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!
• 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 nothing
And we owe each other the world
Any 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 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.
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• 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,
Erin
Kazoo magazine
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
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