Blogging

Southwestness publisher/editor Samatha Anne Carrillo shares the worldview and inspirations that drive her work: “In the real world, facts exist and science is real. … Since Southwestness is my own site, I have the freedom to report on our corner of the world based on my own perception of the world. There’s no question that this perception is still evolving and thank goodness for that!”

The problem isn’t that our laws are flawed (even though they are). The problem is that we care only to the degree that it won’t be an inconvenience or mess with our comfort…or even worse, our narratives. This is our problem.

Please forgive me for taking until now to announce that in May 2020 I hired Lisa Barrow as Editor, and I could not be more stoked to have her as my very first employee!

Musicians and the music they create are critical to halting further attacks on net neutrality. When net neutrality protections were at risk of being destroyed in the past, musicians came out in large numbers during a multi-year campaign to save it. And we are needed this time around too.

Mainly what I’d say to my friend is this: Imagine a world where there is a free beer tap on every corner. If you want to make a living selling beer, how can you succeed? One inescapable part of the answer, it seems to me, is that you end up giving away a LOT of beer.

Can’t get to the mic? Can’t make it out to shows? You still wanna be a comic? Well then, my friend, it’s time to pitch in and help out the comedy community.

I’ll be honest, the simple act of listing what we’ve accomplished makes me feel pretty great and makes me excited to contemplate what we’ll achieve in the coming year and years beyond that. Because, to continue being honest, I feel a palpable feeling of overwhelm.

Creative folks have a special and incredibly important role in, and power to affect, social change. While the actual levers of political power may be in the wrong hands at the moment, artists and creatives have immense social and cultural power. Yes, this means you! YOU have power to reach hearts and minds, often in ways that politicians and campaigners cannot, and never will be able to.

I became fascinated with how closely connected the power dynamic in the use of photography is with those at work in private investigation.

While Ernest Hemingway probably didn’t say those words that have been attributed to him, it hasn’t stopped people from using it as a technique to improve their writing. So is there any proof that it’s actually effective? This infographic takes a look.

I opened myself up to the possibility that doing something completely new and unexpected might actually be a great fit with my other projects and areas of work.

Having both my kids in a summer program for the first time ever is a big reason why I’m riding a wave of productivity and plowing ahead with Pyragraph stuff AND new podcast episodes. Whoo, momentum!

Is getting published still a possibility these days?

I realized that if I could just find a way to sincerely convince myself that writing was essential to having a good day, I’d be set.

As writers, we can get stuck in our own heads. One of the best cures for this, I’ve found, is to travel.

There is something truly terrifying about starting a project, or even picking up where I last left off.