Kazoo News: October Update
News from Kazoo.
Hello friends! Fall in NYC is always so lovely. This year, despite (because of?) everything, the even slightly-cooler autumn breeze feels better than ever.
October Update:
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Seems like only yesterday, but I was only 22 when I'd just moved to NYC from Pennsylvania and somehow landed a job as a Rover (basically an in-house temp) at Condé Nast. I was answering phones for bigwigs, and the first call I ever received was from Iman. “This is Iman,” she said in the voice we all know. “Get me Paul.” I was a little shaky when I pressed the button on a phone system I had not yet mastered, but I got Paul. That was the very beginning of my career in magazines. And I’d mostly forgotten all about that until I saw this amazing pic of Iman at the Met Gala.
- It's soup season! I made butternut squash soup with our lone garden squash. Ingredients:
Splash of Olive Oil
1 Onion
1 Carrot
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Butternut Squash
1 Green Apple
40 or so ounces chicken broth
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 stick Cinnamon
Pepper to taste
2 tbs butter
So easy: Chop onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Cube everything else and cook in chicken broth over medium high heat until veggies are soft. Puree. Add butter, seasonings, and more broth if you'd like. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon to be extra fancy. The kids love my "famous orange soup," but TBH, it's different every time I make it, because the recipe isn't in any way precise. Like our friend the @condimentraccoon (who you may recognize from issue #19 the Mystery issue), I am often "Bested by a soup!". But I keep trying!
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Facebook is down (& out). Though Facebook was very helpful when we first launched Kazoo, we've long-since been buried in their news feed since we don't peddle in conspiracy theories or conflict or pay them to boost our posts. I miss "seeing" friends though, so we're finding new ways to keep in touch. (I was so happy to hear back from some of you with great movie recommendations.) It's reminded me to reach out to the people I care about in other ways, too.
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Another book recommendation (from the 10yo editor): When Stars Are Scattered, a graphic novel by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. The Tiny Editor had to read it for school, but now she calls it "one of her favorites" and has re-read it many times since. (And for younger readers: Bea Rocks the Flock is another Jamieson favorite around here.)
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Speaking of books: We're always really happy to see Kazoo contributors' new adult books hit the shelves. To name a few: Keisha N. Blain, award-winning historian (as seen in Kazoo #19) Until I Am Free; Ruth Ozeki, (our wabi-sabi expert from Kazoo #8) The Book of Form and Emptiness; and Kristen Arnett (author of our lovely short story from Kazoo #14) With Teeth. Also, a couple of books from our Noisemakers’ parents! So psyched for Kerry Clare, one of our earliest subscribers, who's been getting great attention for her new novel Waiting for a Star to Fall and we also can't wait to read Beloved Beasts by award-winning climate reporter (and Kazoo parent) Michelle Nijhuis. We are truly a bunch of book nerds.
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Reindeer Cyclones! Wow. Is this really real?
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Betty Reid Soskin, America's oldest park ranger, celebrates her 100th birthday. Here she is in the NYT. We recently spoke with her for Kazoo too. Stay tuned for her story!
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This 8yo girl knows exactly what she wants to be when she's 100. It involves tacos. She seems to have it more figured out than most of us.
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Welp, in-person school, huh? With an aggressive mix of hand-washing, masking and worry, Brooklyn public schools seem to be .... Not jinxing anything here! It has helped that our community has a very high vaccination rate. How are you all doing? We hope you and your kids are well. We tell our girls it's not really "back to normal" but it is "getting better" -- and we'll take it.
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If reading about the kids' vaccine was a sport, I'd be an all-star. The FDA is "tentatively scheduled to discuss Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine on Oct. 26." They may make a decision within days after. Until then, hang in there, kiddos!
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The Wild Issue is out now. We hope you are loving it! If you didn't get it, or are not sure about your subscription, you can check your status right here.
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Our next issue is going to be all about art! In planning each issue of Kazoo, we come up with a theme and then I basically do a deep-dive into the subject for 3 months. That's not the hard part, though. My biggest struggle is: "HOW DO I FIT ALL THIS FASCINATING STUFF IN JUST 64 PAGES?" This month, for example, I read more about Corita Kent, who was known as the "Pop Art Nun," and though she won't be in our next issue, I keep thinking of this quote in one of her pieces: "Be of love a little more careful than of everything."
xo,
Erin
 everything, the even slightly-cooler autumn breeze feels better than ever.
October Update:
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