Dear Community,
We are a species that craves narrative structure and endings, which the pandemic is not going to give us. In addition to not knowing where we are headed (ever), I wish we could all have a collective primal scream, for Covid, Ukraine, all the gun violence in our country, the backward movement of Roe v. Wade, and reliving the Jan 6 insurrection. So much of it is maddening.
And yet, joy pops through. I just went through one of the most beautiful, magical and profound experiences when Ken’s and my youngest daughter Blooma became a Bat Mitzvah last month (the Jewish ritual when someone turns 13). Marking these passages from one phase of life into another is transcendent and has happened throughout cultures and history. For some, this meant the young adult had to hunt down and kill a lion. In the Jewish tradition, young adults hunt down ancient ideas and wrestle them into relevance for our contemporary lives. Then they have to summarize their research on stage in front of a live audience—barbaric in a different way, and certainly transformational. Still in the glow from that experience of watching Blooma bloom.
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Advice Needed, Award & Performance in Rio de Janeiro
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I will be in Rio in July to perform a version of my spoken cinema experience Dear Human, the one-woman show I performed at MoMA New York right before the pandemic.
I'm honored to be there in Rio to receive the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity from the Media Ecology Association. The concepts in Postman's books The Disappearance of Childhood and Amusing Ourselves to Death have been inspirational.
Those of you on this list who live in Brazil, or people who know people in Rio, or who have traveled there, I'd appreciate advice. It's my first time there. (Hotels, galleries to check out, things to do; I will be coming in early to explore the city.)
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I make a big part of my living giving talks. My talk subjects include work and wellbeing; making things happen; the creative process; the neuroscience behind productivity and creativity; the science of character; 3000 years of ideas around meaning and purpose; women and leadership; American Jewish identity; and the power of unplugging. More info on how to book here.
This year, my team and I have been doing a 4-week keynote series for companies "Reimagining Work Culture: Thriving in the New Hybrid/Remote World" to help transition to this new way of working. It has felt really good to guide employees and managers through this period of change. We've had a lot of requests for a one-hour version on the same topic. So we are now offering the one-hour version for companies, nonprofits, and government groups. I kicked it off with a wonderful team from the Office of the Tech Ambassador of Denmark. I will be doing the talk with the LA Metro Transportation office for their upcoming in-person retreat. I also just did a favorite talk, "Making Things Happen: Turning an Idea Into a Reality," virtually with a fantastic group in South Africa.
You can see a full list of my talks here. Please contact Sawyer Steele at our studio (sawyer@letitripple.org) to book a talk for your organization, company, or group.
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Upcoming Solo Exhibition November 2, 2022
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Two days a week I am at my artist-in-residence at SHACK15, immersed in working in the mediums of sculpture, photography, and experimental film to explore our place in history and the world.
Save the date for the solo exhibition from work created in my residency Wednesday, Nov 2, 2022, at the SF Ferry Building.
There is an interview about my new work here here. *Those of you who are interested in a preview, please sign up here.
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In This Month’s Newsletter
A new dispatch from my brother Dr. Jordan Shlain on the current Covid situation, a great short film from NYTimes op-docs on why we need endings, how to support the literary magazine The Believer, some wonderful new books, art shows to check out, highlights from Webby winners, a recording of my interview with Dr. Louann Brizendine about the female brain and health after 45, and more.
Here's to rites of passage, graduations, and pride month!
Love,
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| Dr. Dispatch from Dr. Jordan Shlain on Covid
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June, 2022 Dr. Jordan Shlain
"There are very few people I know who have not gotten Covid during this sixth wave of Omicron BA 2.1.21 which is responsible for 63% of all cases. If you're three or four vaccines deep and without significant medical issues, you'll likely test positive with minimal symptoms.
"Hey Jordan, should I take Paxlovid, I just turned positive?"
If you're young and healthy, no—the rebound issue is real. “Rebound” cases are when a patient begins to feel better, only for symptoms to return a few days to a week later (9–12 days later, according to a recent case series). The rebound case may leave one infectious as well, requiring re-isolating. I didn't take it.
If you are or know someone elderly or immunocompromised, wear a mask—they should avoid crowded places without a mask. Masks are the best physical vaccine.
On testing
I think we need to test less for the hyperinfectious strains. It's out there. Everywhere. The new BA4 and BA5 variants are also coming. We need to accept its presence and remain vigilant for nefarious strains. Always good to have tests at home. Wastewater surveillance is actively being used to trend disease prevalence also.
On vaccines
At the end of May, the CDC strengthened recommendations for those age 50 and older to move ahead with a second booster dose if it’s been at least four months since their prior vaccine. Children 5–11 should also receive a second booster dose if at least five months from their last shot.
A fourth COVID vaccine option will be available soon as the protein subunit vaccine Novavax was authorized by the FDA on June 7, 2022. In fall 2022, Moderna is presenting data on a bi-valent COVID booster—data should be presented this quarter.nThe COVID vaccine for infants and children 6 months–5 years old could be available as early as June 21.
It's time to fear less, not be fearless, yet I believe the normalization and acculturation process is underway for this to become an accepted, albeit annoying, part of the code in our human operating system for the foreseeable future.
From here on out, it's all about context; personal, societal and scientific. Let's just hope politics will leave the building."
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| What the Pandemic Can Teach Us About Endings
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See the insightful four-minute NYTimes op-doc video by Tala Schlossberg here.
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| Bringing The Believer Home
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One of my close friends Vendela Vida co-founded the great literary magazine The Believer. Please join me in helping the magazine return to its rightful original home at McSweeney's by contributing to the Kickstarter here.
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| 2022 Webby Winner Highlights
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See the full list of 2022 Webby Award winners and watch their five-minute speeches here. It's good to see the winners continue to push the edge of excellence, while the Webbys maintain the core from the early days like the 5-word acceptance speeches and that spring statue that artist Christo Braun and I created back in 1999.
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Not So Pretty Documentary by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick on HBO
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This HBO documentary on the dark side of the beauty industry is eye-opening. Watch here
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In Conversation with Dr. Louann Brizendine
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I recently did an interview Dr. Louann Brizendine about her new book The Upgrade for Book Passage and Dominican University. She had so much great advice for women over 45 years old on this next phase of life and especially how to advocate for yourself with your doctor. Watch here.
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| Photoshop Workshop with Kimberly Shlain Brooks
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If you are an artist or just want to know Photoshop better, you will love this class by my sister, painter Kimberly Shlain Brooks. I just signed up for it. She is a great teacher and yes, I am completely biased;) You can receive a 20% discount by using Tiffany20. Sign up here.
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| Rebecca Soffer in Conversation with Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, 5 pm June 20 at Book Passage SF
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In this interactive new book, Modern Loss cofounder Rebecca Soffer offers candid, practical, and witty advice for confronting a future without your person, honoring their memory, dealing with trigger days, managing your professional life, and navigating new and existing relationships. She'll be in conversation with Dr. Lucy Kalinithi whose husband, Paul, wrote When Breath Becomes Air at Book Passage in the SF Ferry Building June 20 5pm.
Learn more about the event here and the book here.
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| Faith Ringgold: American People at the de Young in SF, July 16 - Nov. 27
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I saw this show when it was in NYC and loved it—thrilled that it's coming to the de Young in SF. Learn more here.
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| Alex Edelman's Just for Us at the Greenwich House Theater, June 13-July 23
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I saw Alex in this show in a much smaller theater in NYC. It's biting, hilarious, and full of insights. Of course it's in a bigger theater now. If you are in NYC or headed there definitely get tix. Learn more here.
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The WeCroak app was inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying: "to be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily." Each day, they send five invitations to stop and think about death. The invitations come at random times and at any moment, just like death. I've been using it and find it very thought-provoking! Learn more here.
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My Moment by Kristin Chenoweth, Kathy Najimy, Linda Perry, Chely Wright and Lauren Blitzer
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What a great collection of wisdom from 106 powerful women. Learn more here.
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Zibby Owens is a tireless advocate for all things book including her great podcast Moms Don't Have Time To Read. Looking forward to reading more about her journey in her new memoir Bookends. More info here here.
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| "The Future of Birth Control" by Rachel Lehmann-Haupt
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Rachel Lehmann-Haupt's deeply researched article on the future of birth control could not be more timely or important! Read here.
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| ART publika Magazine's 5th Anniversary
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ART publika is one of a kind. Check out the latest fantastic issue on the art of chemistry here.
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| "What a Great Trip! And I'm Not Even There Yet" by Stephanie Rosenbloom
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I really enjoyed rereading Stephanie Rosenbloom's NYTimes article from 2014 on the joys of anticipation. Read here.
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