Guess I Am Back

Hey, I am Jessica! This blog is about books and writing. For specific writing advice, go to the navigation tab. Kpop side blog is: sugasXsugar

[write-me-jessica]

Lol the bots are still here and a bunch of them started following me. Lol please enjoy the books and aesthetic pics

[write-me-jessica]

Hi! Im following a bunch of my twitter kpop frends/fave fanfic writers. I have a kpop side account @sugasxsugar :)

[adhd-infodump]

[theequeerstrian]

As satisfying as it is to see musk crash and burn, the fact that he's taking a resource that so many people genuinely depend on down with him is genuinely infuriating.

Like, don't get me wrong I personally kinda hate Twitter. It's full up of nasty alt right trolls.

But there are also a ton if people who use it's fairly open format to advertise and network in ways that simply didn't exist before. It has become a very "professional" sphere for many.

The world of authors and publications in particular is HIGHLY dependent on twitter, something I see regularly due to some slight connections I have to that world. Friends who are published often get their first nibble of interest from agents and pubs and promotional opportunities through tweeting/retweeting, and following the right people.

If twitter fully dies, a lot of people are going to lose something that has made itself a huge part of their survival

[alexandrasketch]

Sleepy babies

[bulbagarden]

ssh, they're sleeping~

[high-quality-tiktoks]

The foam was not as gross looking irl😂😭

[clevermanka]

who tf is looking at the foam

[mutatedcatdogthesecond]

[bebx]

Twitter becoming a funnier, more chaotic site than Tumblr was not on my 2022 bingo card but here we are.

It’s a hellscape over there

[shaelit]

We interrupt this lovely readalong for more HarperCollins union news.

Namely, the union is on strike. HarperCollins, the second largest publishing house in the United States, has made record profits (in the billions) but refuses to pay its employees a living wage or negotiate in good faith. Unlike the one-day strike earlier this year, this will be an open-ended strike, to last until a fair, good-faith contract is agreed upon.

I cannot overstate the implications here. HarperCollins is a 200-year-old behemoth with over 120 imprints, owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch. You have reads books from this company, I guarantee it. You have enjoyed movies and TV shows spawned by this company. The workers striking at the blood and sweat responsible for launching those properties you love. And as Harper goes, so goes the rest of the industry. If we raise the living standards for one, so the pressure increases on other companies to raise it for all.

The Harper Union need your support. They have a full thread here, but here’s the gist of what they’re asking:

EVERYONE:

- Donate to the strike fund if you can

- Politely email Harper’s HR ([email protected]) and the CEO ([email protected]) to express your support for the strike and the union.

- Boost their message on social media and among your social circles (here are some assets you can use to do that)

- If you are in the NY metro area, come join the picket line at 195 Broadway in Manhattan!

BLOGGERS/REVIEWERS/BOOKSTAGRAMMERS/BOOKTOKERS:

- If possible, please hold all reviews of Harper titles until the strike is over. (And I would add, if you feel comfortable doing so, tell Harper why.)

FREELANCERS/INDUSTRY HOPEFULS:

- Don’t be a scab. Don’t take new freelance projects or temporary positions while the strike is ongoing.

BOOKSTORES/BOOKSELLERS:

- Share the “I Stand With” graphic

- Print and distribute the union bookmark at your store

AUTHORS/AGENTS:

- Do not submit or sign new contracts to Harper until the union’s own contract is finalized.

———

Please note they are not asking for a boycott on Harper titles. A boycott would harm the authors, who have nothing to do with this, so the union is explicitly requesting no boycott.

Also, please do not @ Harper social accounts to yell at them. Direct all feedback to that peopleteam email. The majority of folks watching those accounts are out on the picket line anyways, and their managers have already been warned that, as non-union members, they risk termination if voice any public support for the strike.

For more info, check out the union’s accounts on Twitter and Instagram. I also recommend this Twitter thread for some hard facts and figures.

Want something you can share on TikTok? Check out Carmen’s video here.

[shaelit]

Reblogging with some additional information in answer to notes, replies, and comments left on the original post, This addition is current as of November 11, 2022. (The post above is from November 10, 2022.)

- The union’s official Venmo is @HCPSolidarityFund, but I’m trying to get a current, official statement from them to link to here, so you don’t have to take my word for it.

- The Harper union is part of the UAW Local 2110. Their website is here. The union’s press release announcing the strike can be found here.

“I want to email but I don’t know what to say.”

Templates are tricky. If you copy-paste my words, HC can dismiss it as spam. Here’s what I would recommend trying:

- a greeting (”To whom it may concern” or “Dear HarperCollins” or just “Hi” works)

- introduce yourself in relation to who you are to them (a regular customer of their titles? a member of a Harper-related fandom? a concerned parent/teacher/librarian? an author? a bookseller? a potential future employee?)

- a statement of support (”I am writing in support of the ongoing strike because…”)

- an explicit notation on why they should care (should be framed in terms of Harper’s reputation, Harper’s clout, and/or Harper’s finances. How can YOU affect THEIR bottom line?)

- a line on what actions you wish to see them take

- your name

Voila. That’s like six sentences, tops. If you’d like, add in how you heard about the strike to give and how you plan to share the news even further to give a sense of scale. (see: the impact on Harper’s reputation.)

You can do it. I believe in you.

A brand/book/author you care about is definitely going to be affected

Here is a very incomplete list of just SOME of the books, brands, and authors published by HarperCollins:

Warrior Cats. Series of Unfortunate Events. Bridgerton. Wicked. Chronicles of Narnia. Lord of the Rings and the entire Tolkien backlist. Agatha Christie. Dorothy Sayers. E.B. White (his adult stuff and Charlotte’s Web, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little). School for Good and Evil. Amelia Bedelia. Goodnight Moon. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Harold and the Purple Crayon. Frog and Toad. Master and Commander. The Princess Diaries. The Queen’s Thief Series. Red Queen. The Hate U Give. Dumplin. The One and Only Ivan. New Kid. Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. They Both Die at the End. Ella Enchanted. Beverly Cleary. Wayside School. Bridge to Terabithia. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Where the Wild Things Are and other titles by Maurice Sendak. Where the Sidewalk Ends and other titles by Shel Silverstein. All of the I Can Read books. Bel Canto. American Gods (and a bunch of other stuff by Neil Gaiman, incl. Coraline and Stardust.) All of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. Pretty Little Liars. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Little Bear books. The Divergent series. Little House on the Prairie. The Abhorsen books. Howl’s Moving Castle and Diana Wynne Jones’s other books. Splat the Cat. Flat Stanley. Babel by R.F. Kuang. Song of Achilles. Anthony Bourdain’s books. Barbara Kingsolver. Anthony Horowitz. EVERYTHING under the Harlequin and Avon imprints. EVERYTHING under Zondervan and Thomas Nelson. The Little Prince. Life of Pi. Ursula Le Guin. Virginia Woolf. The Princess Bride. The Handmaid’s Tale. Fancy Nancy. Zora Neale Hurston. Neal Stephenson. Becky Chambers. Clive Barker. Michael Crichton. Sarah Plain and Tall. R.A. Salvatore. Mitch Albom. Aldous Huxley. Anne Hillerman. Michael Chabon. FGTeeV. 

200 years of history. 200 years of gobbling up other companies, other imprints.

You. Are. Affected.

This strike is not anti-Harper/anti-tradpub

Listen, I get it. Some of y’all have some rightful bones to pick with HarperCollins and/or traditional publishing. But the brave people forgoing their livelihood indefinitely in order to demand livable wages, increased diversity in the workplace, and union protections—demands that will affect our entire industry—ARE HarperCollins, far more than the C-Suite execs they’re fighting against. It is the latter group, the VPs and executives who roll up the ladder after themselves, who are the barrier here, not HarperCollins as embodied by the stressed out and in debt subrights coordinator marching on the sidewalk.

I agree, stick it to The Man, especially when that man is Rupert Murdoch, but this isn’t about “taking Harper down a peg” or “burning tradpub to the ground.” This is about bettering working conditions and providing a more equitable, sustainable environment for hundreds of passionate, dedicated people and thereby further opening the door for those who come after them.

This strike highlights issues that are endemic to publishing as a whole

Publishing is white. Publishing is rich. Publishing is layer upon layer of privilege and power and invisible hurdles like you wouldn’t believe.

The union is asking for three things:

- livable wages

- an increased commitment to diversity

- better union protections

All three are intertwined. Until the 2020 protests, standard entry level salaries were at $35k, which is below the poverty level for NYC (where employees are required to live.) Harper raised their base salaries after the protests, after a lot of public lip service to diversity, and after literally EVERY other competitor raised their salaries first. Current entry level salaries at Harper are $45k, which is still less than a year’s rent in New York. (Food? Electricity? Who needs it!) Employees are expected to take on additional jobs to survive. That’s standard. Employees are also expected to work overtime without pay. Again, this is standard across the industry, not just at Harper.

The people who survive are people with wealth, people with privilege, or people who make it only so far and then burn out spectacularly. The churn in this industry is unreal. This also leads in to Harper’s lip service to diversity in the workplace. BIPOC folks, disabled folks, folks without significant financial support, even once they managed to get through the door, retention is abysmal. Again, standard across publishing.

Harper has done a heck of a job at trying to gut the union. The amount of union busting even in “normal times” was unreal. And yet Harper remains the only US publisher in “the Big Four” with a union.

If the union can pull off a win here, raised salaries will apply pressure for their competitors to follow suit. Same for tangible, practical, enforced commitments to diversity. And if the union wins, more may appear in other houses, keeping the cycle of change rolling forward. And this is not limited to the United States. We are an interconnected global world. May actions here inspire further actions abroad.

So again, thank you all for your support. If you have specific questions and want to make sure I see, send an ask or DM.

Let’s get crap done.

[nepofledgling]

can’t wait to be a 40 year old woman who’s healed from her trauma and loves going grocery shopping and lives with lifelong but manageable mental illness. and gives people nice presents on their birthdays. and I’m looking forward to being 75 and sitting on the porch in the summer when the sun is shining.

[velvethopewrites]

You know, some of you never had to run to live journal to read fic and it shows.

Don’t take AO3 for granted.

[thebyrchentwigges]

[yuumei-art]

Void cat but space, with moon for eyes~

[write-me-jessica]

*blows dust* Ummm hello. Seems like fandom is running back to tumblr. Hi.

Who is around or also coming back tentatively?

[autumncozy]

[stardustsonder]

i am every book i’ve read. every character i’ve loved. every song i’ve replayed, every thought i’ve had. i am made up of every laugh, tear, emotion ripped from me. i am everything i hold dear. i am me.

[aireina]

THIS RESOURCE DOCUMENT  was created as a collaborative effort between people who stand in solidarity with Black trans women and some of the foremost Black trans leaders in community and culture.

the document was created to honor the black trans lives that were lost this year, including Nina Pop, Monika Diamond, Tony McDade, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, and Riah Milton (re: this statement from the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).

if you have the means, click here to make donations to a group of Black trans-led organizations in support of the futures of Black trans people.

actions you can take to support Black trans folk in the following topics:

ECONOMIC/HOUSING STABILITY

donate to: 

GLITS - currently fundraising to buy a house for incarcerated trans people

House of GG

The Transgender District

NYC’s Princess Janae’s Place - NY state’s first and only community housing org led by - and for - trans people

The Okra Project for greater food stability

Homeless Black Trans Women fund

provide resources and recruiting methods for the black LGBTQ+ community in your workplace

while waiting for the SCOTUS decision regarding employment discrimination toward LGBTQ+ people, check out transgender law center for resources and this thread of Black trans curators to hire

IMMIGRATION

donate and subscribe to FAMILIA - immigration justice for queer and trans folks

donate and subscribe to El/La Para Trans Latinas

Transgender Law Center and RAICES - assist trans migrants

Trans Latinx Network

The TransLatin@ Coalition - organizes and advocates for the needs of Trans Latines who are immigrants and reside in the US

this list is a more localized list of resources specific to your area

SEX WORK

volunteer and donate to DecrimNY to support their efforts in New York state

Donate to GLITS - advocates for community, housing, and economic stability for transgender people, particularly sex workers; provides immediate needs and crisis support for urgent care

stop SESTA/FOSTA (and demand that political candidates repeal it), which outlawed online communities of sex workers

donate to St. James Infirmary - provides self-defense training for sex workers

The New York Transgender Advocacy Group is a trans-led organization that advocates for more inclusive gender-based policies that benefit TGNCNB individuals through building community leaders, educating practitioners, and influencing policy makers

donate to Urban Justice Center’s Sex Workers Project

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

donate to Taja’s Coalition, a Black trans-led organization

support any LGBTQ+ organizations that offer shelter or refuge for people in need (click here to find a shelter to support near you)

AVP (Antiviolence Project) - empowers LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy

HEALTHCARE

this guide to understanding your rights for acquiring healthcare as a trans or GNC person

donate to Trans Buddy Pittsburgh.

donate to your local LGBTQ Centers.

donate to your local LGBTQ-focused hospitals

make a sustained donation to Planned Parenthood, which continues to support gender affirming and affordable care.

to find out more about how to flip key Senate seats, go to Vote Save America.

to protect voting rights, go to Fair Fight

MEDIA

support and follow the work of Monica Roberts, the leader of this movement, and her blog, TransGriot.

support Black Trans Media.

follow and amplify the work of Black trans journalists (Raquel Willis, Serena Sonoma, Tre’vell Anderson, Tiq Milan, Ashlee Marie Preston, Shar Jossell, Tyler Ford, etc.)

use the hashtags of names of trans women to bring attention, only sharing media sources that properly elevate the women we’ve lost

READ THESE BOOKS:

Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

Surpassing Certainty by Janet Mock

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

I Rise - The Transformation of Toni Newman by Toni Newman

Hiding My Candy by The Lady Chablis

Mi Hermana by Selenis Leyva and Marisol Leyva

The Transsexual from Tobago by Dominique Jackson

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex by Eric A. Stanley, Nat Smith

Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility edited by Tourmaline, Eric A. Stanley, and Johanna Burton

Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton

Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon

Fairest by Meredith Talusan

Death Threat by Vivek Shraya

READ THESE ARTICLES:

Black Transgender Justice by National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)

Black Trans Women and Black Trans Femmes: Leading & Living Fiercely by Transgender Law Center

When Black lives matter, Black trans people must be freed from discrimination and violence by Tiq Milan | NBC News (June 9, 2020)

How We Can End the Violence Against Trans Women of Color by Raquel Willis | Out (November 20, 2019)

Education on pronouns from NBJC’s Words Matter Gender Justice Toolkit

How Sylvia Rivera Created the Blueprint for LGBTQ+ Organizing by Raquel Willis | Out (June 2019)

Six LGBTQ+ Activists on What We Should Abolish and Legalize by Misc. | Out (June 2019)

How Essential Is My Facial Feminization Surgery? by Harron Walker | Esquire (June 9, 2020)

FILMS & TV SERIES TO WATCH:

Happy Birthday, Marsha! (Reina Gossett, Sasha Wortzel) — available to rent here

Pose — Netflix

Gun Hill Road — available to rent on YouTube, iTunes

Tangerine — available to watch on Hulu, iTunes

A Fantastic Woman — available to watch on YouTube, Amazon Prime

My House — available to watch on Hulu

Legendary — available to watch on HBO Max

Disclosure (Sam Feder) — Netflix starting on June 19th

Orange is the New Black — Netflix

Paris is Burning — Available to rent

MAJOR! (Annalise Ophelian) — available to rent on Vimeo

VIDEOS TO WATCH:

Black Trans* Lives Matter | D-L Stewart | TEDxCSU

Diamond Stylz on Why Black Trans Rights Are Civil Rights | The Root

Janet Mock at Women’s March: “I Am My Sister’s Keeper”

State of Emergency: Violence Against Trans Women | Commonwealth Club

Why We Need Black Feminisms: Centering Black Feminisms for This Moment & Beyond

PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO:

BGD Podcast hosted by Raquel Willis

Black Trans Lives Matter interview with Imara Jones | WNYC’s Nancy

Inner Hoe Uprising podcast episode 199: The Movement For All Black Lives

Marsha’s Plate: Black Trans Podcast

Never Before with Janet Mock

The Lack of Attention for Violence Against Black Trans People | WNYC’s The Takeaway

MORE RESOURCES FOR TRANS FOLKS:

Callen-Lorde Community Health

On Name Changes, Immigration Rights, Healthcare Rights (Sylvia Rivera Law Project)

For Formerly Incarcerated Trans Folks (Black and Pink)

Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective

Pods & Pod Mapping (making your own safety team) (3)

Transformative Justice & Community Accountability

Video: Don’t be a Bystander: 6 Tips for Responding to Racist Attacks (1)

Video: She Safe, We Safe: A Webinar on State & Gender Violence in Black Communities (2)

Oakland Power Projects: Know Your Options Healthcare Toolkit (4)

Critical Resistance: Addressing Harm, Accountability and Healing (5)

From Words to Action: Showing Up for Black Trans Women by TGIJP

(art: @lavenderlilacviolet @NymphStory)

[babyanimalgifs]

You didn’t need a video of an otter eating some lettuce but here you go