This Week's Writing 7/20/24

My last CNN Opinion piece,

This week was my last piece for CNN Opinion—a piece on why Twisters (and Twister); don’t mention climate change because Hollywood is cowardly and likes narratives in which individual heroes solve problems. like many outlets they have closed their op-ed sections.

CNN was not my biggest client, but it was in the top three or four probably. Substack has been great in helping me to weather the not-so-slow collapse of the media industry. But of course, it becomes ever more difficult to make up the income as more and more outlets shutter.

So, if you have the wherewithal right now, and enjoy my writing, please consider becoming a paid contributor so I can keep on writing and feeding the adorable cats. It’s $50/year, $5/month. I really appreciate all of you who read and support my work!

Or! Also! My first poetry collection, Not Akhmatova is out next week. You could preorder!

Okay, enough marketing and irritating self-promotion. Here’s what I published this week.

Politics

J.D. Vance is a phony populist who hates the poor. (Public Notice)

Debunk J.D. Vance’s ideas, not his biography. (EIH)

Don’t spread baseless conspiracy theories about the assassination attempt. (EIH)

Cultural Criticism

The silence on climate change at the heart of Twisters. (CNN.com)

Interview with Xavier Thomas of Congolese electronic duo Kokoko! about 5 records that influenced him. (Discogs)

I’d hoped Longlegs would challenge horror’s default homophobia. It did not. (CNN.com)

The 50 best novels of the 21st century. (EIH)

My Spy was fun. The sequel, My Spy: The Eternal City, not so much. (Chicago Reader)

Louis Armstrong’s last album, finally released, reaffirms his greatness. (Splice Today)

Malignant and metastasizing trans horror. (EIH)

Poetry

Little poem about floof tyranny. (Five Fleas)

I wanted my legs
to take me somewhere else.

But the cat sat on them.
That has to be good enough.

Poem on fame and failure. (Synchronized Chaos)