Saying goodbye to CELEBRATE
Our CELEBRATE issue has officially come to an end! Over the last four months, we’ve explored celebration from myriad angles: as cultural practice, as a political tool, as a hedonistic expression, as community-building, and self-care.
CELEBRATE’s full lineup included:
Takeaway: The Politics of Nigerian Party Food by Tracy Egbele (with an audio reading for paid subscribers)
Dinner is Potluck: Celebrating Queerness at the Communal Table by Nina Katz (with an audio reading for paid subscribers)
Kyiv Cakes, Baklava Buns, and Welcome to London: The Bakers Using Sweet Treats and Sisterhood as an Antidote to Violence by Riana Austin
Architecting Joy and Pleasure: “Life is ferment battle struggle joy torment” by Clare Michaud (originally published in Beurrage)
Here’s to Still Being Alive: A Transfemme Thanksgiving in a Time of Fear by Lira Green
The Jews Who Ate Pork ‘Till The Pigs Were Called: What the Contemporary Left Can Learn from Yiddish Anarchist Organizing by Jesse Roth
Telegram From Jupiter: Dancing Through the End of the World by Isabela Bonnevera
Resetting the Table (For One): Learning to Dine Companionably at the Solo Table by Candice Chung (with an audio reading for paid subscribers)
The issue was accompanied by vibrant pencil-on-paper illustrations by the multi-hyphenate Apoorva Sripathi, and several pieces have audio readings (done by the authors themselves) available for our paid subscribers.
We truly couldn’t be prouder of the calibre of writing featured in this issue, and we encourage you to revisit anything you might have missed. Next up will be our ‘architecture of food’ issue in collaboration with chlorophyll magazine, launching very soon.
If you’re not ready to stop thinking about celebration just yet, we’re currently reading the excellent Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness by Dr. Ashanté M. Reese, which offers rich insights into the power of festive gatherings for Black food justice — as well as an analysis of the gendered labour behind them. It’s available now for pre-order.
A new way to support FFJ
If you enjoyed CELEBRATE, we’d love for you to consider supporting FFJ within your means. For those who aren’t ready to commit to a full Substack subscription, we’ve set up a new PayPal donation page where you can send even just a dollar or two our way.
There are almost 5,000 of you here now, so everyone giving just a little would make a huge difference. We run FFJ as volunteers, and our main concern is being able to pay our writers fairly! If our work has meant something to you, we’d be really grateful if you considered contributing.
With gratitude,
FFJ