Not sure how I feel about the notion of blessings, but I'll count them anyway.
a forthcoming collaboration with the ACLU, an award from the Television Academy, and a screaming song
Hello, friends of Fancy!
It’s been an intense time at work and, of course, in the world outside of my office. Mostly I’ve been chasing down a big writing deadline for a documentary in development. I hope I can talk about that in the near future! Plus, Lisa — my partner and the person who produces the Fancy Meeting You Here recordings — is going on tour with her band, Mutt. In case you’re in the midwest and like to have fun, here are the dates:
If you’re not in the midwest, but you do like fun and/or expressing big feels, please enjoy one of my favorite screaming songs:
This is all to say that we don’t have a new Fancy essay and recording for you this week, but we do have a couple of nice little updates to hold you over until we’re back in action.
Coming Soon: A Monthly Interview Series with the ACLU
As you might have noticed, there’s a lot going on. It’s an election year. The Supreme Court is hearing some big cases. We’re trying to get US universities and our government to stop bankrolling attacks on Palestinians. (It would be nice if militarized police forces could stop brutalizing college students and their faculty for practicing their first amendment rights, too.) States are passing new abortion bans. You know, all that stuff. It can feel overwhelming. It can be hard to know what to do. I’m working on a new project that will hopefully help us get through the rest of 2024 without freezing up or totally dissociating under the pressure.
When I’m not writing essays about embodiment and making documentaries, I produce W. Kamau Bell’s Substack Who’s With Me? In a few weeks we’re launching a new monthly interview series called What Can I Doooooo? with the ACLU. Click that box below to see Kamau and the ACLU’s Jessica Weitz explain it all:
If you have questions for the ACLU, pop ‘em in the comments. We’re going to tackle as many as possible between now the end of the year.
1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed is a 2024 Television Academy Honors Recipient
The Television Academy — the folks behind the Emmys — started giving out another award 17 years ago called the Television Academy Honors. The Honors recognize a handful of TV programs that have “leveraged the extraordinary power of storytelling to propel social change.” A documentary that I produced, 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed, is one of this year’s seven honorees! We’re thrilled about it! The Academy’s press release says:
“This year's honorees have leveraged the medium's power to drive meaningful conversation and create social impact," said Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego. "We honor their commitment to authentic, evocative storytelling that tackles important social issues that affect the global audience."
How great is that?! We’re in lovely company with:
The 1619 Project (Hulu)
A Small Light (National Geographic)
BEEF (Netflix)
Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court (Paramount+)
Heartstopper (Netflix)
Lakota Nation vs. United States (AMC+)
Have you seen any of these docs and series? What did you like? I forgot to watch Heartstopper, so that’s on my list this month. We’re headed to LA in a few weeks for an awards reception. I’ll report back on how it goes.
Want to count any of your blessings/delights/windfalls in the comments? I’d love to see them and treasure them on your behalf if you’re into that kind of thing.
Until next time, please be good to your meat suit.