Stone Soup Digest 05.27.22

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Here is a page that collects verified GoFundMe fundraisers that have been set up to provide relief and cover funeral expenses for the victims of the Uvalde shooting. Thanks to Claire Willett, who included this link in her excellent newsletter this week.

Here is a fund set up by the League of United Latin American Citizens. 100% of donations will go directly to the families of victims.

If you are an attorney licensed to practice in the state of Texas, here is a link to a Facebook post requesting volunteer legal services to assist victims and their families who may have unmet legal needs.

Here is how to contact your senators. The American system of electoral politics is both rigged and deeply fundamentally flawed, but it’s the one we have, so: Apply pressure to elected officials to pass HR8, a gun control bill that has passed the House of Representatives and has not yet gone to a vote in the Senate. Do not let them have a moment’s peace until this bill has been passed.

Here are stats on the senators who have received the most money from the NRA. You can contact them too, using the link in the paragraph above this one. Do not let them have a moment’s peace, either. They chose this for themselves.

I say it at the end of just about everything I write for this newsletter: Care for yourself and the people around you. Believe that the world can be better than it is now. Never give up. I repeat it so often because I truly believe that it is fundamental to the project of creating change. Care, determination, and courage are fuel for action. Believing that the world can be better than it is now is the thing that drives us to fight. Determination is the thing that makes us commit to the fight, even when the fight feels unwinnable.

Because here’s the thing: In my experience, every fight feels unwinnable when you’re in the middle of it. It’s not until you’ve pretty much already won that you start feeling like winning is a real possibility. We are stronger and more formidable when we recognize hopelessness for what it is: a feeling, a fear, and a tactic our opponents use to undermine our ability to keep on working towards the world we know is possible.

Do what you can. Give what you can. Care for yourself and the people around you. Believe that the world can be better than it is now.

Never, ever give up.

I have some books out this week, and it’s part of the purpose of this newsletter (and part of my job) to let you know about them in case you want to buy them. Honestly, I’d much prefer that you clicked the links above this part of the newsletter than the links below it, but if you want to do both, please know that I deeply appreciate your support.

The Echo Wife in paperback

You can order The Echo Wife in paperback from your local independent bookseller, or you can order via Bookshop.org, an online retailer which supports independent bookstores in the US and the UK. Barnes & Noble ships internationally, if you don’t live in the US or the UK. You can request it at your local library here. Check out the audiobook, narrated by Xe Sands, at Libro.fm . And if you’re at a place in the world or in your life that necessitates an order from That River Website, use this link to make your purchase go a little farther in helping folks by donating a portion of your purchase towards a charitable organization (at no additional cost to you).

Eat the Rich collected

Find the collected edition of Eat the Rich at your local comic shop. You can also order it from your local independent bookseller, or via Bookshop.org, an online retailer which supports independent bookstores in the US and the UK. If you don’t live in the US or the UK, Barnes & Noble ships internationally. You can request it at your local library here. And if you need to order from That River Website, use this link to make your purchase go a little further in helping folks by donating a portion of your purchase towards a charitable organization (at no additional cost to you).

The Vampire Slayer #2

The Vampire Slayer is written by me with art by Sonia Liao, colors by Valentina Pinto and Riccardo Giardina, and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Issue #2 features main cover art by Goñi Montes. Find it at your local comic shop! Or if you prefer digital, The Vampire Slayer #2 is available for Comixology/Kindle and Nook.

Your other regular Stone Soup features will be back next week with a double-header of neighbors to visit, what I’ve been reading, and featured new releases. If you’re a paying subscriber, come by the Stone Soup Supper Club for our weekly chat.

Care for yourself and the people around you. Believe that the world can be better than it is now. Never give up.

–Gailey