So, I am reviewing my week on Sundays. Read along and reach out if you have elements of my work that you would like to talk about.
Hosted Agenda Review Group
Small group, but nice to see everyone. Not a lot on the agendas, but I also asked for help bottom lining this effort. Trying to get better at this.
Hosted the Weekly Solidarity Study Group
The starting place for this discussion was Antigone by Sophocles. I was gratified to hear the analysis by the other folks who had actually read the text. I also shared my basic understanding of the Eumenides by Aeschylus and referred folks to the wonderful presentation by Doug Metzger on the Literature and History Podcast.
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-029-the-mound-and-the-furies/
I’m looking forward to the other stories of how ancestors and allies created community in our 2nd Wednesday of the month meetings. Next up on 2nd Wednesdays, Civil Disobedience! 3rd Wednesdays are stories of manifesting community, so next week we will be talking about Mutual Aid with Dean Spade’s work on the matter serving as a starting point.
Made Book Collections House Calls
I spent a lot of time this week driving back and forth to Fortuna to pick up about 50 boxes of books, most of which will be for the 4th of July sale. It’s always an insight into someone’s life, touching every book they possessed at the time of death. Lots of time to think at the charging stations, many of which were out of order or obstructed by a tragic event.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/jun/6/sheriffs-office-identifies-man-who-was-fatally-sho/
Met with Eureka City Schools Librarians
What a delightful evening after such a long day! Meeting with these intelligent, engaged, considerate women made my evening. We sorted out a great partnership between the libraries and the bookshop. More to come on this!
Attended Game Nights
Thursday was at my sweetheart’s house. Friday was at my Dungeons and Dragons pal’s place. Building community here as well!
Attended Moss Oak Commons Open Meeting
Over two dozen people sat in a circle being cool as all get out! So many great things are going to come out of this space. As I have said before, I love this place.
https://solomoneverta.com/2025/04/28/long-live-the-moss-oak-commons/
Worked the Table at Arts Alive!
I was off work for the evening, but my friend Raelina was the guest of the bookshop so we sat and chatted with many neighbors all evening. Great to see folks. I will likely sit at the table during Friday Night Market on 6/20/2025 just to talk about what I’ve been doing. Here’s Raelina’s project:
What I Listened to This Week
You can find my favorite podcasts here:
https://solomoneverta.com/podcasts/
Let’s make time to chat about these things.
Here are a few that piqued my interest this week. Of course, I don’t always agree with the solutions or analysis of the things I listen to. I find that out as I listen.
New York Times Opinions
This interview with John Cameron Mitchell was sweet. The love that Mitchell has for the young people coming up to do the work of being human is so obvious to me. I want to embody that love in the work that I do. You can podcast it or listen at this link as well.
https://youtu.be/tdsXljTLUTQ?si=Pg8RgJ22E5_1ROup
Imaginary Worlds
I used to listen to this podcast a lot when the kids were younger. I tuned into this one because they were talking about one of my favorite books with the author and the folks who turned it into a TV show. Murderbot by Martha Wells is fantastic. Highly recommend.
https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/episodes/murderbot-isnt-ready-for-its-close-up
Fifteen Minutes of Fascism
Always great! Includes the segment See You in Hell where the death of fascists are celebrated. Learned a bit about Adolf Eichmann and you can really see the echoes to the present time.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fifteen-minutes-of-fascism/id1527657872?i=1000711218976
How to Survive the End of the World
One of my favorite shows that reminds me to be radical and magical had Dean Spade as guest just in time for next week’s Solidarity Study Group. Always delighted to be reaffirmed by Spade’s clear and honest look at everything.
Redneck Gone Green
David’s trip to the “United Kingdom” benefited me by hearing his discussion of how folks in Scotland are doing things right. Neil McInroy inspired me to leverage our local institutions to think bigger when it comes to community democracy and democratic economic development. I was having a hard time finding it elsewhere, so I shared the apple podcast feed, but you can find it on your podcaster of choice, I am sure.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redneck-gone-green-podcast/id1726858690?i=1000711736185
The Intercept
The Intercept had an interesting episode about how the Democratic Party is trying to get folks (especially men) back. I like (and support) David Sirota and appreciated what he was saying, but would have liked to hear more from the other guest, Jessica Washington. After the show I realized that she is an Intercept reporter so maybe that’s why she was letting Sirota dominate the conversation. Still, it seemed as if the man was not letting the woman get a word in. In any case…
She wrote this article which I then read.
https://theintercept.com/2025/05/31/liberal-joe-rogan-democrats-men/
I am linking to Apple Podcasts because the Intercept stupidly makes you enter your email to read their free page.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-intercept-briefing/id1195206601?i=1000711851166
Planet Money
What a strange Republican on Republican vitriol nightmare. More folks are going to see that the whole way of thinking about “re-industrialization” of the country has some major flaws.
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/06/1253756223/manufacturing-ev-china-battery-factory
Letters from An American on June 6th 2025
Heather Cox Richardson is much more centrist than me, but her work is accessible to most folks in America. This episode highlights the escalation of the national fascism with the pepper spraying and arrest of David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California (SEIU) and the escalation of ICE raids in California. This is happening, people.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-6-2025
You can listen to the reading of this “letter” as a podcast as well. That’s usually how I listen.
I also played the second part of her June 5th “letter” to my 15 year old son due to his interesting World War II as the piece explained how those fighting fascism did not know if their offensives would be successful on D-Day.
What I Read This Week
Illiberal America by Hahn
Couldn’t make it all the way through Illiberal America by Hahn so I jumped to the end just to make sure I understood his thesis which I think I got clearly enough. I appreciate how he highlights that America has been messed up from before the beginning and continued to be and continues to be. However, he sets up Liberalism as our reason for all the good things and “Illiberalism” as the bad stuff. Granted, he explores how the messed up parts of capitalism are inextricably tied to the Liberal project. However, he generally gives capitalism a pass and downplays socialism, focusing on the atrocities of the folks who use socialism as a rallying cry (which is valid) and ditches socialist ideas as viable in any way. I may have more to say on this in the future, but probably not.
Planet Humboldt
Barry Evans is a friend who lives in Old Town. He’s a thinker who this week thought about how to make Old Town better. I agree with all his recommendations.
https://planethumboldt.substack.com/p/making-old-town-tourist-friendly
Cheers!
Solomon
Solomon Everta 