than this if you tried. In this recent "Letters from an American," Cox is a great storyteller, but not in a spinny and dramatic way. In a just the facts are enough to make your jaw drop so no need to embellish. I mean seriously even if you can't keep up with January 6th, read her newsletter every few days. You will know what you need to know.
I am happy to support this Substack because she is a professor who updates every American nearly every day. I would say alongside Sharon Hurley's Anti-racism newsletter and Anne Helen Peterson's Culture Study, LTAA is one of my daily go-tos.
In truth we have to support as many "creators" as humanly possible because it means less working for The Powers That Be and THE Man and more working for ourselves. It also means we will still have some integrity in journalism...because right now, the media is all owned by the same people, and they are writing the story.
Her recent posts have all been mic drops for me. I also find she is getting better acknowledging the systemic issues that lay under our nation's decisions and policies. As a historian, she does lean a bit idealistic for me in that we are still a great democracy which I find is becoming less and less true by the day. But, I appreciate her moderate left voice the days I am totally losing the forest for the trees.
Platform: Substack (but designed and branded beautifully, obvi.) Read: Nandini Jammi's Twitter and LinkedIn, actually. She drops her scathing take downs and is totally fearless. And you can get a quicker read of what they do. It's not hard to understand; it is however technical af and they are bada$$.
Another pre-Branded must read from June 2020 is Jammi's backstory on Medium; she share why she left the org Sleeping Giants, after her partner tried to erase her, then yelled at her for finally speaking up. The bro totally accepted a Cannes Lion for her work and forgot to mention he was going to France. I found her Medium article very relatable as I had started my own thing after similar, albeit less egregious circumstances, after I left Ad/Design agency life behind. The way she was treated in the Ad world and all the ways the guy gaslit her felt like an echo of my own workplace trauma.
Watch this bada$$ explain how Ad buying works to infuse social media with B.S., and how brands don't know their Ad dollars are used to dund disinfo...to a tune of $235 million annually.
For: Anyone wanting to cheer on two women taking down right wing media and doing so unabashedly. People in Ad Land. Feminists and those who lov to cheer for the underdog, especially when they become the big dog, and make the work with their former co-founder (Sleeping Giants) look like childsplay.
Deets: https://checkmyads.org/branded/
Subscribers: 50k
Platform: Squarespace website; previously producing longform posts on LinkedIn. Read: Any of his "Monday Opening Thoughts" and anything else he writes about HR, White Supremacy, Workplace toxicity, and living your goddamn life on your terms.
For: People who loathe bull shit. Anyone who wants to be challenged and especially white people who are ready to get uncomfortable and really be faced with someone NOT catering to them, but instead calling out White Supremacy in all its insidious forms.
Bonus: Love his sense of humor and his style. This graphic is the bomb:
Deets: https://www.pharoahbolding.com/blog
"Show a Brotha some appreciation."
Venmo: @Pharoah-Bolding
Cash App: $PharoahBConsult or https://cash.app/$PharoahBConsult
Paypal: pharoahbolding@hotmail.com or https://paypal.me/pbhrpro
Above is an update Bolding shared July 11th, after he took a Social Media break...one that I admire greatly and one of the reasons I am writing more here, (until we can set up a proper blog or publishing site.) I agree, social media is not entitled to anyone's content for free, especially while we get trolled and have to self-moderate and pay them.
In other words, I returned to another week on social media as an unapologetic Black person who isn't looking for validation and "debates."
So I'm going to return my ass back into an extended vacation from social media.
I'd rather sit on my porch with a La Croix and read a good book than entertain the thought of putting my whole self on platforms built on pushing legitimate hate speech and silencing Global Majority folx. Some of y'all prove every day that you are the reason we all can't have nice things, so I'm going to make sure you don't get to have a place to be a white supremacist on my time.
From now on, my primary content will be built for my website, a possible newsletter, and an eventual paywall at the beginning of 2023. I will no longer post complete content pieces on social media platforms, just off-site links to said content pieces. And even though I'll be creating more regularly scheduled content, sharing the links to that content on social media won't be a regular occurrence.
We obviously approve this message...and this call to action to divest from Social Media as our primary repository for content. Eff that. They made plenty off of the trauma and drama of activists and truth tellers...especially those fighting White Supremacy like Pharoah, Claire, Nandini, and Heather do daily with their writing and work. So instead of supporting LI Premium, maybe pay them instead?
Tagline: "Today's essential guide to the daily shock and awe in national politics. Read in moderation."
Platform: Self hosted
Content: Quick recaps of the mind blowing political f&%kery that is American Democracy.
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/podcasts/
Hello. I’m @matt – your guide to the daily shock and awe in national politics.
And, you’ve just joined today’s essential forum. 🎉
WTF Just Happened Today is a newsletter, a blog, and – most importantly – a community.
While the blog and newsletter are produced every morning by @matt, this community exists 24/7/365 to discuss the news, coordinate actions, share perspectives, and connect with likeminded people. It’s a place for civil discussion.
There are three ground rules here:
Be humble
Show respect
Practice gratitude
This is not is a place for assholes, self-promotion, marketing, campaigning, pushing your political agenda, showing off, bragging, provoking others, or drama. There is zero tolerance for personal attacks, trolling, baiting, flaming, hate speech, etc.
Welcome to the WTF fam. –Matt
Who The F*ck Supports This?You do.
Invest in the continued production of WTF Just Happened Today by becoming a supporting member. Choose from three levels of monthly recurring membership:
$5, 7, 10
As an alternative to the monthly options, you can also support WTFJHT annually at $50/yr and $100/yr.
Tip Jar Just want to make a one-time contribution? While the recurring memberships above are preferred, I'm happy to accommodate four different one-time contribution options at $25, $50, $100, and $200.
He goes on to provide TOTAL pay transparency so you know where the money goes!
"Here's the deal: This is my job. And, I plan to keep doing this for as long as you keep supporting me. So, if you find my work valuable or you find yourself relying on my work, please consider becoming a supporting member so I can continue to tell you wtf just happened today.
I started this project to keep track of an impossible news cycle. It was a personal challenge to become a better consumer of political news. As it turns out, a lot of other people also wanted to be better political news consumers. So here we are.
My goal has always been to earn enough to cover my costs so I can keep writing and reporting WTF Just Happened Today. To do that, we need to make sure WTFJHT is sustainable as a member-funded project. That means covering all the costs associated with hosting, email delivery, site search, the community forum, web development, "salary," health insurance, the podcast, and more.
As a reminder, WTFJHT is 100% free, but supported entirely by your optional contributions. No ads, no sponsorships. It's why I try to be as transparent as possible about this process, in part because of my own reluctance to ask, but also my own ethos about transparency and openness. So here's where we’re at..."
He goes on to provide TOTAL pay transparency so you know where the money goes!
Just subscribe already. It's free but you should support his work!
If you are a nerd who loves the academic take, read this first. Where Platform Capitalism and Racial Capitalism Meet: The Sociology of Race and Racism in the Digital Society, Published October 9, 2020 Tressie McMillan Cottom is also touched up by many of her articles and in her Newsletter.
Her Newsletter, which I wish would come more often, her Op Eds are all about the things coFLOWco is into (the intersection of solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, the economy, culture, gender and race). Needless to say we are HERE for her work. There is so much to promote that is pure gold and our admiration is high! First, her Newsletter is only for The New York Times subscribers.
While this is technically a summer 2022 list, the truth is, like all good writers we get behind. With that we now have McMillan Cottom's own words in "What a MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant’ Gave Me" that sum up her work history through August 2020.
"At that point in my career, I had an enviable public profile: I had tenure and had written award-winning books. I took professional risks, like weighing in on academic misconduct and inequality in education, and the biggest risk of all: I talked about popular culture through an academic lens and in an accessible writing style. My combination of rigor and accessibility meant that I had a sort of split status. I was well regarded, but not part of any inner circle.
That suited me fine. I value the authenticity of writing from an outsider’s perspective. But it also meant that my work was always bootstrapped. I had not won major fellowships or grants to complete my dissertation research or first genre-bending book. I mentored students but had little institutional support to share with them.
I produced good work at a rare pace, fueled by egg rolls and intellectual curiosity. It was thrilling. It took its toll."
This October 12, 2022 Newsletter/Op-Ed, written 2 years after the paper on Racial Capitalism and Tech linked AND after she became a MaCarthur fellow covers how much has changed for her as a writer, while so much remains the same.
This early (April 2020) pandemic piece, What the Pandemic Means for Women in the Hustle Economy she discusses why "Workers in the hustle economy share a risk position: their economic activity is necessary for their financial well-being, but it does not afford them job-related protections. For women, the risks are especially acute."
Her Twitter is always on point. We love her website too! Lnk Tree for Tressiemcphd
"The concept of racial capitalism posits that racialization is a primary project for all capitalist activities, from accumulation to extraction. This holds for the future of work as much as the past. Racial capitalism identifies the hustle not just as a response to inequalities in the formal economy but as a kind of racial theater. Black people—and Black women especially—are shut out of traditional employment, but our culture applauds the hustler who responds to exclusion by striking out on her own. As brands and digital platforms celebrate grit and urge us to “respect the hustle,” the realities of who succeeds and who stays struggling are lost."
And, finally, lest we wrap a curated Hot List without irony, we'll end with this quote from her March 2022 Newsletter piece, How to Avoid Drowning in an Ocean of Information. Who better to sum up the cultural and journalistic purpose of Newsletters? We'll let McMillan Cottom highlighting Heather Cox Richardson close out this Top 5.
"Another way to look at information sources is to focus on genre, rather than platform. Newsletters are a powerful entry into the information ecosystem. My theory is that newsletters are an evolution of a very old genre: the new iteration of pamphlets. Political pamphlets are hundreds of years old. They are somewhere between “objective” journalism and polemic. They often present deep explorations of topics and explicitly unsettled arguments. Good newsletters during information events put those window frames up for debate. They are systematic in their analysis of the event but also think critically about the sources that shape the analysis. The historian Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter is a good example.
A good media diet is about more than diversity of sources. It is also about information with different purposes. Investigative journalism takes time and resources. Social media shrinks time and resources but can respond quickly. Newsletters give context and help us make meaning of information events. We cannot parse everything."
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