Invisible Hope

“It is most comfortable to be invisible, to observe life from a distance, at one with our own intoxicating superior thoughts. But comfort and isolation are not where the surprises are. They are not where hope is.”

― Anne Lamott, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair

Magazines for Girls

When I was growing up, there weren't a lot of magazines aimed at girls. I read Seventeen and then graduated to Vogue, Elle, and the like, all checked out from the library. Those magazines did little for my self-esteem. When I look at them now, they're kind of horrifying.

Luckily I was a voracious and non-discriminating reader skipping from classics like Grapes of Wrath and Nicholas and Alexandra to the trashier Mommie Dearest and Valley of the Dolls. My college years introduced me to a slew of new writers, both in fiction and poetry, along with a burgeoning zine scene. I had a broad range of influences to help counter-balance the mainstream crapola. I have always loved reading and of late, haven't been making it a priority. The hole this leaves is wide and dry.

My almost nine year old loves books of all kinds but has a penchant for non-fiction and graphic novels. She enjoys quiz books and anything highlighting weird but true facts. Her grandparents have gifted her subscriptions over the years to Puzzle Buzz, Highlights, and National Geographic for Kids. All were adored.

I'm excited about a few new magazines aimed at young girls and tweens that seem to offer a lot more than the typical hair, fashion, and boy advice of the magazines of my youth.

Kazoo is a quarterly magazine for girls 5-10 years old and started by writer and editor Erin Bried and her own 5 year old daughter. We subscribed and got the second issue a couple of weeks ago. The theme is nature and it is full of great activities and stories. We are loving it. Scary Mommy has a great profile of the magazine.

Bright Lite is another new quarterly magazine for pre-teen girls. The founders, Christa Renee and Ami Komai, are both Los Angeles moms and have created a journal for girls by girls. Here's an interview with the founders. I just contributed to their Kickstarter so should be getting the first two issues soon.

Kazoo and Brite Lite are undoubtedly influenced by Tavi Gevinson's Rookie, an online magazine aimed at teens, but often transcending that demographic. Stylistically they rely on artwork from girls presented with a sophisticated zine quality.

These magazines aren't cheap, ranging from $50-60 for quarterly subscriptions. I'm not suggesting in any way they aren't worth it, but if that is hard to justify, you might see if your library has them or share a subscription with a friend.

Discovery Girls looks slicker and not quite as hip, but claims a readership of over one million girls world-wide. Consumerism is downplayed and it focuses on how to be a good friend and make good choices. It comes out six times a year and is about $20. I'm glad it is an option and I'm going to look for it at the library to see if it is something Audrey would like.

I'm sure there are more out there and more to come. I'd love to hear about your favorites.

Reading

So...I've been pretty sick since the day after Christmas. It isn't exactly how I thought I'd be spending the break. The plan was to catch up on a bunch of social media work (research, writing) for my new job and spend some quality time with the kid. Our quality time has consisted mainly of napping together between trips to the bathroom.

Today, on day four, I realized maybe I should just surrender -- stop trying to work or clean or read between naps. I'm not doing any of them very well right now. I'm embracing reading because my nightstand bends from the backlog and maybe reading will make me happier. That's what the science is saying.

Last night I finally read Ross Gay's, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which I blogged about in November but just got around to. I don't usually read an entire collection of poems all at once, but this was an exception. It is an exciting book, lyrical and lush, full of sorrow and humor. Besides the exceptional title poem, "Feet" was a standout, as was "Spoon", written for a murdered friend. Gay weaves his appreciation and knowledge of gardening throughout and the language is so satisfying, relateable, yet utterly new. I can't remember enjoying a book of poetry this much in a very long time. I shed a few tears, which sounds a little over-the-top, but the themes were treated so beautifully. (I can't mention Gay without noting his essay, Some Thoughts On Mercy.)

And this brings me to where I am now. Smack dab in the middle of Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me. I didn't purposely choose this book to compliment Gay's, but it does. I devoured the first half this morning and will finish the rest tonight before going to bed. I would have finished it all at once, but the kid was interrupting and the book warrants complete concentration. This hit me squarely.

"The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate answers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing."

The book is brilliant, difficult, sad, and unnerving and absolutely required, as Toni Morrison said. When I heard the Tamir Rice ruling last night I just sunk. Again. Again. Again.

I don't know if I can read my way out.

St. Louis City Guide for Design Sponge

Yay! I'm elated to report that the St. Louis City Guide I wrote for Design*Sponge was posted today. The positive response from my fellow St. Louisans has been incredible. I really appreciate all the feedback. It kept bumming me out that places like Boise and Des Moines had city guides but St. Louis wasn't represented (seriously?) so I put something together and they liked it. Design*Sponge has a huge audience, so I'm delighted to clue others in on our awesomeness. And I didn't even include everything I wanted. Again, thanks to everyone that makes this such a great place to be.

Best. Food. Blog. Ever.

Thanks a million times over to Emily at Wide Open Spaces for the introduction to the best blog ever, They Draw and Cook.