Connective Tissue: What gets passed across generations

In this Issue:

2 Kickstarters to Watch
Nina Simone on an artist’s responsibility
Remembering Alice May Brock
Remembering Jules Feiffer
Lately I’m Enjoying…
A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Combined promotional graphic for 2 card decks being funded via Kickstarter. On the left is a bright green card created by Karine Hagelin. Text reads, "I'm worthy of good things." On the right is a black field with 3 evocative watercolor illustrations by Eric Maille accompanying the first 3 cards in a tarot deck. Text reads, "The Endless Tarot coming to Kickstarter April 7th."

If you enjoy affirmation/tarot/oracle decks, I have two beautiful, artist-made projects for your consideration:

Karina Hagelin: The Survivor's Affirmation Deck

Each colorful card in the Survivor Affirmation Deck features an affirmation for self-love, carefully crafted to support you on your healing journey. This deck is not only uplifting, inspiring, & empowering but beautiful, bright, & bold, because survivors deserve beauty. Pledge before April 20!

Eric Maille: The Endless Tarot

Created so that any arrangement of cards forms a myriorama, The Endless Tarot is perfect for both new tarot readers looking for an intuitive deck that is easy to learn, and for more seasoned readers in search of a new and unique experience. Launching shortly!

Nina Simone on an Artist’s Duty

A black and white portrait photo of the musician Nina Simone. We see Ms. Simone from the neck up, smiling, wearing a cloth head wrap and large beaded earrings.

An artist’s duty as far as I’m concerned is to reflect the times. I think that is true of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians …as far as I’m concerned it’s their choice. But I choose to reflect the times and the situations in which I find myself. That to me is my duty. And at this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, I don’t think you can help but be involved. Young people, black and white, know this, that’s why they’re so involved in politics. We will shape and mold this country or it will not be molded and shaped at all anymore. So I don’t think you have a choice. How can you be an artist and not reflect the times? That to me is the definition of an artist.

Click here to see the source video on YouTube.

Remembering Alice May Brock (1941 - 2024)

My Dad was into cooking in a big, big way. He also loved learning new things. About 30% of our home’s generous library was comprised of cookbooks. He would jump in front of a train to save Julia Child (but honestly, who wouldn’t?). Dad loved cookbooks.

After he passed, and my Mom and I had the task of cleaning out his house, there was only one cookbook that I wanted:

Off-kilter photo of a copy of Alice's Restaurant Cookbook by Alice May Brock published in 1969. In the cover photo, Alice is wearing a black tophat with lilac blossoms and holding several raw, plucked chickens and larger bones. Below the photo, text reads, "with a recorded introduction by Arlo Guthrie."

You may recognize the name “Alice’s Restaurant” from the song by Arlo Guthrie. Yes, this Alice is also that Alice. This cookbook came with a 45 record with the song on it that has long since disappeared.

Alice’s approach to cooking for large numbers of people is: Don’t stress. Use what you have. If it tastes good and people walk away full, you’ve done your job. Here is her philosophy on “foreign” cuisine:

Photo of an interior page of the Alice's Restaurant Cookbook published in 1969. Inside a red ornamental border, we see a number 10 and the chapter heading "Foreign Cookery." The remaining text is transcribed below this image.

Don’t be intimidated by foreign cookery. Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good. Now you are an International Cook.

No crumbs.

I'm changing how I use social media. Let's connect.

You can find me on my website, Bluesky, Mastodon, Pixelfed, and Cara.

Remembering Jules Feiffer (1929 - 2025)

Jules Feiffer's black and white illustration of The Dodecahedron, a character in the novel The Phantom Tollbooth.

Jules Feiffer had a long career as an illustrator and writer. His work was widely published, but I’ll always associate him with his illustrations for The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (1929 - 2021). This book was read to me in 1987 and then by me many times afterward. Feiffer’s drawings helped this already vivid story come alive in my imagination (although I never quite figured out the Humbug).

The legendary collaboration between Feiffer and Juster came about by happenstance - they lived on different floors in the same brownstone. Juster was struggling with a manuscript and invited Feiffer to share his thoughts. The rest, as they say, is history.

In researching for this edition of The Fold, I learned that there is a documentary film about their work developing The Phantom Tollbooth that was released in 2013. You can watch it on their website for free. Please do.

Aside: I always want to spell Feiffer's name as Pfeiffer with a P. There isn't a P there. But I choose to think of it as The Phantom P. Unheard and unseen.

Lately I’m enjoying…

Promotional graphic of the artist Drew Steinbrecher (wearing a black shirt and a black hat) holding one of his abstract collages, superimposed over another collage. Text reads, "Make a sketchbook from junk mail."

Watching Drew Steinbrecher make art journals out of junk mail.

Cover illustration for A Renaissance of Our Own, a Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining by Rachel E. Cargle. The illustration is of an African-American woman with a natural hairstyle reclining in water. The figure brushes several fingertips across her face, leaving streaks of colorful paint.

Listening to the audiobook version of A Renaissance of our Own by Rachel E. Cargle

Rachel Cargle is an outspoken advocate for intersectional feminism and finding your own path. The audiobook edition is narrated by the author.

Cover illustration for the audiobook edition of A Psalm For The Wild-Built, a Monk and Robot book by Becky Chambers. The illustration is an the style of a traditional landscape painting from East Asia, with a small robot figure in one corner and a tea monk sitting outside a wagon in the opposite corner.

Reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. This is a believe-the-hype situation.

And yes I’ve already devoured the sequel, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, and it’s just as good. Looking forward to reading more of Chambers’ work.

The cover illustration is by FeiFei Ruan and if you really love it, you can buy a print!

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Tissue?

Thank you for reading!
xoxo Sarah

The Fold: Connective Tissue, Part 2

Connective Tissue: What gets passed across generations

In this Issue:

​Karina Hagelin: The Survivor's Affirmation Deck​

​Eric Maille: The Endless Tarot ​

​Nina Simone on an Artist’s Duty

Remembering Alice May Brock (1941 - 2024)​