Sara Zarr

I've been working on not giving in to despair, but I'm glad it's Good Friday tomorrow so I can mourn with impunity.

"...this is a national tragedy and a deeply unpatriotic one at that. ... Since its founding in 1965, NEH has helped thousands of scholars, teachers, and organizations gather, preserve, interpret, explore, and share the country’s history and its remarkable cultural traditions and treasures."

Good luck to them with America 250 without the communications office, state councils, and everyone else who's been booted!

NEH changed its seal but hasn't managed to update its site, which still says it "supports the humanities in every state and jurisdiction." False advertising given that it just canceled every state's operating grant.

sara zarr blog — sara zarr sara zarr blog

I wrote a little about humans & humanity in my newsletter. Humanism, whether it's secular or religious, is the dissident stance.
sarazarr.com/news

Salt Lake City, Utah #HandsOff

i'm holding your hands, gently

april 7 is the start of national library week. get your library card. write your library board. check out 10 books. use your library. do it.

Also this photographer look like he's saying "I heard you" in the same tone I sometimes use with my cat

YouTube video by Jan-Michael April 5th 50501 Protest in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City #handsoff

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNs...

Exactly this. If you don’t know what’s going on, here’s the context call to action www.statehumanities.org/action-alert...

Good. Because we’re learning even if institutions attempt to comply, they’re going to take away support anyway.

In my day job I just spoke to someone who described themselves as die-hard T**mp fan and was very kind and interesting to talk to, but also the reason for the call was to ask why our grants process was paused (D*GE) and seemed to think it would magically unpause soon and...idk man.

Not one of these EOs listed in this letter is valid. Notably, no statutory language is listed. The President’s agenda is not a statutory reason for termination. It really is just straight up lying and people should start just suing the government in the Court of Claims.

The state is not my identity. The state is not my security. The state is not my friend.
Lil' Friday mantra I found myself chanting this morning

🤗

We interrupt all this bad news for a story.

what a ride

Cheers: I'm looking forward to new books from Angela Flournoy and Michelle Huneven this year.
Jeers: I can't read anymore without 3 different eyeglasses and a half dozen lamps.

Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue. Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say Napoleonic times. Many novelties have come from America. The most startling of these, a thing without precedent, is a mass of undignified poor. They do not love one another because they do not love themselves.

Kurt Vonnegut man

Cheers: STORY OF A GIRL is on that best books of the 21st century so far Kirkus thing
Jeers: The major funding institution of my day job got DOGEd

They largely work behind the scenes and are not about their own "brand recognition" so you may not realize how much your state council is doing. Also, the funding is such a tiny fraction the federal budget and was created by an act of congress and has been supported by every admin for 60 years.

State councils also identify what smaller state non-profits are doing to bring humanities to local, rural, regional areas that don't have their own museums, book events, etc., and funnel that federal money into communities to bring speakers, authors, exhibits to the people.

🚨 Hey authors/readers, do you like your local or regional book festival? Chances are it's at least partially funded by the NEH via your state humanities council. The NEH just got D*GE'd which means your state council is in big trouble. Please read/act: www.statehumanities.org/action-alert...

Though I did laugh at the overly generous idea that someday 47 might be looking down from heaven 👀

I don't have time for the cynicism I used in indulge in.

I got to watch and listen pretty much all day, and when it was time to go home I left the stream on and plugged it into my car speakers, then watched the rest. I didn't spent one minute of it on socials and it was honestly thrilling to experience something so tremendous without a side of hot takes.

Every time I come back to socials after a break I feel ever stronger longing for so, so very much more than what can be found on an app and also the worry that maybe this is what a large part of humanity has settled for to define connection and that would be/is bad. Anyway! Here’s my cat!

I’m working on selling some new projects for the first time since 2019 the ✨vibes are different ✨ I’m almost upon the 20th anniversary of selling my first novel and it’s been a RIDE.

I still think about When the Moon Turns to Blood all the time, so this was an immediate buy.

Two highlights that are somewhat under the general radar: PET by Catherine Chidgey (fiction) and TELL ME EVERYTHING by Erika Krouse (nonfiction).