Welcome to November, 2023
Anger, Humor, Bookstores, Sci-Fi Fuel, RIP Richard Roundtree, and Open Mike Eagle
— This is a longer post than usual, so if you’re reading this via email, you might want to hop on over the the web version here to read the full thing! —
Table of Contents:
November Letter from African America:
Getting Back In Touch With My Anger
The Top Jokes of Last Month!
Sci-Fi Fuel + Andrew Colarusso + A New Short Story
Documentaries galore! + Newsletter, Podcast & Art recs!
How I Got Out Of P.E. In My High School Senior Year
a new rap festival called falling loud by Open Mike Eagle
Letter from African America (November, 2023)
Dear readers,
Welcome to the REAL November letter. I still haven’t recovered from accidentally emailing a bare-bones version of this post a few weeks back. But these days, I see mistakes like that as glorious proof that an actual human being was involved.
What’s new for me these days? Luckily — not much! September’s math equations of wedding + funeral equaled a mental roller coaster with one too many loops.
However, I feel like I’m easing back into my body — interacting with the present rather than the fool’s errand of trying to tame the future. Being engaged before marriage is like entering in a cocoon - or in Star Wars terms: being frozen in carbonite.
Fortunately, the clouds have parted. The carbonite has melted. And I’ve been set free.
By that I mean I’ve been writing with a new-found ferocity, and have gotten back in touch with a feeling I’ve never fully appreciated until now: Anger.
Not kind that fights, but the kind that fuels. The fiery sensation that warms a cold thought, makes me want to prove people wrong, and shout “Hey! I deserve that not this!” A personal fury that that functions as a compass pointing to my id and reminding me of the things I care about.
I’ve been out of tune with anger for a while. Perhaps that added to the cocoon-like environment I’ve been in most of this year. But we all deserve to be in tune with that fighting impulse. It’s okay to wade, but not long enough for us to forget how to swim.
I hope you all let some positive anger fuel your creative endeavors this month. But remember, only in moderation.
Best,
-Tim
P.S. Oh no… Isn’t anger a stage of grief?!
LAST MONTH RIGHT NOW! (BEST JOKES)
Each weekday I email five jokes. You all vote of your favorites, and then you vote of your favorites of those favorites. And here we are now. Here are the Top Jokes of Last Month!
Paramount released ‘Mean Girls’ for free on TikTok in 23 parts.Jealous of its massive Gen Z viewership, Ken Burns plans on releasing his latest documentary, The American Buffalo, frame by fame on BeReal.
“Frame 11217 — The buffalo completes its third blink.”
[read the other jokes from that week here]
An Alabama library mistakenly added a children’s book by Marie-Louise Gay to the “explicit” list because of the author’s name. Meanwhile, children’s books by Murder Killslaughter have been accessible to children for years!
[read the other jokes from that week here]
The Supreme Court has delayed efforts to redraw Louisiana’s voting map. Clarence Thomas is reportedly the prime cause of the delay due to somehow only having white markers in his Crayola box.
[read the other jokes from that week here]
The Rock says he’ll ask for ‘improvements’ to a viral French wax figure of him that has white skin.
To save on costs, the wax museum will keep the old one, but label it “Vin Diesel” instead.
[read other jokes from that week here]
WHAT YOU (MAY HAVE) MISSED
INTERVIEW: A Text Conversation With Andrew Colarusso
I texted with
about fandom, academia, loneliness, poetry, bookstores, faith & Starship Troopers.SHORT STORY: Ousted
Each month at
, I’ll be sharing a new sc-fi short story loosely inspired by current events. Here’s the latest:
A PODCAST (KINDA): ’s Storyteller 2 Storyteller
I had a nice chat over the weekend with renowned storyteller Shannon Cason. Here is a clip! And you should check out some of his work here.
NEWSLETTER: Sci-Fi Fuel
This is my new weekly series over at the
newsletter. I unpack quotes, list a few recommendations, and share links to news items that can help fuel your imagination! It’s been fun organizing thoughts on my favorite genre with some consistency there. Here’s the latest one!
REST WELL, RICHARD ROUNDTREE
(from Five Jokes: 10-25-2023)
He was a fine actor, and a true cinema icon. After hearing the news of his death last night, I reflected on the swirl of circumstances that made the first few Shaft movies so great. The combination of Gordon Parks behind the lens, Isaac Hayes behind the mic, and Richard Roundtree on the screen was a force to be reckoned with.
When I think about Roundtree in those movies, what stands out more than the action, slick dialogue, and sex, are the moments where he cracks a joke, smiles, and unleashes an maniacal laugh — usually at the expense of the white characters. It was a subtle turning of the tables. A Black man laughing at the white world to their face.
CONSIDER CONSUMING
There’s a segment in my Sci-Fi Fuel series called Incoming Transmissions full of recommendations on things to listen to, read, & watch. Some of them creep in here, but if you’re looking for more check out transmissions from SFF#1, SFF#2, SFF#3, SFF#4, and SFF#5!
ART: Kiya Tadele’s Yatreda Art Collective
The work of Kiya Tadele (leader of the Yatreda art collective) consistently stops me in my internet tracks. Its also the only body of work that has me vaguely interested in NFTs. It’s worth taking a dive into some of there other creations. And I personally love how old school camera trickery and physical puppetry is utilized in bringing these surreal visions to life.
DOCUMENTARY: Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President (2020)
“He grew up in a county that was 80% Black,” Andrew Young explains in this doc. “And he probably didn’t make any white friends until he joined the navy.”
I left this film thinking “Damn, why do history books keep America’s coolest president such a secret?”
PODCAST: Black on the Air “Viet Thanh Nguyen on ‘A Man of Two
Don’t know what to say besides “I really enjoyed this interview.”
DOCUMENTARY: DOCTOR WHO AM I (2022)
This is a charming documentary about Matthew Jacobs — the man who wrote the 1996’s American Doctor Who telemovie, to controversial results. He traverses Who conventions for the first time, seeking to find his place in the community, and also to understand it better. There is surprising emotional depth to the doc, which lands with the revelation that Jacobs’ father acted in the very first Doctor Who series. Its a fun, earnest view of sci-fi fan culture.
NEWSLETTER:
’s A Sip, A Shout Out, & A SentenceThere’s a beautiful simplicity to this newsletter, which is filled with curated quotes, tips, and links to writing opportunities. It always leaves me inspired to learn, write, and drink something new.
DOCUMENTARY: Telemarketers (2023)
Do I really have to write a blurb about everything? Just watch it, okay?!!
NEWSLETER:Agent of Weird: Exploring the Write Fantastic “My Future Shock Hell! (Chapters 1 of 4)
The talented Alec Worley gives sage advice (sprinkled with equal doses of humor and heart) about submitting work to publications. It’s all centered around his history of pitching stories for Tharg's Future Shocks comics.
DOCUMENTARY: Born In Chicago (2023)
This documentary, which promises tell the true story of a bunch of white boys learning the blues in Chicago’s south side — rightly focuses more on the history and culture of the South Side that allowed blues legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf to thrive. Music takes the center stage here over race. And my God… the footage makes the past feel so alive.
SOMETHIN’ ELSE
I’m not the best at telling stories, but this is the best I’ve ever been at it. If you hate P.E. as much as me — you’ll probably enjoy it:
SONG OF THE MONTH
This song and music video from Open Mike Eagle came right on time for me. I’ve been recovering from a cold the past few weeks (spiraling through the depths of the internet in the process), and this encompasses that feeling to a T. And as a creative obsessed with the healing powers of coffee, my head nodded to the beat but mostly to the sentiment of the lyrics.
🎶 I made some shit, I'm getting real excited / I take a sip I think I really like it / I take a sip I maybe really hate it / We either triumphant or humiliated 🎶
Until next time, remember YOU ARE THE GENRE!
Thanks again for another shout-out, Tim. Also, Richard Roundtree passed? Damn.