This week's list
GREAT:
Daniel Alarcón is a novelist, journalist, and the executive producer of NPR's Radio Ambulante. While events in South America tend to get minimized or even completely ignored by many media outlets here, Alarcón makes sure that those stories get told. He just reported a story about Chile's political revolution and how the fight for a new and more just constitution is colliding with coronavirus. And then, less topical, but no less well done is this story he tells about finding a book of pre-written speeches while living in Lima, Peru. It's so funny and illuminating. I think about it a lot. Peruvian Tips for Public Speaking.
FUNNY:
Jim Gaffigan writes beautiful, hilarious, perfect jokes and combines them with a relatable, hilarious delivery. Because he doesn't swear, I think he often gets thought of as non-confrontational. And while he certainly is a nice guy in person, as I've heard from anyone who's ever worked with him, I think his best bits are when he's on the attack. This is one of my favorites, where he is appalled and outraged by the idea of camping.
(If you want even more Gaffigan, donate to the fundraiser I'm co-hosting and see him perform this Thursday!)
INTERESTING:
Leise Hook, a cartoonist and illustrator, moved from Michigan to the South the summer before she started high school. She tells the story of trying to find her way in a new place by juxtaposing her story with the history of "invasive" species in the U.S. It's really well done. Her illustrations and the story capture emotional nuances that you rarely get online. And I'll never look at kudzu the same way again. I just discovered Leise's work and I'm a big fan. The Vine and The Fish
Ok, that's it for this week! If you're enjoying these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.
Stay safe out there,
Chris
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