1. More reasons why I love living in Colorado: Juneteenth is officially a state holiday in Colorado and Colorado braces to become refuge for abortion access if ‘Roe’ is weakened.
2. What I Wish I Knew About Grooming: India Oxenberg Reflects on Her Experience in Nxivm. This is an older post but gives a list of seven warning signs that are super important to watch out for, whether it’s a relationship with a single person or a whole group.
3. It’s Time to Rage on The New York Times by Roxane Gay. “Without the right to abortion, women are forced to make terrible choices. These burdens disproportionately fall upon poor and working-class women without the means to travel across state lines to receive the care they need. Despite promises from the anti-abortion movement to support pregnant women and children, the ‘pro-life’ lobby appears to be invested only in the unborn. The same mostly male politicians who oppose abortion so often do everything in their power to oppose rights to paid parental leave, subsidized child care, single-payer health care or any kind of social safety net that could improve family life.” In related news, Here’s how Americans can fight back to protect abortion rights by Rebecca Solnit. Also, this site is helpful for directing your help: Abortion Funds in Every State. And, check out this Twitter feed that gives some answers to the questions “what do we do now/how do I help?”
4. The U.S. now says Russia is wrongfully detaining WNBA star Brittney Griner.
6. Recipes I want to try: Wonton Soup, Gilgeori Toast (Korean Street Toast), and Cinnamon Butterflake Rolls.
7. Watch hilarious turtle courting ritual. (video) “Why is this turtle slapping another turtle? CNN’s Jeanne Moos reports on hilarious turtle foreplay that went viral.” In related news, a video of a flipped over turtle getting help from his friends.
8. Memoirs with Benefits: A Reading List of Hybrid Narratives. “Courtney Maum Recommends Memoirs That Seesaw from Past to Present, Personal to Universal.”
9. Curious Squirrels and Rambunctious Hares Form a Miniature Menagerie of Felted Wildlife.
10. 30 Of The Most Spine-Chilling Things Kids Have Ever Said, As Shared In This Viral Twitter Thread.
11. Roxane Gay Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard. “Roxane Gay has used writing as a means to untangle and communicate her own trauma since childhood. Now a successful author, professor and mentor to many, she advises young women and aspiring writers on how to harness their voices. Gay shares her Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard.”
12. Karine Jean-Pierre will become White House’s 1st Black press secretary. “She will be the first Black press secretary in White House history and the first openly gay person in this high-profile role, speaking for both the president and the U.S. government in press briefings that are watched by the world.”
13. New Study Shows Trans Youth Are Extremely Unlikely to Detransition. “94% of trans youth in the sample identified as trans five years later.” Compare that to the “success” of dieting: “In a meta-analysis of 29 long-term weight loss studies, more than half of the lost weight was regained within two years, and by five years more than 80% of lost weight was regained.”
14. Ada Limón Makes Poems for a Living on The New York Times. “On tour for her sixth book, Limón talks about how poetry, in the end, is ‘just telling somebody something.'” In related news, In her new poems, Ada Limón argues for turning a delicate attention to the world.
15. The end of Bitch Media and the paradox of mission-oriented media. “Between money and mission, one will always win.”
16. American Bluebird builds nest. (video)
17. How Native Americans Are Keeping The Bees Alive.
18. Dementia Made a New Man Out of My Dad. “Raised in Apartheid-era South Africa, my mixed-race father had no shortage of scars. But as dementia overpowered his brain, I met a man I never knew existed.”
19. ALOK on stand-up comedy, love as ‘daily practice’ and non-binary joy.
20. In Grief Is How We Live Now on The New York Times. “Any therapist will tell you that death is not the only occasion for grief. We can mourn the loss of anything to which we have become attached: a pet, a job, a home, a way of life. In bereavement, what is best about us — our ability to love — becomes the source of our suffering. It’s a wonder that all grief isn’t prolonged and that anyone is able to love again rather than wander through life stunned by its cruelty. And it’s surprising that anyone actually believes that there are stages and time limits to grief or that we know enough about how it works to know what to expect of it.”
21. Goodwill Sold a Bust for $34.99. It’s an Ancient Roman Relic. on The New York Times. “Its 2,000-year journey to Texas remains a mystery, but the buyer is returning it to the German state of Bavaria, its pre-World War II home.”
22. Poetry FAQ on McSweeney’s.
23. New Report: The global decline in democracy has accelerated. “Freedom in the World 2021 finds that the annual gap between losses and gains widened in 2020, and fewer than a fifth of the world’s people now live in fully Free countries.”
24. A Week Into The Lindo-pocalypse.
25. Detox Your Mind: 5 Practices to Purify the 3 Poisons on Lion’s Roar. “Five Buddhist teachers share practices to clear away the poisons that cause suffering and obscure your natural enlightenment. Introduction by Lion’s Roar’s editor-in-chief Melvin Mcleod.”
26. “Don’t Let Anyone Say I Was The Best At Anything” from Andrea Gibson.
27. Color Story: Lilac Season on SFGirl.
28. 200 Years of Great Writers and Artists on the Creative and Spiritual Rewards of Gardening. “Here, drawn from a lifetime of marginalia on great writers’ and artists’ letters and diaries, essays and novels, is a florilegium of my favorite exultations in the rewards and nourishments of gardens.”
29. Houseplants as a Means of Black Joy and Queer Resistance.
30. 103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known. “Today is my birthday. I turn 70. I’ve learned a few things so far that might be helpful to others. For the past few years, I’ve jotted down bits of unsolicited advice each year and much to my surprise I have more to add this year. So here is my birthday gift to you all: 103 bits of wisdom I wish I had known when I was young.”
31. Watering the garden from Austin Kleon.
32. The ones who didn’t help from Seth Godin.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 