In February this year at The Open Book in Tāmaki Makaurau, i got to speak with Jordy Rosenberg about his new book Night Night Fawn. It was a really hot, sunny day and the event was held outside in the bookshop's garden. You might be able to hear some of summer noises in the background of this recording.
Anyone who has come into my orbit over the last few years has probably had a copy of Jordy's first novel Confessions of the Fox thrust into there arms. This book is a marvel. The opportunities it opens for changing the way we think about historical fiction are immense. It remains one of my favourite novels.
To say i was anticipating Night Night Fawn would be a massive understatement. i was thrilled to be able to read it over summer before this event. There is something incredibly vigorous and dynamic about this book. Yet again Jordy's work opens up the space queer and trans writing can take up with the force of craft itself. This book pushes the boundaries of politeness and the fictional performance as we know it. It's an astoundingly good book whose narrator's spite and venom in Jordy's hands is transformed into a uncomfortable but real joy and a strange liberation.
Action: The Sameer Project
The Sameer Project on Instagram
Food & Water Project on Chuffed
Summary of Campaigns (PDF)
The Sameer Project is a rapid-response initiative that is facilitating the sourcing and distribution of aid to displaced families all over the Gaza Strip. Started by 3 Palestinians living in diaspora and supported by ground teams in Gaza. We provide support in the form of shelter, medication and treatment, food, water, diapers, formula, and more. Our ethos is to promote resilience, maintain dignity, and providing agency for the families we serve. We are proactive and adaptable based on priority needs at any given time, implementing urgent and emergency response as needed.
What's the need?
There are 1.9 million internally displaced people inside of Gaza. Destroyed homes, no income, facing forced evacuations, these families have no means to support themselves. With limited aid trucks entering the strip, prices for individual items needed for survival are out of reach for most people. Nearly all infrastructure and buildings are destroyed, and families cram into a small designated “humanitarian zone” in makeshift tents as they continue to get bombed, as no where is truly safe.
How do we help?
We facilitate, our ground team executes, and we always defer to the needs of the people. Through our extensive network, we get the the most competitive deals on bulk purchase of goods to distribute to families in need. We believe in creating an equitable chance at receiving aid so we provide assistance based on areas and encampments in most need. From the most destroyed neighborhoods in the North, to the overcrowded beach cities in the South, we respond where and how we are needed.
Long-term objectives
By supplying necessities, responding to emergencies, and providing nuanced care, we are encouraging families to continue to fight for their own survival. It is important for us to return agency and self reliance back to families by giving them the independence to make decisions for themselves. We asked them “how can we help you” instead of registering them as a number on a list. We are also not waiting for current situation to end before we supply the tools for betterment. Our project includes educational, medical, and psychological initiatives that allow forward thinking into the future.
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Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.
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