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Hope from Kazoo Hello friends,  I'm sitting here in Brooklyn, watching the snow gently fall, and while it looks so beautiful and peaceful outside my window, my mind is about 1,200 miles away with the people of Minneapolis, including many of our young readers and our amazing designer Sarah.  It's hard to feel optimistic these days, when so many things are going so wrong. Every time I sit down at my laptop to work on Kazoo's spring issue, more terrible news breaks, and it feels near impossible to carry on as if everything is fine and normal. It's hard to be creative and write joyfully while my heart is constantly breaking.I won't list all the bad new here, because I'm sure you already know it all. And I realize I'm ignoring huge swaths of history when I say this, but I still find myself in a state of disbelief that people can be so bad. I've always told my kids that most people are good, and I still do believe that. And so to reassure myself of this (and maybe you too), I've spent some time this morning looking for hope.  Let's start with a poem from Andrea Gibson:    "Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps" I fell deep into Andrea Gibson's poetry this winter, and I've read or listened to this particular poem at least a dozen times since. In fact, I was so inspired by it that I decided to make our spring issue all about finding goosebumps of your own. The Wonder Issue (#40) will arrive in your mailboxes this spring, and working on it has been a constant and much-needed reminder of the beauty of the world and the good in it. It's hard to believe Kazoo will turn 10 years old in March. The Tiny and Teeny Editors (seen here in our launch video) are now in high school and almost-middle school (!), and yet I'm still as excited as I was back then to be putting this good thing into the world. We're 100% subscriber-funded, so thank you for the opportunity to keep doing it. You make Kazoo possible, and I'm so grateful. Goosebumps: 500.    Are you subscribed to get The Wonder issue? Click to check. Get our latest, The Drawing issue, delivered to your door now. ONE THING I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT • Our puppy, Chloe Snickerdoodle, reminds me of goodness, every single day. Walking her in Prospect Park to see her dog friends—Silly, Sunny, Barkley, Wally, Rooey, Hope, Pepper, and Luke—is the best way to start my mornings.  SOME THINGS TO MAKE YOU HOPEFUL  • Here's some stuff that's been helping me keep my chin up.  •  Make a Joyful Noise: Clergy members braved the freezing cold in Minneapolis to rally against the ICE campaign of terror. Here is they are, all singing together, just before they are arrested.    • Sleigh!!!: Minneapolis had their annual Powderhorn Art Sled Rally. A community organized event that this time featured de-Icer sleds and bowling pins named for world leaders. A very Minnesotan way to protest ICE!   •  No Kings! A group of ten local residents climbed 800 meters above the city and lit 450 torches to form the message: "No Kings." This is how Davos welcomed Trump.  • Run for ... Dinner!: Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, made a 2025 New Year’s resolution to host a dinner every weekend. She reports that it was the most political thing she's done: "To get to know your neighbors and build deeper amore meaningful relationships is what enables us to not just survive this era but possibly even thrive in and after it." Inspired and warmed by all this love. (And it comes with peach tart!)  • Listen up. I swear this new gilded age is making me rethink everything. (At least in the old gilded age, they were building railroads. What are they even building now?) Listen to Carsie Blanton singing about "Rich People"  in honey-soaked outrage and you'll want to join the revolution, too. Another song of hers I love: "I believe in the future, cuz the future is you and me."  (Hat tip to Tressie McMillan Cottom, who shared on Bluesky.)   Thank you for Being a Friend: Speaking of finding community, it looked like a fun Hot Moms Night: Golden Girls Edition at Booked in Evanston, IL. The event, billed as "a totally safe space for moms to take a moment for themselves" with friend-and-frequent-Kazoo-contributor Lucy Knisley drawing portraits, had the added promise of supporting an indie bookshop. (Their slogan: "Keep your money in your community and not in the pockets of bajillionaires!") Seems like a very worthy cause that should go national! Plus it looked like such FUN!  • We Got This: This incredible woman from Edina, MN—wearing two winter hats because it's so cold—gave the pep talk I needed this morning. She tells the story of what brought her out and how she helped another woman who was having a panic attack. "I walked up and gave her a huge hug and said to her 'We got this.' This is when we show our resolve, because we're better than this." If you need a pep talk too, this one's worth a listen.   • How do we help? Becca Good, released a beautiful statement after her wife, Renee Good, was shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis. As a parent, this is the part that got to me: "I am now left to raise our son and continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way."   MORE THINGS TO READ, WATCH & ENJOY • What We're Watching: We finally subscribed to Brit Box so we get to watch ALL the mysteries set in the lush countryside. We're quickly working our way through everything Olivia Coleman has ever starred in. Plus, the excellent Riot Women is such fun. Highly recommend!  • What We're Reading: I'm still making my way through this NYT list of The 100 Best Books of the Century. I'm currently enjoying Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It's a great book and it's even giving me insight into my video game-obsessed teen. I also just subscribed to Aaron Rupar's substack: Public Notice. I have followed him online for years because he collects the best, most news-worthy clips. He lives in Minneapolis and his insight of the situation on the ground there so valuable. Highly recommend supporting his work.   •  What We're Eating: I've already told you about our go-to Friday night dinner, The "Mademoiselle," which is basically a baguette, cheese, salami, veggies, fruit, maybe a cornichon, if we're being fancy, all served with a french accent. Now, we use the leftover baguette to make our Saturday breakfast: this super eggy French Toast casserole. We serve it with a heap of fruit, not syrup, because it's already plenty sweet. You have my permission to also make this for "Breakfast Dinner," another fav around here. Your kids will love it.   We have so many Kazoo families in MN, and if you're one of them, I am sending you extra hugs today. Stay safe. We're also sending a few boxes of Kazoo to a local moms group, who's packing up care boxes for families who are too fearful to leave their homes right now. It's such a tiny thing, but we owe such a great debt to the people in Minneapolis, who are out protecting their city, and by doing so, are standing up for all of us. In the midst of terror, the people are coming together, and their courage is inspiring—and contageous. Here are some ways you can help, no matter where you live. Because, well, in the word's of Andrea Gibson: "There's no escaping the magic now." And, if we can't find any, we'll just have to make our own. And with that, I'm going to head outside, away from the news for a bit, to shovel some snow and connect with my neighbors, which feels especially important right now. If you come across anything hopeful or interesting this winter, don't hesitate to send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com. xo,ErinKazoo magazineFounder & Editor-in-Chief What's your subscription status? Click here to find out. Help keep Kazoo in print & ad free: Gift a subscription!

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Hello friends, We just sent our winter issue off to the printer (more on that below), and to treat myself, I put a batch of Early Bird Granola in the oven (courtesy of Nekisia Davis's delicious recipe in Kazoo 31). If you've made this granola, you know how wonderful it smells in Kazoo HQ (aka my apartment) right now. It's easy. And good. And don't we need more of both those things right now? This batch will be done in just 45 minutes. (Scroll down for the recipe.) So happy to have you here with me while I wait. A few weeks ago, I went to the "No Kings" protest in NYC, and I made a funny sign that said, "You know it's bad if New Yorkers are walking this slow." Now, I am six feet tall, I take big steps, and I've lived in New York City since college, working at Condé Nast first on Madison Ave, then in Times Square, and finally in The Freedom Tower. In other words, I have decades of experience making my way quickly through NYC crowds. I'm always scanning the sidewalk for the fastest way forward, which is exactly what I found myself doing at the last "No Kings" march I attended in June. That one was so jam-packed that I had to remind myself, You are a part of this crowd ... on purpose. The goal is not to get around everyone else. That's also when I hatched this idea for my funny sign.This time, I perched myself on the corner of 24th street, and, it was AMAZING! There were so many people marching for our democracy, and my sign made so many people laugh. At one point, I had probably a dozen of people standing around me, snapping my picture and high-fiving me. One journalist posted my picture on bluesky, and it was liked, shared, and reposted thousands of times. It might be the most "internet famous" I'll ever be. A reporter from The Economist interviewed me ("because [I'd] drawn quite a crowd"), and my sign even showed up in an article in The Guardian. Meanwhile, old friends from all over the country have been texting me all week: "I saw your picture randomly online and I was like, "IS THAT ERIN?" It me. At the march, I saw another sign that said, "Move Slowly. Mend Things." Not as funny so it didn't "go viral," but it's been bouncing around my brain ever since. Every morning, when I warm up this here computer and click the news for that first, inevitable, adrenaline rush, I must remind myself, Slow down. Deep breath. There is much to do—and there will be even more to come—but there is also time before us. So, I am here, still here, for that possibility, and I'm so glad you are too. In my own way of mending things, let me introduce our next issue: Kazoo #39, The Drawing Issue, shipping to subscribers in December.  •  You might be feeling like things are just a tad out of control right now, and though our kids don't know the details, they feel it too. So, if we can take a moment, turn off the news, grab a pencil, and just draw together, we're sharing time creating something that we want to see in the world. It doesn't even matter how the drawing turns out; it's that we put something into the world that wasn't there before, and that act of creativity is within our control. The act of drawing can make all of us feel happier, calmer, smarter and more connected to others. (Really! It's SCIENCE.) Plus, it's just so fun to draw, and don't our kids deserve some fun? We are such huge fans of many working artists and we've been trying to get them all in one place: Alison Bechdel, Wendy MacNaughton, Ellen Forney,and Lucy Knisley (and more) all showed up for the arty-party and this issue is pure brilliance!  • Kazoo is named a "Best Gift" by the NYT/Wirecutter again this year.    Ride the Bike Bus: Rather than commuting via cars or buses, these kids in Portland all bike to school together, picking up other kids along the way (while singing Kpop Demon Hunters as loud as possible). This is what a joyful commute sounds like!Here's a guide to organizing your own bike bus in your community.  • Choose to be inspired: If your algorithm is stressing you out, that's because it is designed to do just that. Anger and fear keeps us clicking and scrolling. But, NPR reports watching inspiring videos for just a few minutes a day can boost hope and reduce stress, almost immediately. More puppies, please.     •  I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats! Enjoy these scene's from the Halloween Dog Costume contest in Brooklyn. If looking at animals boosts your mood this is that x 100 adorable dogs.  • World's Smallest Museums: Artist Emma Mitchell lays out little, gorgeous groups of things. She says it's neuroscience, and that arranging collections like this helps our brains deal with stress and lift our moods. I believe it. This tickles and calms my brain.    • Cozy up. I got to see a Gee's Bend quilt IRL at the Whitney museum in NYC, which reminded me of the conversation I had with Marlene Bennett Jones, the artist we featured in Kazoo's Clever Issue. Got home and re-listened to my interview with her and then did another deep dive on this group of African American quiltmakers from rural Alabama, whose quilts are celebrated as some of the best of American art. Here's a clip from “While I Yet Live”. I'm so happy that so much of their amazing work is online to celebrate.   • Listen to this woman!I do it for the joy it brings'Cause I'm a joyful girl'Cause the world owes me nothingAnd we owe each other the worldAny time I spend w Ani Difranco (Kazoo's Music Issue) and The Resistance Revival Chorus (Kazoo's Awesome Issue) brings me joy. Maybe it will bring you some, too. • What now? Look at humanity at it's finest. These beautiful humans all finished the NYC marathon, no matter how long it took them. You can do something great, too. The first step is the hardest.     • What We're Watching: The kids are busy with school, so they aren't watching much TV these days but we did splurge on a Broadway show, & Juliet, which was fun! Our downstairs neighbor is a dresser on the show (here she is doing a 30-second quick-change of Juliet), and she invited us backstage afterward for a tour. It was so cool! For us, it seems like there are too many reality shows on TV these days. I'm not interested. But we finally watched and loved Andor. (I didn't think we would, because we're not big Star Wars fans, but it was made for this moment.) I also highly recommend Task, and not just because I'm a Pennsylvania girl. Both shows are a little sad, but also somehow hopeful.   • What We're Reading: I'm making my way through this NYT list of The 100 Best Books of the Century. I've already read a number of these, but I decided to print out the list and really commit. It's quite satisfying to finish a book and check the box. I'm enjoying reading (something other than news)—and I'm also enjoying thinking about stories that aren't centered on the loudest, ugliest voices in our culture. Highly recommend. (PBS also made a Great American Readlist, which has a few more "classics" on it, including good ones to read with your kids.)  •  What We're Eating: Yes, it's the BEST GRANOLA from Early Bird Foods. It’s part salty, part sweet, all delicious! We featured in in Kazoo's Girl Power Issue, but you can also find it here. And, I also forgot about—and then happily rediscovered—this spinach-artichoke crepe recipe. (We put hot honey on top.) It's a great dinner, though the Teeny Editor prefers her crepes with only strawberries and Nutella.  ****** • Can you even believe our next issue Kazoo #40, will mark TEN YEARS of making this magazine? With your help, we went from an idea, to a kickstarter, to subscribers in 53 countries. We could not have done it without your support. And maybe more importantly, we wouldn't have a reason to do it at all. You, and your kids, give me a reason to put something into the world that wasn't there before us. Thank you. Well, the granola is ready, and today is election day in many places, including NYC. Go vote, if you haven't already. You have until 9pm!  And vow to keep marching ahead, whatever the outcome. If you come across anything hopeful or interesting this fall, don't hesitate to send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com. xo,ErinKazoo magazineFounder & Editor-in-Chief

Ever since we ran this granola recipe from Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Foods in our Girl Power Issue (#31), it has become a staple in my house. I make a new batch every single week for breakfast (with yogurt and fresh fruit). I've gifted batches to friends and family. I've even texted my friends the recipe. It is that good! And, it's super-easy to make. Here's the recipe from the issue: You'll Need:•3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats•1/2 cup maple syrup•1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil•1/2 cup light-brown sugar•1 teaspoon kosher salt STEP 1: PrepPreheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. STEP 2: MixToss all the ingredients into one big bowl and stir them together until they’re all mixed up. Then, spread the mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. STEP 3: BakePop the tray into the oven and bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, for about 45 minutes total, or until the granola is toasted. STEP 4: SeasonRemove the granola from the oven and sprinkle on a little more salt, if you’d like. Nekisia prefers hers extra-salty! Let cool completely before serving. The best part? Once you have the main ingredients down, you can customize it any way you want! I usually add coconut and sliced almonds before I bake it and dried cherries and chocolate chips after it comes out. You could spice it up with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger. Or you could add pretzel rods and M&Ms after it comes out to make it more like trail mix. I've tried all sorts of combos, and I can attest, you really can't screw it up! Write to me at erin@kazoomagazine.com after you've tried it, and let me know how you made it. I'm always looking for new inspiration!  -ErinEditor-in-Chief  

Hello friends,We just sent our fall issue off to the printer, and I finally have a moment to think about what to write. It's been, well, more than a minute. The truth is, I have been finding it difficult to send a fun newsletter out to you, when the news itself is so not great. To quote the most oft-quoted Mary Oliver, I keep thinking:"There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left." So, I am here, still here, for that possibility, and I'm so glad you are too. In my own way of fighting back, let me introduce our next issue: Kazoo #38, The Razzle-Dazzle Issue, shipping to subscribers right now.  •  Why Razzle-Dazzle? It's been well documented that the current U.S. government has already harmed women and children, in various and possibly lasting ways, only one of which has been to bully private companies into ending any notion of equality. Though we have all been warned to not obey in advance, this attitude seeps through, and the more subtle effect of these anti-woman policies is to keep us all quiet lest they come for us next. The message that sends to our daughters? Don't be too loud, too confident, too smart, too anything. Well, no. Just no. With our Razzle-Dazzle issue, we encourage our readers to not give up their power or their voice. Instead, be as EXTRA AS YOU WANT TO BE. Besides, it's just so fun and don't our kids deserve that? •  Why encourage our girls to be extra? Back in February 2025, when Donald Trump was signing one of his bazillion executive orders, he surrounded himself with a crowd of young girls for the photo op and joked, "Secret Service is worried about them? If we have to worry about them, we have big problems." It elicited laughs from the crowd. Of all the moments to provoke outrage, this one was so fleeting, but it still bothers me today. It's my sincerest hope that we as a society one day have a realization that girls are not a joke, women are not powerless, and yes, to our current and future leaders: You will worry about us, or you will have big problems (in the voting booth). • More advice for a president:  Every summer, my family retreats to a tiny cottage near Westfield, NY for a bit. In the adorable village square, there's a statue of Abraham Lincoln with an 11-year-old girl named Grace Bedell. The story is that when Lincoln was campaigning, Grace wrote him a letter, urging him to grow his beard, telling him this might help him earn more votes. He took her advice—and won the election. When Lincoln later stopped in Westfield on his inaugural journey, he called Grace out of the crowd to thank her. From The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1861:  "A boy yelled, 'There she is, Mr. Lincoln,' pointing to a beautiful girl, with black eyes, who was blushing all over her fair face. The President left the car, and the crowd making way for him, he reached her, and gave her several hearty kisses, and amid the yells of delight from the excited crowd, he bade her good-bye, and on we rushed." I wonder what sort of advice an 11-year-old girl might give our president today, what sort of statue might survive in a town square 164 years from now? • Celebrity picture books are having a moment. But should they be? In The New Yorker, Sloan Crosley works through a pile of mostly bad kids' books and finds: "Childhood is not a prequel to adulthood. It’s an original production with its own thrills and terrors, deities, and jokes. The chances of an adult writer speaking this language fluently are slimmer than they are of an adult writer publishing a passable literary novel. It’s an exclusive club. And the majority of these celebrities are standing on the wrong side of the velvet rope." Crosley makes some good points but, with so little print space to cover kids' books, I wish they could've found a way to write about a pile of books they adore, instead. (Personally, I'd love for the New Yorker to take on a pile of Kazoo magazines and tell everyone how great they are. Hey David, call me?) • Some baby book favorites: Because I have a big extended family, I became a great aunt this summer! It's been so long since I held a newborn, and holding my nephew's days-old baby brought back all sorts of memories about what it was like when my daughters were born and how many hours we spent reading books together. I made a list of favorites so I could send some to my nephew. Besides the classics, some lesser known greatest hits in our house: Now Open the Box, The Little Blue Truck, Giraffes Can't Dance, Little Owl's Night, Time to Sleep Sheep the Sheep, You are Stardust, Press Here, and I am a Bunny. I don't miss those first few years of sleepless nights, but I do miss reading every night at bedtime.   • Magazines are getting kids to put down their phones:  A few weeks ago, I talked with Elizabeth Segran, a writer at Fast Company, who wrote about the children's mag revival, and then she discussed her findings w NPR’s Marketplace: “Over the last 9 years, there a few new entrants into this new world of print magazines: Kazoo is the magazine that arguably launched this new movement. And it’s focused on kids age 5-12 and in particular it really wants to help girls grow up strong and confident.” Tune in to find out why print—at least for kids—is not dead, and is in fact exploding.  • Here's some fun stuff that's been helping me keep my chin up. >>>  • Kazoo Klassifieds: The adorable messages you send to your kids in our klassified section warm my heart. Want to surprise your kid in print? Messages received by Oct 1st will appear in Kazoo #39, out in December. Click here to write your own. Space is limited. •  Did you finish your summer DIYs?: I always make a to-do list of about 10 projects in June and by September I've finished maybe two. (This summer I built a concrete wall, using—don't ask—wonky cinderblocks I found in a pile under some ivy.) I hope to spend all my summers this way. This woman is my idol. If she can dig a french drain ditch with a kitchen ladle, so can I! • Missed Connections: You know from our Clever Issue (#33) how much I love word games. I do Wordle, The Mini, and Connections every morning over my first cup of coffee. I'm thrilled if I finish Wordle in under 4 and The Mini in under a minute, but the purple level of Connections, though?    • Because of Winn Dixie turns 25! Kate DiCamillo (Kazoo Issue #7) kicked off the celebration with a sold-out film screening and signing for several hundred fans. I love her so much, I wish I could've been there.  • Listen to this woman! Julia Turshen (whose sandwich recipe you probably enjoyed from Issue #37) writes a wonderful newsletter that features some of her amazing recipes and other stuff, too. Here, she gives us 40 Bits of Advice. My favorite: "If there’s an opportunity to jump in the water, jump. Even if you just washed your hair." • The world needs more sparkle! I am just LOVING everything that artist @abstruselike does, every single piece of it makes me smile. (Which is why you'll find her work in our next issue.) But you should check out all of it, online, too. Here's how she created a huge, sparkling cowboy boot!  • Where My Karens At? You may have seen some of the many tiktok videos of women confronting ICE. Margaret Cho urges more of us (white women, in particular) to put on our yoga pants and join the revolution. All joking aside, things will only change when enough of us decide to demand it. • Summer is Officially Over! My to-do list will have to wait until next year. We'll miss hanging out around the fire. The good news: We'll have plenty of time to figure out exactly how to sit comfortably in an adirondack chair before next year. Maybe.  • What now? Guess the first step is to get out there find your own way to light it up. HERE'S TO STRONG WOMEN: May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them!We asked our pals at Oxford Pennant in Buffalo, NY, to hand-stitch and screen print a camp flag to celebrate Kazoo's Noisemakers and remind them that they can change the world. Indeed, they already have. Frame it or hang it on your wall. Size: 18" x 24". Get yours.   • What We're Watching: So, for the kids: It was K-Pop Demon Hunters, non-stop this summer. They also watched Gumball (which is very clever!), The Summer I turned Pretty(which is mid, but fun though  inappropriate for younger viewers), and Wednesday (which I think is too scary—for me!). After the kids are in bed, the pickings are slim: When The Gilded Age first came out, I just couldn't get over Miranda's hair so we never got into it—before now. We spent the summer catching up. Who to cheer for in this show? Almost no one! It's still so good.  •  What We're Eating: At some point this year, we started seeing recipe after recipe featuring beans beans beans, and because, well, we are not living in The Gilded Age as The Russells (or even as The Van Rhijns), we starting making them.This "Cheesy Chili Crisp White Beans" is so delicious, it feels almost extravagant. I hope I don't get any on my corset. • Thank you for being here. I am so happy I get to make this magazine for girls, and I couldn't do it without your support. I'm now turning towards Kazoo #39, which will come out in December, just in time for the holidays. (Hint, hint!)And yes, getting back to it, because this is how we will get through it. Mary Oliver also wrote, "Sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world." And look, it does, all around us. It's more important than ever to take note, appreciate, and share. If you come across anything interesting, don't hesitate to send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com. xo,ErinKazoo magazineFounder & Editor-in-Chief What's your subscription status? Click here to find out. Help keep Kazoo in print & ad free: Gift a subscription! Click right here to share this newsletter with a friend.

Wheee! Click the picture below to watch our Jumping Girl go! Then find instructions for making this easy DIY crank toy (using only stuff you've got around the house) in Kazoo's Razzle-Dazzle Issue, out now.

Hello friends,When I finish a new issue of Kazoo, and send it off to the printer, I celebrate by writing to you. I usually look forward to sharing the things I've come across while writing. But, these last 3 months? WHEW.  The great news: I'm still here and I'm not about to go away quietly. And, I'm so happy you're here, too. Read on for all the HECK-YEAH inspiration I can muster. But first, let me introduce our next issue: Kazoo #36, The Strong Issue, shipping to subscribers right now.  Are you subscribed to get this issue? Click here to check. • Feeling overwhelmed? Do something. It doesn't have to be anything huge or radical. If you need inspiration, here are 30 lonely but beautiful actions you can take right now. Why? Because others will see you doing something and it will make it easier for them to take their own (slightly less lonely but equally beautiful) actions. I often feel overwhelmed and I am trying to do at least one thing a day. It helps.  • Kazoo Goes Viral (for a terrible reason): I scrolled into a story about workers at NASA being told “drop everything” and delete any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from their organization. A stupid but also impossible task, obviously. This request was sent to all federal agencies. NASA's compliance hit us hard because we had featured so many women from NASA in Kazoo. One woman, Rose D. Luna, who had landed a dream job at NASA, posted that her story had been erased from NASA's website, as well. So, we made a little reel about all this for Kazoo's Instagram. It now has 23K likes and 600 comments. (And whew if this whole story didn't already make me question humanity, the comments under it did. I blocked and deleted so many.) We don't do much posting online, so anything over 10 comments is remarkable. When we do post, we try to make it inspirational. So, I'm kind of sorry that this heartbreaker is the one that went viral. But, the silver lining: We all made so much noise about it that Rose D. Luna's story is back on the NASA site. You know, we can't be erased.• I don't know her: In the recently re-issued Right Wing Women, Andrea Dworkin, who died in 2005 but left us with a stack of books and the most famous image of the overall-clad, radical feminist, reminds us that right wing-women, like all the rest of us, are also living under patriarchy and are "having one hell of a hard time.” Dworkin said, “Every woman’s fate is tied to the fate of women whom she politically and morally abhors.” I'm trying to find empathy for the women who voted for all of this and will suffer for it too, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having a hard time with that right now. How are you all handling it? • She hoped Tr*mp would change her life. He did. This Michigan woman voted for Tr*mp because he "promised" free IVF (or, at least, she saw something about that on TikTok) and she and her husband have been trying to start a family. Instead, she immediately lost her job in the U.S. Forest Service as part of the indiscriminate DOGE cuts. And of course the IVF promise was a lie. She is mourning for the daughter she wanted, who she was going to name "Charlotte." Half the internet yelled FAFO, and half seemed to want to place blame anywhere else. It's just all so sad. • And the rest of the women are furious. Just after the election, Clara Jeffery at Mother Jones (whose insight I always value) said, "This has all happened before. Women in the 1940s were sent to the factories and then back to the kitchen. The feminist movement of the 1970s led to big gains—we finally got those credit cards, ladies!—and then to a backlash, as Susan Faludi famously chronicled. An 'anti-PC' movement arose too. But eventually the pendulum swung back, and new waves of female empowerment began to swell." So, maybe this anger can be productive? •  Plant the Seeds, Grow the Garden: I still know all the words to The Carrot Seed which my daughters loved when they were little. And I guess it stuck with me, too, so much that you may notice it served as the inspiration for our Strong cover. But I never knew the author Ruth Krauss and illustrator Crockett Johnson (who also wrote Harold & the Purple Crayon) were a husband-and-wife team that were so defiantly leftist in a time of McCarthyism that they were under FBI surveillance for years! Over in The Horn Book, Betsy Groban shares scenes from their remarkable marriage. And basically, I want to have them over for dinner. I make a great carrot soup. • Woke & Winning! I'm so proud that Kazoo has been named a finalist for the ASME National Magazine Award for General Excellence. This 2025 nomination marks the seventh for Kazoo.  Since our launch in 2016, Kazoo has won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, Special Interest (2019), and has been named a finalist for six other National Magazine Awards. Kazoo was also named a finalist for the ASME Award for Design, Photography, and Illustration five times. Our nominated issues are on sale for 20% off in Kazoo’s shop.  • Here's some fun stuff that's been helping me keep my chin up. >>>  • Kazoo Klassifieds: Here's to Quinn! I love all these adorable messages to our readers. Want to surprise your kid in print? Messages received before April 1 will appear in our Summer Issue (#37), out in June. Click here to write your own.  • Dr. Keisha Blain, taught us why love always wins. But, she also reminded us, it takes work. From Kazoo #19: "As Fannie Lou Hamer said, ‘Freedom is not something that’s put in your lap.’ She meant that people must push for a positive outcome for it to happen. Love will always have the final word—if we are determined to make sure that’s the case.” We are.   • Jennifer Beals, who I will always adore, reminds us how important is to turn away from the bad news sometimes, and remember our purpose, joy and community. Anything for you, Bette.  • Is there anything funnier than a perfectly placed Kazoo? (via Amy Sedaris on Instagram)  • It is possible. In 1980, a particularly conservative time in the US (when Ronald Regan was president) Barbara Smith and Audre Lorde decided to "do something about publishing." So they formed Kitchen Table Press, to publish books, zines & pamphlets by and for women of color. Their work changed publishing. And it was all printed on paper, which means no billionaire could swoop in an summarily delete everything. What can we do?  • Buy Nothing Day: Join us in the Economic Boycott Friday, Feb 28. It will probably be the first of many. It's the easiest thing to do and a reminder that we have power. (illustration by Martha Rich)  • And couldn't we all use Dolly Parton singing Purple Rain? Play on repeat until you feel it in your heart.   YES WE DID: With your help, we hit the fundraising goal for the Radio Kazoo podcast and we've sent out all your rewards. Now we just have to finish the episodes! Stay tuned! In the meantime, we have a few Kazoo posters left in our shop.  • What We're Reading: Out in March: The Night War  by #1 NYT bestseller and Kazoo #15 short story contributor Kimberly Brubaker Bradley; In and Out the Window by Nebula Award winner and Kazoo #6 short story contributor Jane Yolen; and the second Warriors graphic novel (my kids are obsessed!), illustrated by Kazoo #29 contribs Sara Goetter and Natalie Riess. Oh, and The Tiny Editor is eagerly awaiting the newest Hunger Games book Sunrise on the Reaping, out on the 18th. In April, we're looking forward to: Candle Island by Newbery Honor winner and Kazoo #36 and #25 short story contributor Lauren Wolk and For a Girl Becoming, a picture book by US Poet Laureate and Kazoo #17 expert Joy Harjo. Also: Huge shout-out to Erin Entrada Kelly for winning her second Newbery Medal! You can find original short stories by her in Kazoo #35, #24 and #16. (Yes, we love her that much!)  • What We're Watching: On the nights when The White Lotus and Yellowjackets aren't on, my wife and I are watching just the silliest stuff to take our minds off the news after the kids go to bed. There is a show on AppleTV that we call "Prime Numbers" which is not the name of it and has a ridiculous storyline and puts us right to sleep, but we keep "watching it." Basically, really low expectations of the teevee these days, but this show about a video game studio has been fun. One episode Mythic Quest (S1.E5) tells the story of a couple of video game creators over the course of their 20 year relationship, from their chance encounter in a video game store, to their success, to their selling-out. It was surprisingly touching, a little sad, and kept me thinking about what success really means in a creative life, and partnership.  •  What We're Eating: This "Orange Soup" is my go-to winter weekend meal. Basically a pot of carrots, butternut squash, and a tart apple. I make it sort of like this recipe (but I skip the celery, and add milk rather than water so really it's creamy). It feels like eating energy, my kids even love it. I'd like to think Ruth and Crockett would approve.  • Thank you for being here. I am so happy I get to make this magazine for girls, and I couldn't do it without your support. Our latest, The Strong Issue, is landing in mailboxes in fully different world than when I started writing it. But, now more than ever, our kids will need something that encourages them to keep being strong, smart, fierce, and looking for the light. So, I'm going to try to keep giving them a magazine that does just that. I'm now turning towards Kazoo #37, which will come out in June, in time for summer. It's going to be full of fun, and adventure. We could all use more of both. In the meantime, if you come across anything interesting, please send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com. xo,ErinKazoo magazineFounder & Editor-in-Chief

Make your own gumball machine, press to dispense, and then blow big bubbles whenever you'd like. Get the full instructions in our Joy Issue (#35), out now. Click here for the printable templates for your cardboard pieces. 

Hello friends, It's been a while. How are you? I was in the middle of planning the next issue of Kazoo when, perhaps against my better judgement, my daughters convinced me to welcome this bouncy, little pup into our family! In truth, they've been begging for a dog for years, and whew! It's like having a very fluffy baby. Her name is Chloe Snickerdoodle. She's a mini labradoodle. We all love her so much, and you'll be seeing more of her. But, she's sleeping now, so I finally have a minute to chat with you. Hi there. I know you've probably been missing this newsletter and my random thoughts about what I've seen on the internet (with a sprinkle of the latest Ani Difranco news), but not to worry. I'm back. Read on for the best of this fall, but first, a big sale: 50% off our first 25 issues, for the rest of this month. Click here for 50% off issues 1-25. Use code CHLOE at checkout. • Pick-Me Girls: I first thought that the "Pick-Me" insult, used against girls, was a tool to dampen their ambition, like "Try hard, but not too hard." But my daughters have been trying to explain the subtleties of the term to me. Like all generational slang, it's sometimes hard to translate. Parents explains that Pick-Me Girls are not cool. (So not sigma. Amiright, chat?)  • Running for a Good Cause: The NYC marathon route goes right past our apartment in Brooklyn, and it's our favorite fall tradition to cheer on the athletes as they speed by. This year, friend of Kazoo, vascular surgeon, and mom to an awesome Noisemaker is running it to raise money for The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. You can donate and feel good about it, here. Another friend of Kazoo, who's a midwife and mom to three Noisemakers, is running and raising money for Every Mother Counts, which supports maternal health. If you're running, send me your bib number, and we'll look for you and cheer for you at mile 7!  • Potluck Dreams: Who would attend your dream dinner party? Courtney Thorsson's book, The Sisterhood, describes the Brooklyn supper club that seems more like a fantasy than something that actually happened IRL. And yet, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and June Jordan, plus other amazing black women, got together over dinner and basically changed the world. I wonder if they knew they were doing it at the time, if it felt electric. I really wanted to start a recurring Sunday Dinner party and had it all planned to begin in Spring of 2020—and then I didn't eat with a non-family member for, like, a year. Even now, dinner parties still seem...a little weird? Is this whole tradition gone, or are you just not inviting me?   • Luddite Kids: In The New Yorker, Jessica Winter asks, Can We Get Kids Off Smartphones? Honestly, as often as I've threatened to throw my middle schooler's phone in The Lake, I don't know how I could; she uses it for everything, even at school! And, if kids don't have them, they're further isolated because that's the only way all of their friends communicate. I'm hoping this pup helps distract her from her phone. Puppies, after all, are 100% screen-free.  • Meet the Birken Bag of the Book World: This family-run publisher—excuse me "luxury brand"—sells gift books for $1000+. So obnoxious, but then again, Louis Vuitton sells plain white t-shirts for more than $1000, so why not? The printed page is a thing to treasure. Also, should we be charging more for our magazine? Kazoo—I mean, our brand—is also "collectible and covetable." Right? RIGHT? (Even though I increasingly tend to buy my t-shirts at Costco. What? They have good deals.)  • Here Comes the Sun: Julie Mehretu, an artist who worked with us on Kazoo #23, is creating an 83 ft-high painted-glass window, inspired by President Obama’s remarks at the 50th anniversary of the marches from Selma to Montgomery. “Uprising of the Sun” will welcome visitors to the Obama Presidential Center. I want to go see it.  • Speaking of Bright: We had the idea to create a “Kazoo Klassifieds” section (and not just so we could spell classifieds w a K, which just cracks me up). We did it to help offset our printing costs, without advertising products. And we liked it so much that we're going to make it an ongoing thing. Want to say, “We love you!” or “We’re so proud of you!” or “Happy birthday!” to a special kid you know and watch her face light up, when she sees her name in ink in her favorite magazine? Messages received before Oct 15, 2024 will appear in our Winter Issue (#35), out in December. Click here to write your own.  • Winning! If you're a subscriber, you should already have your copy of Kazoo's latest, The Winners' Issue, #34. (If not, it's most definitely OTW and will arrive soon! If you need to pick one up, it's on stands now.) It felt so good make this one, and we sure hope you loved reading it. You know, we'd originally planned to make this issue all about persistence. But as we were putting it together, Kamala Harris took her place at the top of the Democratic ticket with such hope and joy, announcing, "We are not going back!", and I thought, What if we allow ourselves to believe her? We've become accustomed, for nearly a decade, to just slogging through one crisis after the other, being strong, and teaching our kids to "Nevertheless, persist!" But, what if we remind our daughters what it feels like to win? This small shift in mindset means everything. No matter what happens with the election, this is one of Kamala Harris's great gifts to us. Here are some others, all worth watching:    • As this little girl already knows, "When we fight, we win."    •And you can wear whatever you want to our party, we still love you for being you.    • You can feel optimistic about our future!    • Even when it feels hard,  "You always hold that chin up, OK?"    •And couldn't we all use some female energy? How about a Femininomenon!   • And how refreshing to have a politician who really listens to kids.  Kids are all worth listening to.    • And this one, most important to me: kids aren't born with hate. They learn it. It doesn't have to be this way.   YES WE DID:  With your help, we hit the fundraising goal for the Radio Kazoo podcast and we've sent out all your rewards. Now we just have to finish the episodes! Stay tuned! In the meantime, we have a few Kazoo posters left in our shop.    • What We're Reading: New books by Kazoo Contributors! Erin Entrada Kelly's First State of Being was just named finalist for the National Book Award! Karina Yan Glazer's Poppy Song Bakes a Way is out now. Lois Lowry's Tree. Table. Book. gets a star from The Horn Book. Ruth Chan's Uprooted was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Stacey Abrams's Stacey Speaks Up reminds kids that everyone has power to make a difference. Sophie Escabasse's Taxi Ghost is about growing up and standing up. And Margaret Atwood, who talked to us way back in Kazoo #4, has collected 62 years of her best poetry in Paper Boat. Here's a NPR interview with Margaret Atwood about her book, in which she spills that her college advisor told her, "Why don't you just forget all this writing and graduate student stuff and find a good man and get married?" (!!!) Thank goodness she didn't take that advice. And Ani Difranco's Show Up and Vote get's a star from Kirkus, and we get this message from Ani about how to be a strategic voter, even if you find the candidate imperfect, joyfully. (Be honest, you read this far to get that Ani news!)   • What We're Watching: Run don't walk to The Wild Robot. We already loved the books by Peter Brown, and this adaptation was excellent. "Sometimes to survive, we must become more than we are programmed to be." really hit home with my gen Alpha kids, and I might have even shed a tear or two. The perfect animation changed throughout, as the robot changed.    •  What We're Eating: This Sweet Potato Hash is my go-to Sunday morning fall brunch. I loosely follow this recipe, but add a ton of fresh spinach and crack an egg on top. (If you prefer meat, this version includes sausage.)   Thank you for reading along. I hope I've kept you off Twitter for a minute.  I'm in the middle of planning Kazoo #35, which will come out in December, just in time for the holidays. Since Kazoo is printed quarterly, it's always a little hard to know what the vibe will be by the time the issue finally lands. But, after this November 5th, Kazoo #35 could be arriving into a fully different world. (I'm so nervous! BTW, check your voter registration status here.) But, whatever happens, our kids will always need something good to read, something that encourages them to keep being strong, smart, fierce, and true. And inspires them to remember to keep looking for the light. So, I'm going to try to do just that.  If you come across anything interesting this fall, please send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com.  xo, Erin Kazoo magazine Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Hello friends,It has been HOT HOT HOT in Brooklyn, but today there's finally a respite. A summer breeze makes everything seem pleasant. I'm so happy to shoot some of it with you. Here's what I've come across so far this month, but first, help us finish our Radio Kazoo fundraiser. We have only ONE DAY left to make it happen. Click here for exclusive rewards. • I guess I am a Hack? If you're wondering why we took our podcast to Kickstarter, honestly, at this point, so am I. But I think I was inspired by...Hacks? In the HBO show, Deborah Vance took her DVD comedy special directly to her fans via QVC, and it seemed to really work for her. Perhaps I shouldn't take my business inspiration from a comedy, but in all seriousness, our paper, printing, and postage costs have skyrocketed in these past few years, and we thought a new podcast could help offset our expenses. Thanks for enduring my month of pleas. It'll all be over soon (one way or the other). • Speaking of Printing: Kazoo's printer Lane Press was honored by the PINE organization (Printing Industries of New England). We won two big awards: a Best Of Show for Best Use of Ink AND a Pinnacle award for Best Overall for our Fun issue #29. You can still pick up Fun here. Not only is the print itself beautiful, this issue has a ton of fun summer things to do, including making these blue-ribbon whoopie pies!  • Squint Your Eyes and Look Closer: When we decided to launch Kazoo as an ad-free independently published magazine, we wanted to follow in the tradition of feminist 'zines and, of course, indie music. If you're a close reader, you might have noticed that Ani Difranco, the original Righteous Babe, has inspired more than a few of our pages—from the kids wearing the "three oranges and a pear" t-shirts in our Confidence issue #15, to the "car tires and chicken wire" in our DIY issue #20 to the "How to Write a Song" feature with Ani herself in Kazoo's Music issue #5. Now there's a new documentary film about Ani. Watch the trailer for 1-800-On-Her-Own here. • Cheap Fakes are Here to Stay: Fake videos go viral so quickly that the fact-checkers don't have time to catch up, so it seems that more Americans think President Joe Biden tried to sit on a nonexistent chair than know the boring truth that there was, in fact, a chair there. We took the "fake news" on with journalist Lisa Ling in our "The Fox's News" story in our Action Issue #10, because it's more important than ever to teach kids media literacy. Come to think of it, it's important to teach our parents media literacy, too, particularly since they did not grow up in a world where it was oh-so-necessary. If your parents send you clips of Biden wandering off, you might need The News Literacy Project's sharable graphics. The lack of critical thinking makes me want to leave civilization. • To the Lighthouse! You might remember the comic about the first female lighthouse keeper, Ida Lewis, in our Light issue #7.  Well, following in our footsteps, as they do, the New Yorker recently ran a story about the last lighthouse keeper in America. But fear not, lighthouse lovers: You can buy your own lighthouse and carry on, if you dare. You know, I'm considering this. It's only accessible by boat, two and a half miles off shore. My kids would never make it to school on time, but at least now we'd have a better excuse! • Or maybe I'll just stay put. Two years ago today, the day of my daughter's 5th grade graduation, was the day of the Dobbs decision that continues to walk us backwards, as a nation. I don't know what more I can say that I haven't already said. I remain steadfast in this belief: We just keep going, keep working, keep helping, and yes, keep voting. Giving up and being quiet is not an option. Not for any of us. So, I guess no lighthouse-living for me yet. • Who's happy school's out? Miss Cosgrove sure is. Now she can finally get a little rest.   • Who's even happier school's out for summer? Ms. Dugan! In an effort to understand why my 13yo now tries to call me "bruh," I've looked to the teachers of TikTok. Hope Ms. Dugan has a good summer, too. She deserves it. (BTW, I think I have the pants she's referring to at :48.)    • Who's ambivalent about summer? Parents. JK, no really, it will be fine. Luckily my girls are past the hide-the-Sharpies stage. (We had a time when The Tiny Editor kept coloring her nose with a red sharpie a la Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.) But working from home while the kids are out of school can be challenging. Still, I love the extra time with them. I'm starting to realize that childhood goes by so fast, and once these years are gone, they're gone. • What We're Watching: The Teeny Editor is into Powerpuff Girls and Babysitters Club. (Wild to see the way these stories keep reinventing themselves over the years!) And, I can recommend Outlaws, The Gentleman, Bodkin, Baby Reindeer, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Veil.  (WOW WHY are we watching so much TV? This is over a few months, I swear, but I'm still embarrassed.) We've started re-watching Halt & Catch Fire with the 13yo, who loves computer stuff. I'm not really into tech start-ups, but am getting something out of their passionate bootstrapping when the odds are against them.• What We're Reading: The Teeny Editor keeps re-reading Woe: a Housecat's Story of Despair by friend of Kazoo Lucy Knisley and the Best Friends/Real Friends/Friends Forever series by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham. The Tiny Editor just finished The Hunger Games series, so we can finally watch the movies together. I'm finding inspiration from The Joy of Swimming by Kazoo contributor Lisa Congdon, because I'm attempting a mile-long lake swim this Saturday. (Wish me luck!) And on my summer TBR list: The Spare Room by my friend and former Conde Nast colleague, Andi Bartz, which is coming out in paperback in early July. (She's a Reese's book pick, but don't take Reese's word for it, take mine.) • Pixar finally hit the sequel!Run don't walk to Inside Out 2. My whole family loved it, and it seems like everyone else loved it, too. Did you spot Bing Bong? Maybe Riley is the one thing our divided country can unite around this fall. Here's hoping.  •  What's Scarier than Quicksand? As a child of the 80's, I would say almost NOTHING is scarier than quicksand, except maybe opening Twitter these days. This American Life talked with Yoel Roth, former head of trust and safety at Twitter, with the story on "What I Was Thinking As We Were Sinking"    • Which is why we're all looking for some screen-free fun. We made this "Summer Bingo" for an early issue of Kazoo, but I pull it out every summer and try to make sure my kids and I check every box. You can find a printable Summer Bingo Card, here.    •  New Go-To Dinner Recipe: When it's too hot to cook dinner, we rely on our family's tradional "Mademoiselle" dinner, which is basically a baguette, served with what's already in the fridge (cheese, salami, veggies, fruit, maybe a cornichon, if we're fancy), plated and served with a flourish and french accent. But, this easy bread recipe is a game changer. You will never buy a baguette again.    • Happy Pride Month: I celebrated it in Brooklyn with that family 5K in the morning and a side-hug from my favorite Attorney General, Letitia James, who walked in the very sweet Brooklyn Pride Parade. (It's full of scouts troops, elementary schools, and churches and synagogues, alongside some cheerleaders and, you know, like Con Ed or whoever.) We watch the parade every June but I suppose we celebrate pride all year in the most low-key way, much like Tig Notaro and her family.   • One Last Time: We are so close to hitting our fundraising goal, and we just need a few more kind people to help. Get an original Kazoo poster and see other rad rewards here.   *Ends 6/26/24. • Thank you for being here.I'm just now turning towards Kazoo #34, which comes out in September. Thanks to our amazing designers, contributors, and our award-winning printer, I've got the very best help filling these pages with something your kids will love. So, back to it. If you come across anything interesting this summer, send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com. xo,ErinKazoo magazineFounder & Editor-in-Chief

Hello friends, I took a walk through Prospect Park today and noticed some snowdrop flowers popping up. Spring really is on the way! It's still chilly, but nothing a cup of tea can't fix. I'm so happy to share it with you.  • Yay, us: Kazoo was nominated for the 2024 National Magazine Award for our Girl Power issue, bringing our total honors from the American Society of Magazine Editors to 11. For me, it really is an honor just to be nominated! But more than that, I hope your little readers liked our 2023 issues as much as the judges did. Which was your favorite?   * Our Weird Issue is landing now.  If you missed it, you can still subscribe to get a copy.    • How Tech Obliterated Media: I read with interest Kara Swisher's Burn Book excerpt in NY Magazine. But I read this part, twice: "In 2000, Google struck a brief deal with Yahoo to power the search engine for the ascendant web portal, which did not then have algorithmic search capabilities. As part of the vendor arrangement, the Google logo, with its primary-color letters, was prominently featured on the much-visited Yahoo website. It was as if Coke let Pepsi put its name on cans." Fast forward to today, my kids think it's just hilarious that there was once an internet search engine called "Yahoo!"  • And So: I read about Highlights' magazine's partnership with Google with just as much interest. In his telling, the CEO of Highlights "always wondered how Highlights and Google could have a more positive impact together." And, so based soley upon his mu$ings, they made a special issue called "Be Internet Awesome." And, Highlights, the "most trusted" children's magazine with a million young readers, gives Google half the cover for its logo! Together, they aim to teach kids age 6+ to "stay safe online," but they begin with the presumption that kids that young should be online at all. And, they're providing 250,000 additional copies to send into schools and other kids' organizations. I'm sure this is fine and will all be very empowering for young minds everywhere.  • There is a reading crisis in America: I'm mean, just safely Google "literacy crisis." Last year, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), “the nation’s report card,” showed that not even half (43%) of fourth graders in the U.S. scored at or above a proficient level in reading. Now, it has been generally accepted in the book business that even as adults' reading habits change, children will keep reading print books, but in 2023 kids books sales were flat. It's a real head scratcher how any of this is related, or what any of us alone can do about it, but I'm going to put my phone down more and keep reading bedtime stories with my kids. There has got to be another way to be.  • Do you ever worry you're using slang incorrectly? If you are, Gen Z will roast you for it.  Now, I scored 100% on this GenZ office slang quiz, but then, I'm old enough to translate "Internet Awesome" to the original "Internet Famous" and ... are we sure we're using this phrase correctly? Isn't "Internet Awesome" a not-ideal thing to be, like Julia Allison, just working it, being chased around NYC by Gawker? But also, Google, please get in touch so I can trade my beloved, somewhat smaller brand with you, because we need the money to pay the printer for our next issue hahaha. (JK JK about all this, so please don't bury "Kazoo magazine" in the search results even further like that Chumhum guy did to his detractors on The Good Wife.)    • Who did I ask for permission? "I asked myself!" We should all memorize this wisdom. (This is all very cute unless this is your child, and you only have one good tube of lipstick.)   • A World of Pure Imagination: We do live in a deeply divided world, but for one afternoon in February, we all united around the terrible Willy Wonka Experience. It was, come to think of it, magical! Vulture tracked down the sad Oompa Loompa, if you want to know more.    • Going through a Swing Change: This pro golfer/teacher/most patient women in the world, is as kind as she can be in this situation. I don't know that I would have reacted the same way. • Amen! Also, when this happens, my daughter doesn't get to sit by the kids she clicks with, so she doesn't further develop her own friendships, too. It's stressful. • Election blues: I can't believe this whole thing is happening again. Just trying to remind myself of John Lewis: "Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."• No Ice, Baby: The Ice Maker in my freezer hasn't worked for years, and while I'm constantly filling my kids cups (who love to chew ice so much, I asked their pediatrician to check their iron levels), I am only slightly comforted because I read somewhere that Kate DiCamillo's ice maker doesn't work either. It does seem such a waste to get a whole new set-up when the ice maker will probably just break again. • What we're watching: The kids are not watching any shows these days? But I can recommend American Fiction. I'm starting Regime, and can't wait for every new Abbott Elementary. Oh, I also liked Jenny Slate's stand-up special. It's gross and funny!• What we're reading: The teeny editor picked up Scary Stories for Young Foxes and loved it so much we immediately ordered the second one. Keisha Blain (who you might remember from Kazoo #19) has edited a new book, Wake Up America: Black Women on the Future of Democracy and Liana Finck (who you might remember from Kazoo #16) has a new parenting advice book, sans advice, How to Baby on the way. I just cracked The Riddles of the Sphinx about two things I love: word games and feminism!• New Recipe: I had some extra dough in the freezer that I thought was sugar cookies so I thawed it one afternoon, when I was "writing" and discovered it was pie crust. But, I turned my disappointment into delight by making homemade pop tarts. Have you ever done this? Your kids will go wild. You will never eat a boxed pop tart again. *Mine did not look this good, but they were delicious. • Righteous Persephone: Ani Difranco (who you might remember from Kazoo #5) is taking her turn as a Greek goddess in the Tony-winning musical Hadestown. I was in Manhattan (!) at night (!) to see her on her opening night. The audience was full of Ani fans, and we gave her a standing ovation before the show even started. Ani's music has been by my side for years, and I'm so proud of her for trying something new.• Speaking of inspirational people, Erin Entrada Kelly (whose wonderful stories you might remember from Kazoo's #16 & #24) has been undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, and I've been following along on her journey. She also has a new book: The First State of Being (which looks great).  And Christine O'Connell, or Cancer Warrior Mom (who you might remember if you helped us send paper fish to her daughter Jane on her 4th birthday), has almost reached her goal of raising 1 million dollars to Kick Childhood Cancer. If you have an extra dollar or two, you can help Christine and Jane, now 9, cross the finish line here.  • Changes: I am going to turn this here newsletter into a substack, not because it will make money but because when I send you this email, this mail service charges us $400+. So, look out for a substack from me next month. The problem is I haven't yet come up with a name for it. All these substacks have great and clever names (the Audacity, the Meteor, etc). I'm thinking of calling this something about Taylor Swift being internet awesome for the SEO. (JK JK I don't really know what SEO is.) If you can think of a good newsletter name, let me know.  • Thank you for being here.I'm just now beginning to plan Kazoo #33, which comes out in June. This is the fun part, but with 64 blank pages to fill, it's also the hardest. So, feel free to interrupt. If you come across anything interesting, send it my way. You can always find me at erin@kazoomagazine.com. xo,ErinKazoo magazineFounder & Editor-in-Chief

The American Society of Magazine Editors just announced the finalists for the 2024 National Magazine Awards, and Kazoo has earned three more nods: NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARD  Single-Topic Issue for our Girl Power Issue (#31) ASME AWARDS FOR DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY & ILLUSTRATION Best Print Design for the "Little Things, Big Fun" feature in our Tiny Issue (#30) Best Illustrated Story for our comic on Vera Rubin in The Motion Issue (#28) by Breena Bard Kazoo is print-only by design, but we're so proud of this comic that we wanted to share all six pages right here with you. It is for every girl who's ever looked up at the night sky with wonder or who's ever pretended an empty paper towel roll was a telescope. We hope you enjoy it!        Kazoo is 100% ad-free, 100% indie, and 100% subscriber-funded, so if you'd like to help us stay awesome—and in print—please pick up any issue in our shop, subscribe for a kid in your life, or share us on your socials and tag us  @kazoomagazine and #kazoomagazine. We're so grateful for your support!