A Romantic LaGuardia Playlist
Plus places to donate, strikes, writing, etc.
Hello everyone. It is still July, allegedly, and it’s hot and humid here in NYC. The orcas have been suspiciously quiet, the otters are clearly still in cahoots with them, it’s Day 850 of the Writers Guild of America strike, and SAG-AFTRA is almost certainly going on strike.
I wish them all, and I mean all, good fortune and enormous success. I am biased because I’m a member of both unions. I am also biased because in some way I am both orca and otter.
Before we get into this week’s recommendations, I want to thank everybody who read, shared, and had kind words about last week’s issue of SARATONIN. It included “Love Song for Chicago,” an essay about FX’s The Bear (but mostly about the Windy City and her wild peoples) originally posted on Medium.
Check it out on Substack right here.
It’s only because of paid subscribers here, patrons on Patreon (more on that later), and the Medium partner program that I am able to set time aside to do my own creative work without guarantee of pay (including this newsletter) and to make it available for free to all.
By the way, paid subscribers here get two exclusive bonus posts just for them each month, and one is coming out later today! Ooh baby!
I love getting to write what I want, when I want, thanks to you. I certainly enjoy writing for more conventional mainstream outlets - things like celeb cover stories (ooh la la) and features, stuff about mental health and beauty and humor and…I’ve gotten to write quite a fun variety of stuff, now that I think about it.
If you’re an editor who is interested, LMK! I’m at saratoninnewsletter@gmail.com. Also, I will inevitably pitch you one day.
However, the artistic freedom I get here is really special. And I’m very grateful for it. Thank you so much for being here.
Recommendations
Ode to LaGuardia Terminal B playlist on Spotify - A playlist so good and so beautifully bonkers (much like myself, its creator) that even Terminal B’s actual Insta account shared it. For people who need “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” and “Do It To It” and “Can’t Hardly Wait” on the same playlist.
by - Excellent Substacking right here.Yu & Me Books Fundraiser - After a disastrous fire and this amazing ongoing GoFundMe, I’m so happy for Lucy Yu I could cry: “The bookstore/café/bar was founded in 2021 by Lucy Yu, then a 27-year-old former chemical engineer and supply chain manager. A woman-owned, Asian American–owned business, it has received an outpouring of support on social media overnight, especially from the Asian American writing community.”
Let’s keep it going! Can you believe they’re loving, caring and thoughtful enough to keep paying their staff for the eight or more months it’ll take for insurance to come through, much less the year or more it’ll take to repair the place? They’re even encouraging folks to donate to help their neighbors. Incredible.
Entertainment Community Fund - I’m fundraising for them on my Instagram at the link in my bio there. It is easy to donate! If you are an entertainment worker (cast, crew, venue staff, anybody) in need of help with mental healthcare, food money, rent money, even shoe money, they can find ways to help you.
They help everyone in entertainment, and that includes folks affected by past, present and future strikes. They don’t only help people in unions, or people whose main income is entertainment.
In fact, they once helped a friend of mine navigate the unemployment system when they quit their job for their own safety after an assault at work. They helped another friend of mine whose entertainment industry insurance wouldn’t cover their Crohn’s disease treatment.
And the Fund runs an assisted living facility for elderly folks who are retired entertainers! I really can’t say enough good stuff about them.
The Slumflower Hour - Author Chidera Eggerue continues to beguile, intrigue, amuse, and educate on her podcast.
Babylist - I am not having a baby and I’m not organizing any sort of event for a human who is having a baby. However, I find this site very useful when shopping for objects for a human who is having a baby.
Work with me on your writing - More info here. I love a memoir book proposal, a novel, a short fiction moment, a grocery store list.
Amala Beauty - Not sponsored, even though it should be! This shit is good.
Alexandra Anele - Alex teaches me everything I want to know about makeup, as well as some things I didn’t know I wanted to know. You know?
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - If you are also a fan of the elephants, the rhinos, and other creatures, check out the incredible work they’ve been doing for many years. Creating jobs, creating sanctuaries, creating excellent Instagram footage, saving lives, etc.
My tarot readings LOL - I don’t predict the future, but I am fun, and I look at past, present, and potential future influences on your situation. I don’t read in a spooky predictive way. I do not get into medical shit or whatever - go see the doctor! Also, I’m not a licensed therapist. Go see one! Therapy is good! Life is hard! This is for entertainment purposes only! I will be kind!
There are two ways to do this fun thing with me.
Option 1: Venmo me $30 at YourProfileIsProbablyPublic and then email your question to saratoninnewsletter@gmail.com.
Option 2: Go to my Patreon and sign up at the $30 a month or higher level. Then email me your question at saratoninnewsletter@gmail.com.
People sometimes stay at $30 a month if they want, or go down to a lower monthly fee, or can cancel entirely once they’ve gotten their reading.
I message patrons at that tier once a month to encourage them to email me their question if they’ve got one.
Patrons also get their own podcast, The Audio Letter, four times a month, plus a copy of this very newsletter, plus sometimes videos and other fun stuff.
In conclusion, I hope your day is sensual and your night is restful. Or vice versa? Whatever you like. I am folding laundry and unloading the dishwasher, and I am grateful for my blessings, for you, and for donuts (a blessing for us all.)
Love,
Sara B.
Multi-hyphenate queen
Such a fun energy!