Here’s Everything That’s Making Us Happy This Week.

We’re celebrating inter-species relationship this week. It’s a play of frogs, toads, raccoons, and genetically engineered extra-terrestrial life forms.

IRL, we’re moving connected gossip, post-punk, and visions of a beardown section government. It’s getting basking out. So we’re skipping municipality erstwhile we can, and burrowing indoors erstwhile we can’t. June is apparently nan period to get freaky and consciousness it all.

Molly Odintz has been listening to The Feelies’ “Crazy Rhythms” (1980) and is happy to study that this hypnotic post-punk album is still a banger.

James Folta recommends nan latest rumor of Protean. The leftie arts and disapproval mag launched its latest pinch an inaugural hootenanny astatine the Verso offices past week. “Hanif Abdurraqib, Kyle Carrero Lopez, David Buuck, and Kinsey Cantrell each read, and location were a bunch of tributes to [the precocious poet] Joshua Clover and readings of his work,” says James. “People should grab a copy of nan magazine—it’s a awesome one.”

Along pinch nan remainder of nan Rough Draft Books staff, Drew Broussard went to a minor-league shot game. (Three cheers for the Hudson Valley Renegades, whose cheerful mascots Rookie, Rene, Rascal, Roofus, Rosie shape what our workfellow Calvin Kasulke calls a “heteronormative raccoon family.”) While Drew is personally connected nan obstruction astir nan religion of baseball, “going to a crippled pinch a bunch of goofball friends is 1 of nan champion experiences summertime has to offer.”

Oliver Scialdone took a relative to a day meal this week, creating “a cool, fun, and wholesome family moment!” Brooklyners, return note: Santa Panza of Bushwick apparently reps awesome wood-fired pizza and trade cocktails. Also, per Oliver, nan paper includes “fried squash blossoms for illustration our nonna utilized to make.”

Jessie Gaynor sewage happy listening to Sarah Hartshorne’s You Wanna Be connected Top? A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America’s Next Top Model.  This audiobook, publication by nan author, chronicles Hartshorne’s clip connected America’s Next Top Model. “It’s wry and gossipy and fun, and Hartshorne is simply a awesome narrator.” Adds Jessie, “we’re getting into disgusting upwind for moving territory wherever I live, and this book is bully information to brave nan swamp.”

Speaking of audiobooks, Emily Temple traveled a full of 20 hours successful nan car this past play “with a 3 twelvemonth old, who neither complained nor slept, but demanded nan audiobook of Frog & Toad Are Friends connected loop.”

The twist? Those 20 4 recurring minutes pinch maestro narrator Arnold Lobel were successful truth a communicative treat. “‘A Swim‘ is really deep, if you deliberation astir it,” says Emily. “Which I have. For galore hours.”

And speaking of 3 twelvemonth olds, Dan Sheehan took his ain triceratops to spot Lilo & Stitch, Disney’s latest cash-grab unrecorded action remake. “It was, of course, terrible—wildly inferior to nan original successful each respect—but my girl was entranced by it,” Dan says. “And nan concessions stand, and nan posters, and nan popcorn. An highly joyful outing.”

Olivia Rutigliano co-led a screenwriting shop successful Jamaica(!) co-sponsored by nan Ministry of Culture and Strike Star Entertainment. Sources opportunity this was an A+ imaginative adventure, involving awesome writers and movie people. “And my partner and I sewage to do it together,” Olivia says. Love made nan travel other special.

I, Brittany Allen, person been fleeing nan first flickers of summertime power pinch a large room DVD kick. This week nan 2 personification cinema nine that forms my family yet sewage astir to watching Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala, a terrific introduction to nan star-crossed lovers canon. Following a Uganda-born Indian female (Sarita Choudhury) and a Black Southern man (Denzel Washington) trying to make it activity in, you guessed it, Mississippi, nan movie is charming and probing. You cry, you laugh, you think. And its leads whitethorn beryllium nan hottest group to ever play Romeo and Juliet.

It was bonus bully to walk clip paying wide homage to nan filmmaker Mira Nair, who, successful summation to giving nan world a awesome cinema canon, gave New Yorkers a awesome mayoral candidate. Another item of my week was watching Zohran Mamdani (Nair’s quality son!) own nan statement stage. (PS, neighbors, make a voting plan!)

And that’s each location is, folks. It was a beautiful bad 1 retired location successful nan world, but successful our hearts of hearts we’re wishing you a play of (happily) crazy feelings, adventures capable to unit you retired of nan swamp, and fried squash blossoms. Just for illustration nonna utilized to make.