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Fight, Delight, Ronin

Digest 05.24.2024 - Stone Soup
Fight, Delight, Ronin
Photo by JuniperPhoton / Unsplash

Welcome to the Stone Soup Weekly Digest! This is where I share what I'm up to and some of my favorite things from around the internet. Subscribe to Stone Soup to get this in your inbox every week.

Hello friends! It’s a beautiful week to keep your fists raised and your eyes on your communities. Just as we must have bread for all and roses too, we must take time to celebrate and support what we value even as we fight what we condemn. As always, here are your links to resources that can help you fight. Below that, some things to take delight in. Don’t forget to do both.

Save the Date: Zest Fest June 01

If you live in Southern California, mark your calendar for June 1! Food Forward, a SoCal food justice organization that comes up often around here, is hosting a community event to commemorate their 15th anniversary of fighting hunger and reducing food waste. Bring your whole family to harvest fruit for communities experiencing food insecurity and come together for a festive celebration with games, refreshments, and activities for all ages.

Support the Argo! 

The Argo Bookshop has been a cultural mainstay in Montreal since Mr. John George opened it in 1966. Now, the Argo needs our help to stay open. Go check out their fundraiser, which comes with some lovely perks and incentives, and give what you can to help keep this independent bookshop afloat!

And the Dreams That You Dare to Dream 

Marissa Lingen has a new short story out in Lightspeed Magazine:

None of the old songs about how terrible it is to stay in Faerie—there’s the f-word, better not: to stay under the hill, then—none of those were by people who did. At least, not that she can find. It’s hard to be sure who wrote songs that old. New songs don’t talk about it, they talk about your lips, ooh ooh baby, or about your soul, ooh ooh Jesus, not about true Thomas awaking on the cold hillside. But for all that Thomas was supposed to be the rhymer, none of the songs she can find are signed by T. Rhymer saying, “Wow, was this a bad idea, I definitely would not do it again.”
Which is good to know.
Because Gemma does not plan on coming back.

I’m Reading: The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Faith Schaffer

Being a samurai isn't easy. Sixteen-year-old Chihiro Ito knows that more than anyone. Her father is renowned among the samurai, but the only thing Chihiro is known for is spending way too much time on her phone obsessing over Tatsuo Nakano, Chihiro's idol and the first woman to be accepted into Kesi Academy, a prestigious samurai school.

So, when Chihiro's father is conscripted for service and the opportunity arises to work with Tatsuo in his stead, Chihiro jumps at the chance to prove that she's worthy of a spot at Kesi Academy and the samurai title. Their mission: kill the yamauba demon terrorizing a village. With a legendary samurai like Tatsuo by her side, Chihiro is convinced victory is inevitable. But Tatsuo isn't at all like the hero Chihiro imagined. Foulmouthed, quick tempered, and a terrible drunk, Tatsuo completely turned her back on the samurai way and is now a ronin working for hire as a means of escaping the grief that haunts her. Forced to work together, the two are thrust on a treacherous journey filled with epic battles and twisted conspiracies as they must put aside their differences to save the village and face the demons of the past.

Pre-Order

Barnes & Noble | Bad River Website | Local Library | Find an Indie Bookstore

I said what I said. I’m featuring it, I’m reading it, I’m actively pressing it into the arms of everyone I know and love, and that includes you, reader. Seriously, this is one for the history books. Go get it.

Pre-Order

Barnes & Noble | Bad River Website | Local Library | Find an Indie Bookstore

If you’re a paying subscriber, come by the Stone Soup Supper Club for our weekly chat! I can’t wait to find out how you’re doing.

—Gailey

Published by:

Sarah Gailey

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