No. 18: MD's Newsletter

Reassembled to fit perfectly in view

By this time next week —

People will still be paying too much for housing and healthcare.

People still won’t trust the media, government or other institutions.

People will still struggle to find justice, whether they’re victims of crime, beat down by capitalism, or perpetually oppressed by entrenched systems.

And we’ll all be dealing with the fallout of the outcome of this election. We’ll be sorting out what it means for us and our families and our communities and our country.

But immediately, will any of the fundamental struggles of our time fade?

Not with just an election. And certainly not one that stands to leave us as divided as we’ve ever been.

I want to be hopeful. But it feels foolish to be hopeful when there is so much hate and fear coursing through the bones of ordinary people. It is hard to be hopeful when I see good people saying or doing things against are against their self-interest. It is hard to be hopeful when most of us are more likely to believe a meme made of pixels than the truth of our neighbor.

Sometimes I wonder, what will it take to remind us that we are all in this together? If terrorist attacks, school shootings and global pandemic aren’t enough? Maybe we are past that kind of thinking, and we have to accept that there will always be division and extremism plaguing our discourse. I don’t think most ordinary people want our politics to stay this way, though. I think we’re all tired of it. I just don’t know how you get the hate out of the way to the clear path for actual empathy and respectful disagreement.

For me, I am going to make an active choice to have extra compassion in the coming weeks. I am going to try to not be reactionary. Even if it’s hard. Even if I’m tired. Even if I have to humble myself. That way, when the time and opportunity comes, I can remember what it is to talk to someone about what we believe and why, and try to find some common ground.

Onto the links.

A big update

I will write more on this in the coming weeks, but this season I’m thrilled to be a part of a new performance company in the desert called Dance Mojave. We’re putting on our first-ever production of The Desert Nutcracker, an entirely original performance with 60+ cast members that I’ve been helping to coordinate since August.

My brilliant husband will be painting murals. We’re designing the program together. I’m in two pieces, and have It feels wonderful to use my brain and heart and body together in this way — not to mention the amazing relationships we’re creating as a community over a shared passion. The cup overflows.

You can order tickets here.

Can’t come to the desert? Support us anyway! Here’s our Donobox link, or send us a Venmo @dancemojave.

Journalism-ings

I took an extended, unexpected absence from Modern Retail in October due to a need to travel to care for an ill family member. I’m not quite ready to write about that yet, but I will reiterate what I said on LinkedIn — I have a newfound appreciation for the rote annoyances that make up a normal day; routine is a privilege compared to the chaos that can otherwise unfold when you're of the sandwich generation.

Upon my return, I got back in the saddle quickly. The direct-to-consumer health world continues to fascinate me, and I wrote this week about how postpartum products are seeing mainstream retail adoption. I also published an explainer on WTF is going on with the future of telehealth prescriptions — if you are someone who relies on controlled substances for mental, hormonal or addiction help, you’ll want to read this.

With elections on the brain, I’m bumping my story from the October issue of CV Independent on how some activists in the Coachella Valley are trying get more people who have felony charges on their records registered to vote. The county — by law — is supposed to send these folks information when they’re released from prison. But it’s unclear if those letters are being received, so the notification falls to concerned community advocates. As I wrote in the piece:

In lieu of a system that does not revokes someone’s right to vote in the first place, advocates need to inform the community as part of broader get-out-the-vote efforts.

Arguably, we could all be doing more to make sure ALL of our neighbors are voting — but that’s a story for another day.

The eyes and ears

Last month I wrote how I was reading “The Bee Sting” and didn’t realize where it was going.well, uh…..I finished it…wow! You should read it, too. I just breezed through the final Elin Hildrebrand Nantucket novel, “Swan Song,” and loved it. Just started “Long Island Compromise,” and as impressed as always by Taffy Brodesser-Ackner’s turns of phrase and character development.

Sonically, I’ve been big into longtime favorites like Guster and Jason Isbell (whose “Live at Ryman Vol 2” with the 400 Unit is easily the finest live album out so far this year). I also have been on a Noah Gunderson kick, even if his songs like “The Coast” can make me cry at the drop of a pin. And I’m incredibly excited for the new Father John Misty album coming out this month. “Screamland” and “She Cleans Up” are instant favorites, for me. I had the good fortune to see him at Pappy and Harriet’s in late September, and you can buy that recording now on Bandcamp. It was an incredible show that I attended after receiving some life-altering news, so I sang and danced my face off like there was no tomorrow. If you get the chance, I recommend you do that, too — even if it’s just in your own living room.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

MD

MD's Update

It's a little bit of everything

Good morning, my friends.

Interrupting our semi-regular cadence of a monthly newsletter with a special invite for desert locals, specifically those of you in the media crowd. On Monday Oct. 7, you’re welcome to join a Community Townhall & Listening Session on Election Reporting For Local Impact. Expect a great discussion with media practitioners & the community about election coverage in the Inland Empire.

Date: October 7th, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Location: RAP Foundation, 41550 Eclectic St., Palm Desert, CA 92260

I have a deep respect for the team organizing this, and hope to attend myself (I am currently out of town due to a family emergency, more on that later). I’ve long been an advocate for blooming where you’re planted, and that means doing more than cloistering ourselves in our phones with our screens. It means getting out and dialoguing, especially around issues like local elections. It means being open to hearing perspectives that may differ from your own. And in this case, it means being bold and vulnerable enough to say what it is that you think is missing in the information landscape around you.

More info and RSVP here.

With love and solidarity,

MD

No. 17 MD's Newsletter

Age is a traitor

The other night, I watched the moon rise over the expanse of the Mojave Desert. At first there was just an orange glow half circle hovering above the mountains. Then a sliver of sphere appeared, growing larger until its full form rose above the fenceposts and into the sky.

I entered this evening outdoor retreat knowing the would be a moonrise. This happens every night! But the reveal somehow still felt exciting and anticipatory. Probably because that was the only thing in front of me to do. Instead of hurrying around with nighttime chores and bedtime routines, I was gazing up, surrounded by horses and other meditators. A sound healer played her bowls, while Raven the Frisian and Cocoa the Shetland pony nosed the instruments with curiosity. Another attendee remarked how ancient it felt, to have our feet covered in dirt, standing next to horses, watching the most original of performances, the most reliable of universal routines.

I am hardly the first or last person to take spiritual solace and artistic inspiration in the landscape of the desert. I think it’s why many of us locals chose to settle here, because we crave that feeling of being clear and grounded when we look up and look around.

But the daily grind can separate us from nature and its rhythms. Sometimes we have to get very still and quiet to reconnect. It isn’t as daunting as it sounds. And if we forget, there will be another chance tomorrow night.

Onto the links.

The local takes

I’ve really enjoyed getting back into writing for CV Independent, where I’m highlight local businesses in the high desert as well as problem-solving public policies and movements. Most recently, I published a story on the incredible work going on at the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s seed bank, which is doing painstaking work to preserve native species.

I also dived into the world of school lunches, checking in on how the universal free meals program in California is playing out. It’s proving to become a national topic thanks to VP candidate Gov. Tim Walz's work on the issue. But California was the first statewide program in 2022. Lessons learned from our community? “When everybody is free, we can focus on the food.”

On the consumerism beat

You can take the journalist off the politics beat, but you can’t take the potliics out of the journalist — or something like that. Over at Modern Retail, I’ve really enjoyed sinking my teeth into the knotty intersection of influencers, politics and branding.

• Companies like Linktree are increasing their get-out-the-vote efforts

• Influencers are poised to play a powerful role in the 2024 election season, and some brands are along for the ride.

I’m also increasing covering the nexus of health care and retail, a space I hope to continue to examine. As long as we’re doing the whole privatized-health-care thing I see massive potential for brands to do better than private equity owned health care and insurance companies.

• How telehealth birth control companies are reaching women in southern states amid restrictive care laws.

• MISTR is giving away free HIV test kits at select Georgia Walmart stores

I’m also still attempting to work the sustainability beat from a solutions lens, and looking at the challenges brands are running into as they work to clean up their environmental footprint. Can we make profits without killing the planet? Sources say yes, but we’re far from that as universal reality. But there simple solutions abound, like paper instead of plastic for your single-serve snacks.

In my ears and eyes

I shouldn’t wait too long to publish a newsletter because I tend to forget all the great music I listened to last month. But this week I really enjoyed the new Miranda Lambert album “Postcards from Texas,” it’s down-home and warm in a way that fits right in for the close of a desert summer. “Way Too Good at Breaking My Heart” and “No Man’s Land” are my favorites so far. In a complete different genre, I finally got around to the new Foxing record and fell all over myself at the gym about it. I forgot how deep they go. And I would be lying if I didn’t admit that Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe” weren’t damn fine earworms defining the summer of 2024.

I’m back into my turntable in a big way, due in part to a magnificent discovery of DJ Shadow’s “Entroducing” at the esteemed White Label Vinyl in 29Palms. I’ve dug out my copy of Keith Jarret’s “The Köln Concert” which also makes for pretty inspired morning listening. We have some Apex Twin, and I got a random early 00s house record from a recent stay at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, and it all makes the morning feel moody and exciting.

On the reading front, I am three-quarters of the way through Julia Quinn’s “The Smythe-Smith Quartet and is everything I need in regency romances. Currently making my way through “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray, which is one of those books where I’m not entirely sure where it’s going but has sharp enough narrative to make the journey worthwhile. On the journalism front, I recently devoured Ian Cohen’s Japandroids profile in Stereogum before their final album. It’s rare I make time to read longford music piece but this drew me in, brought me back & filled my culture cup. As I start to think about my own creative future, this quote from Brian King sticks with me: “My dream is to return as a new and improved version of myself, to take everything I’ve been through and make some meaningful music out of it. I’ve watched other artists do it, so I know it can be done.”

Until next time,

MD

No. 16: MD Newsletter

False prophets and profits

So, about the future of democracy…

Just kidding. I have no idea what’s in store. And maybe don’t trust anyone who says they do.

But even without the gift of prophecy, I’ve had many conversations this past week or so about what the future of the United States. And so far, the only possible antidote I can find to counteract the current state of sociopolitical upheaval and dissatisfaction and oppression is community. Whether in person or virtual, whether in passing or around your dinner table. Maybe it’s your neighbors, your friends, your church, or your internet brethren in the comment trenches. Maybe it’s your school district, or a sports fandom. Maybe it’s your fellow direct action protestors tying themselves to the front doors of Acme HQ or whatever. Wherever our values intersect with others is where we find our community. And there, maybe we can find some hope that not all is lost, and that we know what it is like to come together to solve problems in the name of the greater good. Or maybe I am a tragic optimist.

Part of the reason I became a journalist is because I wanted to be a part of what could hold our systems accountable to our society. I still believe this is a critical function, and one I aim to perform to my very best every day. But there is a feeling of sticking your finger in the hole of the dam while a wrecking ball hovers overhead. Fatalism, though, will get you nowhere, and so I press onward. I wear my figurative heart on my sleeve when interviewing others or reaching out to connect about topics that interest me. I try to find topics and insights that will get people who are running our economy doing it a little better, a little safer, a little more thoughtful. I like to ask people about the things they’re passionate about improving for the benefit of others. I relish these interactions, because they remind me that we are — whether we like each other or not — all in this together.

On the capitalism beat

There’s always something interesting happening in the world of retail, and in my work I really try go beyond the “sell, sell, sell” of the thing. Obviously companies are trying to make money. Obviously they want you to buy things that you (or the planet) probably don’t really need. But short of the entire economy pivoting to the degrowth movement, this is the only game in town, and I like to see if we’re at all changing the norms.

• Parachute is among the first-ever home brands to launch a take-back program. You may have seen this for clothes — drop off your old stuff to get a coupon — but doing it with linens is interesting because a) they’re way bigger than apparel b) the resale or reuse value isn’t as high. I also got to fangirl with the SuperCircle team who are doing pretty fascinating things in the recycling world.

• Hoka opened up its NYC flagship store this summer, and I spoke to president Robin Greene about how even though their core audience may be runners they’ve been able to capture the attention of many other shoppers. I don’t really run anymore (unless I am chasing a small human) but I love watching this brand grow. As I reported, expect more from them on the apparel side soon.

• My latest labor story looked at how REI agreed to an informal settlement after workers in its NYC repair shop raised concerns about how respirators were used while melting plastic. This was a tricky piece to report because I had a document to go off of and only one side would get on the phone with me. But it underscores a greater issue in retail that I am reporting more and more about — workers don’t really feel safe.

Elsewhere

Over at the Coachella Valley Independent, I’m looking for new ideas to play with over the next few months. If you are a hi-dez business owner, get in touch! Also looking for more Civic Solutions ideas. I firmly believe our communities are only as thriving as we invest in them to be. That requires more than just paying your taxes and hoping for the best from the powers that be. It means getting involved, whether that’s responding to the natural world, helping care for others, or creating a space for free.

Here’s my latest:

• The Morongo Basin has a new artist collective and they just opened their first-ever community art gallery in Yucca Valley! We went to the opening last week and were so impressed by the works on display, and just genuinely stoked about how enthusiastic attendees were. I love where I live and the other wonderful eccentric people who call this place home.

• My latest Civic Solutions piece looked at how The Joslyn Center became the country’s first-ever certified autism-trained senior center. That means their staff knows what to look for in autistic adults, something that will become more important as populations age.

• This is from late May, but I’m super proud of this story about how Riverside County tapped animal rescue groups for its largest-ever removal operation of 80+ horses and a couple dozen dogs. The details on the site were scant, because the investigation is ongoing, but I am super grateful to All Things Hooved and the county for sharing thier stories with me. I am seeing that more and more of the rescued horses are finding homes, and I hope they thrive wherever they land.

Tunes & tales

My Kindle continues to be the closet thing I have to a child’s security blanket. Like my son’s favorite stuffed puppy, I don’t want to go sleep without it. Sometimes in the morning I find it on my husband’s nightstand instead of my own, because I fell asleep with it in my hand sprawled across his side of our bed.

As far as the contents, I’m all about the cozy mystery lately. I finished the third of the Thursday Murder Club series and PHEW what a treat! Those books really make me laugh out loud and have some great mastery twists, but are also really touching in a humanistic sense. Absolutely stoked about a potential film treatment. I am also devouring anything from Lucy Foley, I love the characters she creates and the interesting settings (The Hunting Party in particular is a great place to start). I also had a spate of trying to get into the Robert Greene works (48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction) but honestly never got in a groove so sent them back to the San Bernardino County Library System. A spell for another day, perhaps

On the music front, I’m getting back into Tom Petty in a big way thanks to the “Ways to Be Wicked” cover from the beguiling badass Margot Price. Diving into older catalogs is a really fun exercise, because there’s something satisfying about hearing new songs from an artist you’re already very familiar with. The new Zach Bryan album is everything I wanted it to be, as in something to play loud while driving into the sunset around JT. I also really like that new Sabrina Carpenter song “Please Please Please” a lot, even if it reminds me that I am basically older than dirt, and I’m excited to see what she does next. And the other day on KCRW I heard a dog called “John Lee Hooker for President” by Ry Cooder and I’ve probably listened to it another dozen times as I get into the rest of his work. In Cooder’s words; I want everybody to know I'm strictly copacetic.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

MD

No. 15: MD's Newsletter

The sound of pretenses is falling

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a creator. Depending on your age and profession, you might’ve immediately thought of YouTube, TikTok or “content creators.” But it’s a term that has a much broader meaning encompassing all of us who create — artists, musicians, dancers, writers, woodcrafters. Fiber artists are creators. Good bakers are creators. Mothers, some would say, are the ultimate creators.

I’ve been making my living as a creator in some way, shape or form for 15 years. Mostly as a staff reporter, but also as a social media consultant, designer, editor, producer, and general “do-er.” Reporting, writing, breaking news, filing stories for mass consumption — it is all a creative process even if the resulting 300 words are as boring as unbuttered toast (I try to not do that anymore, but sometimes that is what is called for). Somehow this is still not enough creation for me, though. I get antsy doing the same thing over and over again. So I play music, I learn songs, I make up yoga combinations at the gym when no one else is in the studio.

Recently, I decided to try my hand at what it would feel like being a “content creator” of the TikTok variety. I spent a week challenging myself to post one TikTok a day. I didn’t have a specific niche. I spanned beauty, music, wellness and just general wry, ennui-laced observations of a Millennial. My biggest takeaway? That shit is hard.

Editing on a phone is hard. Speaking slow enough but not sounding rehearsed is hard. Spending your life looking around and thinking, “Oh I should post that,” or “Hey I should shoot that again,” is hard. Keeping space available on your phone is hard.

This verifies what I’ve learned through the course of my recent reporting on the influencer economy. One business owner who is a prolific content creator recently told me it can take her 10 hours to put a 60 minute video together! I suppose I could start small, maybe breaking down the song craft of my favorite songs like my old blog used to do. Maybe it would be a study in how to resist overconsumption, like showing the swaps I’m making to our home to reduce plastic use. And I have long wanted to document an experiment where I spend a month using Buy Nothing/borrowing (eg, no Target runs, no late-night mobile shopping, no BNPL’ing).

I feel like there could be a future for me on this platform, given the time and energy. But a lot of us this we can do this. Apparently more than half of Gen Zers think they could make it as an influencer. So, am I creator? Am I an opportunist? What is the difference? Truth be told, I have no idea how long I have left in this messy, magical news industry, so I am game to experiment with whatever new tools out there. I want to keep creating. I want to keep pointing out room for collective improvement. I want to hold powerful actors accountable. I intend to go down swinging.

Onto the links.

Resale & repair

The more I report on the secondhand economy, the more it baffles me that anyone would consider a brand-new purchase. Many items sold secondhand are barely used. I recently wrote about a new thrift shop on Melrose that sells out of influencers closets. And I dove into why and how brands are increasingly setting up their own resale operations — despite concerns they won’t make any money doing it. Here’s a few highlights, and read other new pieces here:

• The case for and against brand-owned resale

• Detoure is tackling the excess of influencer gifting culture

• Why item repair is a customer loyalty tool

Have an ideas on another resale or e-commerce related story that I should dive into next? Any companies that you’ve ordered from lately that have done a particularly good or bad job? Send in your tips below!

Desert ish

Closer to home, I’m back in the swing of writing for CV Independent. This month I profiled All Roads, the gorgeous new market on Highway 62 through Old Town Yucca Valley. Read about their work here! I also shouted out the groundbreaking for a new park coming to Cathedral City’s Dream Home neighborhood. My story pointed out how this neighborhood had long gone without community space or recreation opportunities. It is a bittersweet thing to see institutions doing right by people in places that they once stereotyped or ignored.

On a winning streak

One thing about having a kid to look after: you become A LOT more conscious of how you spend your precious free hours on entertainment. I do not finish books if they are not engaging me. I do not watch bad TV just to "relax.” So it’s fortunate that we are in a cultural moment of some really excellent music, television and writing to consume. I am finally treating myself to “Killing Eve” and am beyond hooked. So many twists! Everyone is so sexy! Europe is pretty!

I absolutely devoured “One Day” on Netflix as well, it was really beautiful and human and it made me think a lot about how important it is to speak your truth to people in your life.

On the music front….well, do we even need to get into it? Obviously I love “The Tortured Poets Department.” Was there any doubt? It’s Taylor Swift, it’s dark academia, it’s piano-backed at all the best moments.

But it’s hardly all I am listening too - variety is not only the spice of life but key to a well-soundtracked existence. There is a new Guster album that is certainly going to accompany me on many drives across the desert, it's an awesome addition to their catalog. “The Bar Song(Tispy)” feels almost inevitably the song of the summer, I’m back on a 90s country kick, and Jon Batiste is soundtracking many of our family kitchen hangs. Also, I’ve found that Queen is one of the only things that will get my kid to sit still when you’re trying to brush his hair.

We rarely get a good celebrity profile to dive into these days, but I enjoyed the Chris Heath piece in The Atlantic about Daniel Radcliffe. His reflections on the types of roles he chooses — and why he still works — really resonated with me. This quote in particular:

“I’ve realized over the years,” Radcliffe says, “that if there’s a sweet spot to be found between deeply fucking weird and strange and almost unsettling, and kind of wholesome and earnest and very sincere, then that’s the stuff I really love doing.” Anything, he tells me, “that says something kind of lovely about human beings in spite of ourselves, in spite of how bad the world is.”

On that note, I’m off to finish an outline and head to a clothes swap. Onward,

MD