Horror & Gratitude Can Co-Exist
Despite the news, the increased violence (both physical and legislative) against minorities, I'm grateful to all of you for reading as this newsletter gets ready to turn 2 years old.
Oh hey folks,
As elections loom just over the horizon of my favorite holiday (Halloween), there is a lot to be scared shitless about. In Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene is favored to win re-election, and is bragging about being a running mate of Trump. In Florida, more restrictive laws against LGBTQ+ and “CRT” curriculum continue to earn Ron De Santis the title disgusting darling of the Republican party.
This political strategy of authoritarianism and overt sexism, homophobia, and of course, racism, is making the Republican party look as morally bankrupt on the outside as it is on the inside. It’s not a cute look, but it is certainly a terrifying one. Shit, they even got Kanye to switch teams (also proving, along with Hershel Walker, that you can be both Black and anti-Black).
If you’re reading this newsletter from the U.S. you had best be registered to vote and ready to show up to the polls. Especially if you are in the south. ::cough cough:: Georgia ::cough cough::
What I’m reading:
Column: Overt racism and antisemitism have become part of our political discourse. How did that happen? By Michael Hiltzik for the LA Times.
And: “Column: Ron DeSantis proves cruelty is a Republican trait,” by Jacke Calmes also for the LA Times
And: “House Republicans Have Introduced a National “Don’t Say Gay Bill” by Samantha Ridel for Them
And: “The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene,” NYT Magazine by Robert Draper
And now, for something entirely different: gratitude
But instead of talking about all that, I’d like to take a moment to talk about gratitude. This newsletter is approaching its two year (!!!) anniversary, and it has been a long road through too many different hosting platforms, content strategy attempts, and above all else, an exploration of just what, exactly, this newsletter is, and who it is for. NSFS evolved out of my first education activism blog, Post-PhD, and I have learned so much since starting this blogging and newsletter game in 2017. To those of you who have been reading since my Post-PhD days, know that y’all have been a source of inspiration and force.
As my writing practice evolves and expands, this newsletter is where I experiment with ideas and concepts that I want to explore in more depth. I’ve been thinking a lot about what this newsletter is, and where it fits in with all the (seemingly) endless newsletters that grace your inboxes with at times too much enthusiasm. Most of all, I’ve been thinking about what writing-as-activism means, and how I can continue to push our conceptions of not just what education is, but what it could be, for all of us.
There are things that I miss about being a blogger, including the intimacy of talking with readers. The newsletter format has changed that, somewhat, and to be perfectly honest: my inbox stresses me out, so thank you braving your inbox every Tuesday to read this newsletter.
#HumbleBrag, y’all are some loyal readers and I am so honored that you choose to spend your time reading this newsletter. For the past few months, my open rates have grown nearly 15% and now average about a 48% open rate. That means that about half of you are regular readers of this newsletter, and these rates place me at the top of the newsletter open rate games (I’m told by the enviable Margo Aaron that 20% open rates are considered great across the newsletter industry, for some comparison).
So thank you for reading along.
In addition, most of my academic dev-editing clients as well as my writing clients are among the regular readers, so in many ways, this newsletter has become not just my connection to you all, but also how I’ve forged a writing business from scratch. Here is the link to my editing services, and the page for my writing services writ large is “under construction” (aka I haven’t had the time to build it out yet, but most of my clients are word of mouth so I’m dragging my feet because when you are a freelance writer, you are literally never done with work).
a humble ask for some feedback:
Being in dialog with a community of readers is essential for every writer, so if you have a few minutes, I’d be grateful if you could share your thoughts with me. You can simply respond to this email, use this google form, or if you are a public-facing person, the comments section below.
It’s hard to know where I fit in, as a newsletter and as a writer more generally. Education is a tough sell, and I am far from a traditional pundit. Anti-racism, and what that means for education and all of us, is another tough concept that I have done my best to navigate honestly and with the grace of knowing I’m probably wrong, a lot, about what to do about all things related to equity and education.
What is your favorite part of this newsletter?
What would you like to see more of in the future?
Want to offer this input anonymously? Use this google form here.
That’s all she wrote this week!
Until next time,
Allison
P.S. still serious about the feedback thing— so see that orange button right below this: