Here are three things that helped me in January and might help you in February (2025). 1. Focus on love, not hate. Spend over 50% of your reading and listening time with the caregivers, the community builders, the humanitarians. This isn’t easy since most news outlets try to send you into a tailspin and then keep you doomscrolling. But switching your focus is a huge boost for your mental health and it helps you … Read More
It’s not yet 2025 and already I’m in love. I love Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and not just his sky hook: “We will only get the truth from the government if we demand it and provide consequences when we are lied to. First, we have to start by cherishing the truth instead of treating it like a bad drummer in a rock band. We do that by learning how to distinguish when we’re being lied … Read More
2025 promises to be a seriously tumultuous time, and a dangerous one for many people. But before you turn your disgust at the incoming administration on our fellow citizens, please remember that… …nearly 75,000,000 of them wanted a Black woman to be their president (Peter Baker of the NY Times says that Trump won the popular vote by one of the smallest margins since the 19th century). …58% of our fellow citizens in Delaware … Read More
On March 24, 1945, my father, who was a teen-aged infantryman stationed in Germany, received his copy of the U.S. War Department’s pamphlet “Army Talks.”* “You are away from home, separated from your families…and risking your very lives because of a thing called fascism…It is important for our future and that of the world that as many of us as possible understand the causes and practices of fascism in order to combat it…[Fascism] is … Read More
An Interview With Maria Angelova Authority Magazine Editorial Staff Be humble. Be resilient. It feels most comfortable to stick with what we are familiar with. But anyone who has achieved great success will tell you that true growth comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. What are some ways that influential people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally? As a part of this series, … Read More
Today, you can finally order your copy of An International Circus Affair: How a Nanjing Acrobat in San Francisco Changed American Circus Forever as either an e-book or a paperback! We’ve moved the official launch up to Saturday, October 19th 3:30pm at Club Fugazi (I sent out a later date in the last newsletter). Everything about the book is right here, including my interview with Dan Holman on the Drop Everything podcast . … Read More
You can now pre-order an e-book of ‘An International Circus Affair: How a Nanjing Acrobat in San Francisco Changed American Circus Forever‘. Now is a great time to order — you’ll get your e-book by the end of the month while helping us get good momentum, and maybe even a coveted “bestseller” designation, going into the start of paperback sales on the 30th. You’ll find more info at www.modernvaudevillepress.com/nanjing and you are all invited … Read More
First, I am thrilled to tell you that my latest book is coming out this month! An International Circus Affair: How a Nanjing Acrobat in San Francisco Changed American Circus Forever is my first foray into non-fiction, and my first book with the publisher Modern Vaudeville Press. You can find all kinds of info, including pre-ordering the e-book, at www.modernvaudevillepress.com/nanjing Secondly, I want to crow about a completely unexpected Citizen Joy success right before … Read More
In less than one week, voters in three countries – England, Iran and France – elected more progressive leaders. Let’s take a moment to thank these 30 million voters and then ask ourselves what we can learn from them. For example, let’s start talking about the rights we enjoy, and want to expand, about what our government does that makes our lives good, and what a better future might look like. This is the … Read More
A month ago, I got a jury duty postcard. For many years, this meant panic time. This year, when I’m working on a project called Citizen Joy, I had to untangling my habitual reactions. “No, I won’t panic, I won’t rail against this unfair disruption of my life, I won’t try to get out of it. Instead, I will find the joy in jury duty.” It worked. I showed up early, found a good … Read More