Art is an act of hope. Writing is an act of rebellion. The world will always need more stories--from real human beings, not bullshit plagiarism machines. Every book is a love story from the author, and every reader is fighting the war against cruelty, ignorance, and hopelessness. We are fighting.

I don't mind kale, though usually I end up using spinach in my recipes because it can be hard to find. I also prefer it when it's not so "angry" and has been massaged with, say, avocado and sprinkled with salt and pepper and lemon juice for a pretty good salad.

It's like they're worried that some random person is going to walk up, confused, and ask, "Where's the Oval Office?" and someone can point to the sign with a heavy sigh because this isn't the first time someone's asked today.

The One Hundred Hours of Writing Twitch-streamed marathon actually starts on Thurs Nov 6, with someone streaming writing sprints every hour until the event ends! My stream is Sun Nov 9 from 1-3pm Central (www.twitch.tv/starryjen), but you can see who's streaming at www.ohhow.net/schedule/

The Evening of Scribing Recklessly Writing Marathon: Sat Nov 8, 4-10 pm at the Mid-County library branch (www.slcl.org/events/writi...) Please join us even if you can't register, bring your writing materials (and snacks, we're writing for 6 hours!), and be ready to make bunches of words!

This is a lovely season and I wish it would catch on in the US.