Don't Forget to Write
I was busy this week, have been up way too many hours overnight, and even though I'm practically falling asleep as I write this at 9am on Wednesday morning I'm determined not to sleep until it's out!
Welcome to my not-Thursday update each week (supposed to be Tuesday, usually Wednesday), where I share “In Case You Missed It” and/or links to things I’m promoting or other writing I really respect/want to amplify.
Heads up: I’ll be at the Libertarian Party of California’s state convention this weekend. If you are near Visalia, California, come get your photo taken by me Friday night, Saturday or Sunday.
May 10th was apparently “Confederate Memorial Day” and I found this post on Facebook, of a northern “death certificate” for the Confederacy. The poem at the bottom got me:
Gentle stranger, drop a tear,
The C.S.A. lies buried here;
In youth it lived and prosper'd well,
But like Lucifer it fell;
Its body here, its soul in ---- well,
E'en if I knew I wouldn't tell.
Rest C.S.A., from every strife,
Your death is better than your life;
And this one line shall grace your grave--
Your death gave freedom to the slave.
He Was Executed for Murder. New DNA Evidence Implicates Someone Else.
Just today’s reminder than our criminal justice system is irreparably broken, and the death penalty must be abolished. Article in Reason magazine.
Freedom Fest 2021!
I’m confirmed as a speaker at Freedom Fest 2021! I’ve been attending Freedom Fest since 2012 (it’s actually where I first met Judd in person - he was speaking and I was an attendee). It’s usually in Las Vegas, but this year they moved it to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota (not my ideal situation but I’m open to new experiences). I’m speaking, taking photos, am on a few panels AND I’m hosting Friday night karaoke. We’ve got a great Feminists for Liberty panel as well! It’s all happening on July 21-24th in Rapid City. Tickets are available here and for $50 off, use the code Avens50. :)
In Case You Missed It
Each week I get a handful of new signups for this newsletter, and I’m tremendously grateful for them (you!). I often do not know if they went through the archives to check out my previous essays, and I’d rather not bother them (and some of you since the beginning might miss an essay here or there!), so this subsection each week will be at the end of my non-Thursday post, so you can skip it if you’ve already seen it or read them all, but will present the long-form essays with a single sentence description in case you missed something and wanted to check it out.
Lead With Gratitude- I explain the game plan with this blog, and thank you for your support.
Choose The Better Story - My life philosophy about building your personal story and making choices.
Judge & Prepare To Be Judged - How “Judgement” does not equal condemnation, and being a discerning person isn’t actually a bad thing, but you should also know who you’re judging for.
Look Beyond Representation - Talking about “representation” as a woman - how its purpose is to eventually render itself irrelevant - let there be so much representation that nobody represents us, because we’re individuals.
Count It All Joy - Remembering a long lost friend, and how she taught me to love by letting go.
Appreciate the Mothers In Your Life - a collection of stories of my own mother.
I spent this past weekend in Las Vegas. I highly recommend the Downtown Cocktail Room for drinks, if you’re ever looking for damn good (and fancy) cocktails!
Heads up, I might talk about politics for my next essay!