Welcome to the Party
I’m planning the fun and you’re invited.
10.31.22
How was your week?
Happy Halloweek, all you tricksters. Let’s keep the witchy mood going. Here in Brooklyn, the small creatures have been out every late afternoon, including the dressed-up pets. It does make the neighborhood terribly cheery.
On to bigger things….
I was hoping today would mark the big reveal of my planned relaunch for Tell Me Everything, with the first of a weekly series of deep and dishy Spotlight conversations with longtime queer activists and creatives, in the US and globally. But the small gods of daily life did not cooperate, throwing a few small wrenches in the works. I was reminded that things can take longer to do than we like, even when well-planned. That’s especially true about other people and their schedules: they’re ultra-busy, too. Then there are those frontline fighters who are taking on tyrants; their time to take stock is even scarcer. Still, I’m happy to report that the project is rolling forward and the first Spotlights promise to be compelling and fun, too. We’re just not quite ready for Primetime. The party is on, but I need a bit more time to tweak. I’m aiming for a weekly Friday spotlight, so you have time to savor them on the weekend, including the future podcast and video pieces for paid subscribers. I’m asking for a little patience, because, well, the universe demands it.
One reason for the delay is because I’ve decided to invite activist and artist friends and colleagues to give me input on people they’d like to hear from in an in-depth Spotlight. Think of them as the party committee. I’ll be asking some of them to cohost some conversations with me, too. That will help me assure the diversity of voices and issues I want to cover, and it will definitely yield a richer, more informed conversation.
Also, it’s going to take serious research to prep some of these conversations. That’s all fun for me, of course, but it takes time, too. Like most of you, I’m balancing other work-life demands, so, voila. The cake is in the oven. Expect candles and celebration of a launch soon.
That’s also where you come in, readers. Please, I would love your thoughts on who you’d love to hear from who fits the bill: OG, seasoned, brilliant, compelling activists and creatives. Please share with me here or email me at talktothefuture@gmail.com. I’m defining activism broadly for my series; it’s not just street activists or political organizers. A common thread is gender equity and social justice, but that may include engaged creatives who are seeking to move the needle, to give voice, to make visible something that needs attention, to challenge our thinking.
The more eagle-eyed of you will note that I added romance to the list of topics I’ll discuss with Spotlight guests. That’s because, as I’ve always put it, the political is personal—usually highly personal. We activists and creatives are a passionate species. I want to talk about love and who’s become family, too. After all, the title of my series is Tell Me Everything.
A final note: I’m leaving open the possibility of alternating Spotlight conversations with my personal rambles around New York and the broader culture—what I see, what I do, what gets me juiced up. That’s pure fun too, so I may just go for broke and try to do it all. Pourquoi pas? You’ll probably notice that I’ve added a link for paid subscribers, but I don’t want to skimp on what’s available for free, either. So, I’m not adding any paywalls now, but simply providing an option –an invitation--- to those of you who are enjoying my work here and can afford to upgrade to become paid subscribers. This will definitely help me sustain the work as it expands. A few of you have made the leap and I’m very grateful. It’s generous, it’s solidarity, it’s awesome and I really appreciate it.
That’s it, pumpkins. Get excited and stay tuned.
AC
All photos: AC d’Adesky, Clinton Hill 2022.