Hello, happy Friday and Happy HALLOWEEN! I think I warned you guys last week that this’d be a shorter newsletter, on account of my “four shows in one week” schedule messiness, so, lo, behold, it’s a fun-size dispatch. And hey, speaking of shows, I’ve got one more you can come see TONIGHT at UCB!
If you like those photos Arin Sang-Urai took at Wednesday’s show, boy, you’ll LOVE tonight’s version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Show. Tickets here!
Some other good things I’ve encountered this week:
This fantastic open letter from Betty Gilpin to AI “actress” program Tilly Norwood. “Tilly, you never had to be 14, so I’ll tell you what Google can’t. It feels like your soul gets a broken glass enema. You go from curious about this marvelous world to drowning in un-marvelous you…I remember the bad barn play because that actor’s performance was so good that, impossibly, I left myself. My adolescent cells floated away from poor me and traded places with his. His performed pain dissolved mine, which was real. All from recognition. From connection. And then, you know, the play was bad again. But the air in the theater felt carbonated with symbiotic human experience. That’s our main job, Till, attempting that. The imperceptible do-si-do of my matter and yours in the air between us.”
Rediscovered this short story my brother wrote for a class well over a decade ago (he was 11, I was…uh…19. A VERY cool age to be this scared of Space Mountain).
The best dating app ad I’ve ever seen (I have no use for a dating app, but I could not resist taking this photo in case anyone I know wants to find true rat love) (also someone with drama, text the phone number and tell me what happens!!! Please!)
Demi Lovato freed Poot Lovato from the basement (how does the costume look more Poot than even Poot did?)
AND in lieu of a WIDNBTW, I’m going to share info on a bunch of places that are trying to ameliorate the impact of SNAP benefits being cut during the government shutdown! I know there are judicial pushes to get EBT funds to their beneficiaries, and I hope those are successful soon. But in the meantime, here’s a roundup of resources from my own personal network. If you or people you know are in need, take advantage of these + spread the word. If you or people you know are in a place to donate, please, support these initiatives + spread the word:
My friend Miranda is a teacher in Kansas City, and she’s hosting a food drive to create pre-assembled meal kits for students in her school district during the upcoming Thanksgiving Break. If you’re one of my Missouri/Kansas-based readers, I’d be happy to connect you with her; everyone all over the world can also donate directly (Venmo: MIRANDAKMARTINO) to fund a meal kit!
The folks at my long-beloved Phoenix eatery The Coronado are offering a pay-it-forward option on their menu, and you don’t have to be in Arizona to buy someone a meal. Here’s what they had to say about it: “We have created a “Pay it Forward” option that will buy a burrito and a side of chips + salsa for a community member in need. You are able to purchase this option in-house or on our website menu. The meal is $10 per person.These meals will be available for anyone with a SNAP/EBT card starting November 1st from 1pm-5pm daily. We don’t know exactly how this will play out or what the demand will be, so we will initially start out by offering this from 11/1—11/8. At that point, we can assess the funds and the need, and then post what our next steps are. We understand times are tough right now. If you aren’t able to donate, sharing the donation link is helpful!”Here’s the donation link on their menu. And The Coronado was inspired to do this by their friends at Lovebite Dumplings, also in AZ, which I’ve never visited, but you can sponsor a hot meal right here!
My friends Cailin and Gabe are raising money for their friend, Denise, a single mom who is going to be heavily impacted by the loss of SNAP benefits. She has 9 kids, and any support you can provide will go a long way. If this is somewhere you can help, please send Cailin a donation with a note “for Denise!” and they’ll pass it along or use it to order Denise some groceries (Venmo: Cailin-Potami)
I’m always harping1 about St. John the Divine and their arts/culture programming, but they are also a regular ol’ church and do regular ol’ church stuff. Right now, they’re collecting money to distribute grocery gift cards to people in the community (donate here). You can also help serve bagged meals on Sunday mornings as part of their soup kitchen program.
If you’re in my current neighborhood, Harlem, or any of the surrounding uptown area, boy have I got a BIG list of free food resources. Share this with people in your building, and/or call the location closest to you and find out what donations they might need. Here’s the list in English and in Spanish.
Finally, here are some general suggestions for food pantries. If you want to donate to your local food pantry, you can always call and see if they have specific needs before you donate! Some food pantries will happily accept cash donations, and some aren’t able to. Do some research and find out what’s right for your community. I’ve asked a few people who are more involved/knowledgable than I am for their advice on what to donate, what’s most in need, what goes quick, etc. As a newly-minted CostCo member, I am going to try and snag some bulk items this weekend and share them with my own local orgs.WYCBFYLFP (What You Can Buy For Your Local Food Pantry)
Shelf-stable milk, including condensed milk. If you can find single-serve shelf-stable milks—as in, the size you would get with a school lunch—these are the best option!
Non-dairy milks
Baby formula, baby foods
Diapers
Pet food
Peanut butter
Cereal
Cooking oil
Sugar, flour, salt, baking soda/baking powder, yeast (if you went through a “bread phase” during the COVID lockdowns and you have a yeast stash…it’s time)
Snacks/portable food items (especially important for households with kids or with working adults who don’t get a longer food break at their workplace)
Diapers
Vegetarian sources of protein – especially any beans that can add some variety to a diet, e.g., not just lentils or kidneys
Canned foods with pop tops, tuna/chicken in pouches, or any foods in easy-to-open containers (especially important for elderly people or anyone with limited mobility)
Can openers! The inexpensive, portable, manual kind.
And one final note: Don’t be afraid of your neighbors. Go knock on their doors. Ask them if they need anything. Even if someone in your community isn’t struggling with food insecurity, they might need something else you can provide! A lightbulb changed, a seam repaired, a heavy object moved. If you feel helpless, and like you don’t know what to do, the easy answer is to find out what is needed. Then, do that. Just remember, there are things to do and we can do them.
Now, it’s Halloween. Go eat a Butterfinger and think about bats. I love you. Bye!