Coffee with Comrades

Dear listeners of Coffee with Comrades, with special regard to the wonderful folks who support this program on Patreon, Hello! I hope that the autumnal season has brought crisp, cool air and abundant joy to you and yours. I write to you today with a bittersweet sense of pride and melancholy to announce Coffee with Comrades is officially coming to an end. Although I know I don't “owe” anyone an explanation, I thought it wise—for both my own peace-of-mind and for the wonderful community that has sprung up around this show—to offer a bit of insight into my thought process on the matter and why I eventually came to this decision.  Coffee with Comrades got its start in June of 2018. I had recently moved back to Orlando, FL and was hanging out with my friend, Bree. She said, “Pearson, y'know what? We should start a podcast and name it Coffee with Comrades!” and (for better or worse) that's exactly what we did. Over the 5+ years this show has been online, a lot has changed. History has happened, carrying each of us with it inexorably. A global pandemic shuttered windows, closed doors, and swept us all into quarantine. A massive, anti-racist uprising rocked the U.S. Strikes were won. Wars ravaged. Here at Coffee with Comrades, we have gone through multiple co-hosts. I met authors, musicians, artists, and the hosts of other podcasts and radio shows who I had long respected and finally got to befriend. I've broken bread with these folks, slept over at their homes, and turned to them for advice in times of need. I linked up with listeners all across the U.S. and became dear friends with many of them. We cultivated a joyful, wholesome, queer community on Discord where many have half-jokingly said, “I was cis when I got here!” In the end, if it weren't for this silly little program, I would never have met my partner, Megan, and fallen in love. For a long, long time now, Coffee with Comrades has been an integral facet of my life. I'm in a different place in 2023 than I was in 2018. I am a partner and a parent now. I am teaching full-time. Over the past year, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on how Coffee with Comrades factors into my life. As many of you know, I graduated in May ‘23 with a PhD in Literature, Media, and Culture. Bree and I started this show about the same time I got accepted to teach at Florida State University. With each passing year, that degree took more and more of a toll on my mental health. In the end, it got to a point where I loathed the very idea of reading—a pastime that once brought me inexpressible pleasure and euphoria. Although I am slowly starting to get that sense of enjoyment back when it comes to reading, I cannot help but notice that I am starting to feel a similar sense of frustration and, if I am honest, even contempt whenever I think about creating another episode of the podcast. Cycles of burnout and frustration are, on the whole, pretty normal in community-organizing. For a time, I thought that was just what I was going through: the normal pattern of excitement, burnout, then new excitement once again. After all, this wouldn't be the first time I went through that cycle working on Coffee with Comrades. On several occasions, I have taken breaks from the show to get back into the right mindset. This happened again fairly recently when Megan and I found out one of our dear friends had died. I put the show on hold so I could take care of my partner, our friends, and (importantly) take care of myself. But during that time of contemplation and distance from the show, I felt a disconnect greater than any I had experienced before. I realized I didn't want to go back to putting out episodes. I did eventually put out another episode (and I am happy with it!) But I was actually low-key dreading getting back into the swing again. As I have said before, putting together a podcast is an enormous amount of work. Booking guests, scheduling recording times, doing the pre-production, recording the actual show, editing the show, doing post-production, uploading everything to the internet, managing social media, etc. It all adds up to an extraordinary amount of effort and, increasingly, I am noticing the fact that it has taken away from the number one creative passion in my life: writing. Writing stories, poems, and essays has been an enduring wellspring of joy throughout my life. I started writing stories when I was just seven years old and I have never stopped. But there have also been periods where I was more (or less) committed to my craftsmanship. Coffee with Comrades has been a creative project, to be sure. But it has also been one that has sapped my ability to concentrate more time and effort on other creative endeavors. Even still, I recently released my second collection of poetry, Your Mind is the Cathedral Where I Finally Find god. But what that experience helped me remember was just how life-affirming it is for me to write. How much I need the deft and lyrical melody of the written word. How playing with language mirrored the experience of reuniting with lifelong friends after too long spent apart. I began to realize that I was neglecting what I am best at, ignoring or overlooking the skills I worked so hard to cultivate. Alas, there are only so many hours in the day for creativity amidst the drudgery of wage labor, the thrills of being a partner, and the dedication require to be a diligent, compassionate parent.  To a certain extent, Coffee with Comrades began to feel like an obligation rather than a creative and political passion project. Gradually, it became increasingly evident that this dynamic was engendering a sense of anger and antipathy. I no longer wanted to put together episodes because I felt a strong need to address an injustice, uplift an important artistic project, or dive into political theory and action. I put together episodes because I hadto. Because Tuesday was coming up and I had to put out Content to feed the algorithm gods. Something, it seemed, was fundamentally broken and—try as I might—I couldn't seem to fix the shattered fragments.  Something, somewhere had to give. Throughout its 5+ years, Coffee with Comrades has always centered the theme of militant joy. But, sad as it is to admit, this show is no longer bringing me joy. Instead of something that enhances my life and, by extension, the lives of others, Coffee with Comrades has become a toil, a drudgery. It has become work. This is antithetical to everything I cherish about anarchy. When I cast my gaze soberly upon all that I had wrought, I realized it was time to draw this chapter of my life to a close. In the end, in order to stay true to the principles I hold dear, it has come time for me to bid a fond farewell to this podcast and move on. I know this announcement may come as a bit of a shock to some of you, especially those of you who may not be in the Coffee with Comrades Discord server or those of you who haven't read between the lines of our on-again-off-again scheduling as of late. I am happy to answer any questions folks might have about the podcast in our Discord, Patreon, or via email. I also understand this announcement may be especially disappointing to recent subscribers on the Coffee with Comrades Patreon. If this is the case, please get in-touch! I'd like to have the opportunity to make amends. I have taken steps to ensure that Patreon will no longer charge anyone starting Nov. 1, 2023. All that said, I am proud of the work I have done with this program. In the end, between formal/numbered episodes and bonus editions of the podcast, we have put forward over two hundred episodes of Coffee with Comrades. That legacy and that library live on for people to listen to and engage with and learn from. I know that the relationships I have made with friends, comrades, and fellow revolutionaries will continue onward into the future, come what may. I know that our struggle to transform the world into something more just, compassionate, and egalitarian endures so long as there is breath in our lungs and we continue to love and support one another. As a media project, I hope that this program helped elevate important conversations with community-organizers, authors, musicians, artists, and revolutionaries over the 5+ years we were on air. Anarchy is a powerful political philosophy. I have seen it put into practice time and time again in the communities I have had the good fortune of inhabiting. I do not know what sort of ruptures will happen in the weeks, months, years, and decades ahead as the empire I write within continues to self-immolate, catching us all in the raging inferno. But I reckon solidarity, mutual aid, autonomy, liberation, and anti-authoritarianism are our only path out of the morass of social hierarchy. If anarchy proves to be triumphant—even if only in fits and starts, at first—then that is due entirely to the strength of the relationships we forge in the crucible of struggle. To those of you who have supported this program over the years, I extend a tremendous and sincere thank you. Whether it was from financial contributions to our Patreon or just by telling a friend about Coffee with Comrades, I want you to know how meaningful it is to have been able to create something that resonated so powerfully with its audience. Even in a time of such marked turmoil and suffering, the friendships and camaraderie that I have experienced because of this show are truly inspiring and give me a sense of hope for the future of our world and all the critters who call it "home."  Know that even though Coffee with Comrades has come to an end, I will continue to be there with you—either in spirit or, with any luck, in the streets—in the struggles ahead. Stay wild out there, comrades. Yours in depthless love and deathless solidarity, Pearson  

This week, I sat down with Marisa Holmes, one of the organizers behind Occupy Wall Street, to talk about her new book Organizing Occupy Wall Street: This is Just Practice. Follow Marisa on Twitter and Instagram and pick up a copy of her book.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

CW: In this week's episode, we discuss anti-Semitic violence. Listener discretion is advised. Today, Ami Weintraub (he/they) joins us to discuss his new book To the Ghosts Who Are Still Living. In this joyous and melancholic discussion, Ami and I explore the essay collection in detail, touching on anti-fascism, anti-semitism, Jewish identity in diaspora, and Ami's spiritual and ancestral affinity.  Pick up a copy of To the Ghosts Who Are Still Living today!  Check out Ami's website and follow them on Instagram.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Pick up a copy of my second book of poetry, Your Mind is the Cathedral Where I Finally Find god.

On today's episode of Coffee with Comrades, I am pleased to be joined by Chris Robé, a professor of film and media studies at Florida Atlantic University and the author of the new book Abolishing Surveillance: Digital Media Activism and State Repression. Follow Chris on Twitter and pre-order a copy of Abolishing Surveillance!  Check out Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Pick up a copy of my second book of poetry, Your Mind is the Cathedral Where I Finally Find god.

This week, I sat down with some of the organizers behind Dual Power Gathering Midwest to discuss the weekend long event, the concept of dual power, building solidarity, and sharing knowledge with each other as we develop our greater movement affinity. Dual Power Gathering Midwest 2023 will take place in the traditional homelands of the Miami, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo, about thirty minutes south of downtown Chicago. A follow-up to the Dual Power Gathering at Indiana Dunes in 2022, this event is a regionally-focused attempt to bring folks together from across the Midwest to meet, spend time together, and discuss dual power strategies for the struggles of today and tomorrow. Find out more about DPG Midwest '23!  Check out Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Pick up a copy of my second book of poetry, Your Mind is the Cathedral Where I Finally Find god.

This week, I was joined once again by Scott Branson to discuss the new anthology they helped edit for PM Press, Surviving the Future: Queer Abolitionist Strategies. Scott and I had a lovely conversation about queerness, futurity, healthcare, academia, and everything in between.  Purchase a copy of Surviving the Future: Queer Abolitionist Strategies today!  Follow Scott on Twitter and visit her website.  Check out this interview Scott did for The Final Straw with trans folks organizing in Missouri.  Check out Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Pick up a copy of my second book of poetry, Your Mind is the Cathedral Where I Finally Find god. 

This week, we're sharing a recent conversation with some of the organizers behind the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason & All Longterm Anarchist Prisoners.  Check out June11.org and read this essay from CrimethInc. to learn more about the long-term struggles of anarchist prisoners. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

We spoke with Mixæl Laufer of Four Thieves Vinegar Collective. Check it out! Follow Mixæl on Twitter and visit Four Thieves Vinegar Collective's website! Check out our previous episodes with Mixæl, too: Episode 14, 21, and 171. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades t-shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, I hung out with Brenton Lengel to talk about Issue #2 of Durruti: Shadow of the People, a comic exploring the life and times of revolutionary Spain's Buenaventura Durruti! Pick up a copy of the Durruti, Issue #2 special variant to benefit folks displaced by the war in Ukraine Follow Brenton on Twitter. Check out our previous dialogue with Brenton in Ep. 152 of Coffee with Comrades! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, I sat down with Michael Löwy and David Campbell to talk about the book Michael co-wrote and David recently translated into English, Revolutionary Affinities: Toward a Marxist Anarchist Solidarity. The three of us got into a lovely dialogue about the recent uprisings in France against the neoliberal Macron regime, as well as the painstaking labor David undertook of translating this book into English by hand. Then, we dive into the book and talk about the principled points of solidarity and the potential areas of conflict between Anarchists and Marxists before contemplating what these struggles mean for today. Pre-order a copy of Revolutionary Affinities: Toward a Marxist Anarchist Solidarity today! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Note:  A minor correction. David mentioned the anti-basin protest was at "Sainte Solite." It's actually Sainte Soline. 

This episode of the program features my conversation with Alex Knight, designer and developer of the board game Land and Freedom, inspired by the Spanish Revolution and Civil War. Check out Land and Freedom today! Pick up a copy of Land and Freedom.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

We are back with another episode of Coffee with Comrades featuring Shannon Clay, one of the folks behind the new book We Go Where They Go: The Story of Antiracist Action available today via PM Press. Pick up a copy of We Go Where They Go today! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This episode of Coffee with Comrades is dedicated to Tortuguita. Rest in Power, Tort. May we carry on the defense of Earth in your memory.  Here are some ways to support the defense of the forest in Atlanta: Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs for arrested protestors and ongoing legal action. Call on investors in the project to divest from Cop City (list of APF investors). Call on builders of the project to drop their construction contracts. Organize political solidarity bail funds, forest defense funds, and forest defense committees where you live. Participate in or organize local solidarity actions. Endorse and circulate this statement of solidarity. Email defendweelaunee@riseup.net. Show-Notes: Matt and John of Working Class History join me to discuss their new interactive map and smartphone app that helps users connect with working class history on the streets worldwide.  Follow Working Class History on Twitter and Instagram, visit their website, and support them on Patreon.  Check out the Working Class History Map and Stories App! Pick up a copy of Working Class History: Everyday Acts of Resistance & Rebellion.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This episode of Coffee with Comrades is dedicated to Tortuguita. Rest in Power, Tort. May we carry on the defense of Earth in your memory. Eros, a dear friend and comrade of Manny "Tortuguita" Teran, joins me to memorialize the dearly departed. Donate to the GoFundMe for Manny's family.  Here are some ways to support the defense of the forest in Atlanta: Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs for arrested protestors and ongoing legal action. Call on investors in the project to divest from Cop City (list of APF investors). Call on builders of the project to drop their construction contracts. Organize political solidarity bail funds, forest defense funds, and forest defense committees where you live. Participate in or organize local solidarity actions. Endorse and circulate this statement of solidarity. Email defendweelaunee@riseup.net. Show-Notes: Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

We are back with our first episode of 2023!   This edition of Coffee with Comrades features a dialogue with my dear friend and comrade, Caleb Wexler. Our conversation is pretty wide-ranging. We spend the first half of the episode talking about Caleb's housing cooperative—how it runs, how they make decisions, and what it looks like to exist in the liminal space between our contemporary housing hellscape and the better tomorrow we're all dreaming of and fighting for. In the second half of the episode, we speak at length about two of the best works of media that came out in 2022: Citizen Sleeper and Andor. Fair warning, we spend a good chunk of time delving into spoilers in those latter sections, so be sure to check out the time-stamps below!   Technologies of Hope, Caleb's M.A. Thesis on Solarpunk: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K0KkJroaKyCNHv8NT48y_Zyh_ur7cJKU/view   Spoiler Talk: Citizen Sleeper: 1:09:00 Andor: 1:20:23 Show Notes: Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, we are sharing a recent conversation I had with Chad Pearson about his book Capital's Terrorists: Klansmen, Lawmen, and Employers in the Long Nineteenth Century. Chad and I chat about vigilante violence, the coercive nature of the law, the capaciousness of the term “terrorism,” and a whole lot more. Follow Chad on Instagram and pick up a copy of Capital's Terrorists today! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Recently, I hung out with scholar and organizer Mohamed Abdou. We spoke at length about his book Islam and Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances. Follow Mohamed on Twitter and pick up a copy of Islam & Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances today! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Recently, I hung out with my very dear friend, carla bergman. carla and I spent a good chunk of time talking about their new edited anthology, Trust Kids! Stories on Youth Autonomy and Confronting Adult Supremacy.  Pick up a copy of carla's book, Trust Kids! Check out Grounded Futures, as well. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

I recently sat down with the one and only Shane Burley to talk about his new edited anthology, No Pasarán: Dispatches from a World in Crisis. The book is a collection of essays by and interviews with antifascists: community-organizers, researchers, journalists, artists, and more. Shane and I have a pretty wide-ranging dialogue, touching on violence, prefiguration, the so-called “meme alibi,” the history of antifascism, and a whole helluva lot more. Follow Shane on Twitter and Instagram and pick up a copy of No Pasarán! Antifascist Dispatches from a World in Crisis Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.    

James Yeoman, author of Print Culture and the Formation of the Anarchist Movement in Spain, 1890-1915 joins me to talk about propaganda by the deed, violence, terror, education, and the anarchist printing press in Spain at the turn of the twentieth century.  Pick up a copy of Print Culture and the Formation of the Anarchist Movement in Spain, 1890-1915! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

I recently sat down with my dear friend and comrade, Jimmy Dunson, who put together an anthology on mutual aid, disaster relief, and building dual-power called Building Power While the Lights Are Out. The anthology is gripping and brilliant and the two of us have a wide-ranging conversation on a number of the essays contained within the anthology. We talk about mutual aid as the process of making kin, the ways mutual aid is becoming less of a niche thing that just anarchists dressed all in black do, and the ways we can build dual-power both before and after a natural disaster. Pick up a copy of Building Power While the Lights are Out: Disasters, Mutual Aid, and Dual Power. You can donate to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief on PayPal by sending funds to mutualaiddisasterrelief@gmail.com. You can support MADR on Venmo at @mutualaiddisasterrelief. You can also support their work on MADR's Action Network. Enter our MADR Fundraiser to win a copy of Bloc by Bloc: Uprising! Send a screenshot of your donation via DM to Coffee with Comrades' Twitter or Instagram by 10/7/22 @ 12pm EST. Find out more about Bloc by Bloc by listening to Ep. 158 and Ep. 22. Visit Mutual Aid Disaster Relief's website and follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Today, we're sharing an interview with the all-around-badass Margaret Killjoy. Margaret is a writer of fiction, a musician in multiple bands, and she is also the host of two great podcasts: Live Like the World is Dying and Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff. And that's an inexhaustive list. Margaret joined me to talk about her new book, We Won't Be Here Tomorrow, which is a delightful anthology of short stories collected for the first time together in this brand new edition for AK Press. Pick up a copy of We Won't Be Here Tomorrow. Support Margaret on Patreon and follow her on Twitter and Instagram! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and Mastadon, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

In this special bonus edition of Coffee with Comrades, I sit down with Tallahassee, FL-based artist and community-organizer, Eric Champagne, to talk about the life and plight of Dan Baker. Dan Baker is a YPG veteran, yoga instructor, and anarchist who was arrested for posts he made on social media in the wake of the January 6th insurrection. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear Dan talk in his own words about his experiences on the inside. Special thanks to Eric and Adrien, who helped acquire the audio from Dan for this episode. Additional thanks to Running Down the Walls, the Certain Days Calendar, the Anarchist Black Cross, Antifa International, and the Burning Books Collective. Dan's birthday is on September 17th. If you'd like to send him a letter or a birthday card, you can do so at the following address: Dan Baker - #25765-509 FCI Memphis P.O. Box 34550 Memphis, TN 38184 You can also donate directly to Dan's commissary/reentry fund by sending donations to DanBakerDonations@gmail.com on PayPal.   Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, I am sharing a dialogue I recently had with my new friend Nash Flynn. Nash is a comedian, historian, and host of the podcast Death and Friends. In our dialogue, we talk about death. A lot. Like, a whole helluva lot. So keep that in mind as you wade into this discussion. We chat about the death of non-human animals, climate change, the inevitable heat-death of the universe…but the majority of the dialogue focuses on Nash's area of expertise: the deathways of so-called New England in the fifteenth century. We talk a lot about settler colonialism, the way history is whitewashed and sanitized, and get into the details of death in all their nitty, gritty, gory glory. Follow Nash on Twitter and Instagram and listen to her podcast, Death and Friends. You can also support Death and Friends on Patreon! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Shawn of Srsly Wrong joins me for a discussion inspired by two books: Escape from Childhood by John C. Holt, and Raising Free People by Akilah S. Richards.  In our expansive dialogue, we talk about climate anxiety, raising kids, studenthood, the abolition of family, and the process of teaching yourself how to treat children with respect. Support Srsly Wrong on Patreon, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and visit their website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and Mastadon, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Today, we're sharing an interview with an Ashville-based collective called Firestorm Books. For those not already acquainted with our Appalachian comrades' work, Firestorm Books is a queer, feminist, anarchist collective operating a co-op bookstore and social movement space. Esmé, Ash, and Libertie sat down with me this past week to talk about starting up their cooperative business, the tensions and dynamics of running a horizontal, collaborative workplace, how they thwart hierarchy interpersonally, and–perhaps most importantly–their ongoing fundraiser to purchase a new storefront just up the road from their current location. Support Firestorm Books' fundraising effort. Help this radical cooperative find a new home! Visit Firestorm's website to pick up a book, stickers, or other sweet merch. You can also follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram and Mastadon, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

In this week's special, collaborative episode of Coffee with Comrades, Parker from Overcritical joins me to discuss the "most watched" television phenomenon of all time: Squid Game (2021).  Follow Overcritical on Twitter and Instagram. While you're at it, follow Parker, too! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram and Mastadon, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

In this edition of Coffee with Comrades, we talk with Dr. Mixæl Laufer about Four Thieves Vinegar Collective's most recent DIY, autonomous medicine shenanigans. Mixæl walks us through abortion pills that've been transposed to business cards. We talk about 4TVC's revamp of the Microlab Suite, which now features an intuitive system for researching medicines and helping you diagnose your own symptoms. Together, we discuss abortion access and why DIY medicine shouldn't be necessary in the first place. The episode is jam-packed and I sincerely hope you'll enjoy our dialogue as much as we did.  Follow Mixæl on Twitter and visit Four Thieves Vinegar Collective's newly revamped website!  A VICE write-up on Mixæl's recent appearance at the HOPE Conference in NYC.  Check out our previous episodes with Mixæl, too: Episode 14 and Episode 21.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Today, we're sharing an interview with Tallahassee-based poet, essayist, and social ecology community organizer, Adrien. You might know Adrien better by their pen-name, Cybele. Recently, Adrien put out a new essay called (Re)Growing Communal Life: Preparing the Soil for Revolution. I'd recommend checking it out, if you got a sec. The essay is pretty short and a brisk, lovely read. I've appreciated Adrien's writing ever since we were roommates swapping poetry. I know you'll dig their work, too. I hope you enjoy this dialogue as much as we did! Read Adrien's essay, (Re)Growing Communal Life: Preparing the Soil for Revolution.  Follow Live Oak Radical Ecology on Twitter and Instagram.  Check out our previous episode with Adrien, too! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Today, I'm joined by labor organizer Tom Wetzel, author of the new book Overcoming Capitalism: Strategy for the Working Class in the Twenty-First Century.  Pick up a copy of Tom's book, Overcoming Capitalism.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

In this edition of Coffee with Comrades, we sit down with Kristian Williams, author of the new book Gang Politics: Revolution, Repression, and Crime. Kristian and I explore the long history of counterinsurgency, the emergence of gang-style political formations in the imperial core, the efficacy of community armed self-defense, and so much more.  Pick up a copy of Kristian's latest book, Gang Politics: Revolution, Repression, and Crime. Visit Kristian's website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

I recently sat down with Bruce E. Levine to talk about his new book A Profession without Reason: The Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry Untangled and Solved by Spinoza, Freethinking, and Radical Enlightenment. In my conversation with Bruce, we touched on a whole host of things: freethinking, care work, peer-to-peer mutual aid groups of psychiatric survivors, horizontal versus hierarchical modes of care, and Spinoza. Lots of Spinoza. Pick up a copy of A Profession Without Reason and check out Bruce's website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

In this week's edition of Coffee with Comrades, I'm joined by writer, artist, and game designer Gareth Damian Martin, developer of the new indie RPG Citizen Sleeper. Gareth and I talk about Citizen Sleeper's systems, structures, and mechanics, its vast cast of NPCs, themes of precarity and symbiosis, and the importance of mushrooms. Like Gareth's game, neither of us came up with many answers for how to survive–and thrive–in the ruins of capitalism, but the conversation was immensely edifying and I hope you'll enjoy it, too. You can download Citizen Sleeper right now with a GamePass subscription on Xbox consoles or pick up a copy for PC, Mac, or the Nintendo Switch. Follow Gareth on Twitter and check out their website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Chris, a psychotherapist with sixteen years in the field, joins me to critique the psych profession. We explore the history of psychology and psychiatric coercion, the violence and carceral logic implicit in locking away the "insane." We discuss the ways in which neurotypicality is constructed to serve the hegemony of the ruling class. Chris and I examine the ways that capital and the state regiment our minds, cajoling, commanding, and controling. We also touch on the emerging concept of "mad liberation." It's a pretty wide-ranging conversation. I hope you enjoy it. Follow Chris on Mastadon. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Today, I'm very excited to share a conversation with you that I had with Peter Gelderloos, author of the new book The Solutions Are Already Here, available now through Pluto Press. Peter and I talk about why “climate change” doesn't quite capture the urgency of ecological catastrophe, why a fixation on “fossil fuels” is a strategic error, the kinship relations that inform our intricate and intimate connections to all living critters and the planet itself, indigenous wisdom and situated knowledges, and a whole helluva lot more. Pick up a copy of The Solutions Are Already Here! Follow Peter Gelderloos on Twitter Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.  

On this week's edition of Coffee with Comrades, I am joined by carla bergman to discuss the pamphlet she co-authored with scott crow, Just anarchy. carla and I explore intergenerational struggle, burnout, the general utility of peer-to-peer mentorship, anarchist conceptions of authority, trusting kids, cultivating kinship, and a whole lot more.  Follow carla on Twitter, visit her website, check out Silver Threads and Grounded Futures, and pick up a copy of Just anarchy. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Today, we're sharing an interview with Jay Dragon and Mercedes Acosta, two of the developers, designers, and writers behind the brand new TRPG Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast which, as of today, is officially available to support on Indiegogo! We had a really lovely conversation about sanctuary, refuge, transgender characterization, seeing elements of yourself reflected back at you in your writing, twitter beef, drama in leftist milieus, and the joy of finding community together. I'd strongly encourage you to visit the campaign website and support their game. I've had a peak behind-the-scenes and think Yazeba's is truly something special. Back Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast on Indiegogo today! You can also visit Possum Creek Games on the web. Follow Jay Dragon and Mercedes Acosta on Twitter. Check out Mercedes' art while you're at it! Support Clearwater Give Water, Mercedes' mutual aid efforts in Southern FL. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, I am joined by my friend and comrade Charli Ash to talk about, well, a whole helluva lot. In this dialogue, Charli lays out trans* history, including how transgender folks have been pathologized, how trans* folks have accessed medical care for transition, the pathologization of transness, and a whole bunch more. Then, we transition to looking at the current moment and the anti-trans and homophobic legislation in places like Texas. We even touch on the struggles of folks in Ukraine and how Putin's crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community prefigured the reactionary playbook being used against people in the so-called U.S.  Links Follow Charli on Twitter.  Operation.Solidarity Linktree to support anarchist and anti-authoritarian struggles in Ukraine.  Support Trans Rights in Texas and score a slew of sweet TRPGs.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Book Recommendations  Shon Faye, The Transgender Issue Judith Butler, Gender Trouble Emi Koyama, The Transfeminist Manifesto Emma Goldman, The Tragedy of Women's Liberation  The Culture series by Iain M. Banks The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin Other Sources On the ICD-11 update  On the DSM-V definition  Madeleine Carlisle. “Pediatricians who serve trans youth face increasing harassment. Livesaving care could be on the line.” TIME.  Freedom for All Americans Legislation Tracker Russia's anti-LGBTQ bills prefigured legislation in the so-called US.

I recently caught up with Tim Holland Pacal Bayley, better known as Sole and DJ Pain 1, to chat about their forthcoming record, Post-American Studies, out this week on the record label Emergency Hearts. Tim, Pacal, and I had a humorous, wide-ranging chat about the record, its themes, and the artists' shared musical history. Pick up a copy of Post-American Studies by Sole & DJPain1. Follow Sole on Twitter, listen to Propaganda by the Seed, and peep his bandcamp. Follow DJPain1 on Twitter and check out his beats website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

On this week's edition of Coffee with Comrades, I sit down with Margaret Killjoy to discuss the new edition of A Country of Ghosts, an anarchist utopian fantasy novel.  Pick up a copy of A Country of Ghosts!  Follow Margaret on Twitter and listen to Live Like the World is Dying.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

In this episode of Coffee with Comrades, T.L and Greg, designers of the forthcoming third edition of Bloc by Bloc: Uprising join me to discuss the game's revamped mechanics, new and emergent gameplay, mutual aid, insurrection, and so much more. In many ways, this conversation functions as a follow up to an earlier episode of Coffee with Comrades, Ep. 22: “The Magic Circle-A.” If you haven't listened to that episode, we definitely recommend you check it out, but it's not essential. This episode definitely stands on its own merits. Check out Bloc by Bloc on Gamefound! Follow Greg and TL on Twitter. Follow Out of Order Games on Twitter and visit their website. Subscribe to their newsletter while you're there! Check out Greg's article on First Nations of Catan, which we mentioned in the episode. You can also check out the press release for Greg's other upcoming game, Ahoy! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, I'm sharing a conversation I had with my family about children's liberation and parenting as radicals. The dialogue is pretty wide-ranging. We talk about the “bedtime discourse” that sparked the idea for this episode, chat about unschooling, the limitations of “abolishing the family,” parenting as anarchists, how to be good models as adults in kids' lives, the tension between individual autonomy and our communal responsibilities, parenting under capitalism, and a whole lot more. Follow Megan on Twitter.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Did you know that “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” is secretly a song about stealing from the rich? Did you know the “Lord of Misrule” was the original holiday party animal? Did you know solidarity and justice are the real reason for the season? “Bread Santa” is a holiday special, a people's history of Christmas. Liz, of Rebel Steps, joins us to discuss the pagan origins of Christmas in Yule and Winter Solstice, the Roman Empire's hegemonic institution of Christianity, the Puritans' reactionary conservatism, Fox News' war on Christmas, and so much more. So, pour yourself some eggnog and enjoy! Notes: Check out Rebel Steps wherever you get your favorite podcasts! Follow them on Twitter and TikTok and support their work on Patreon. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store.  Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. References: Focus on the Family's reactionary dipshittery  From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus: the surprising origins of Kris Kringle  Christmas in 19th century America  Christmas Trees: A Forgotten History  The Christmas Truce  What's the real history of Black Friday? How the “War on Christmas” controversy was created  An anarchist guide to Christmas  Why do we have Christmas trees? The surprising history behind this holiday tradition. Mother Jones: Santa Gets Busted in Copenhagen The Danish Anarchists Who Inspired SantaCon Could Not Have Imagined Its Bro-Hell Future Julemandshæren 1974 video Rebel Steps' Cancel Rent Gingerbread House

This week, I had a chance to hang out with my pal, Amy, and talk about the benign anarchy of Alcoholics Anonymous. We talk about the beauty and allure of voluntary association, why coercion doesn't help addicts recover, why seeing addiction as an “individual failing” rather than a systemic healthcare issue is facile and vacuous, and levy a whole bunch of critiques at the organization for its regressive attitudes and white supremacy. Follow Amy on Twitter! Need someone to watch your pets while you're away for rehab? Check out the Pink Cloud Foundation! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Recently, I had the chance to read a wonderful graphic novel put together by my friends nicole and Hugh called Wonder Drug: LSD in the Land of Living Skies. I sat down with the two of ‘em to discuss the history of LSD research, psychedelics, hippies, capitalism, therapy, and a whole bunch more. I think the comic is lovely and I hope you'll pick up a copy if you enjoy this dialogue between the three of us. Pick up a copy of nicole and Hugh's graphic novel, Wonder Drug. Follow them on Twitter! Black Out Black Friday Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

This week, we don't have a new interview for you but we do have a bunch of rad announcements, some of which are time-sensitive. If you're a Coffee with Comrades Patron (or you've ever considered becoming one,) this is definitely a 13 min. episode you don't wanna miss! · Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. · Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. · Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. · Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! · Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale. Transcript: Hey there, comrades! I hope this episode of Coffee with Comrades finds you better than me. I'll admit, it may be a touch dramatic to say this past week I've felt like Death itself, but that's not far from the mark. Earlier this week, we had a COVID-19 scare at our house and we went and got everyone tested. There was good news and bad news. The good news? We didn't have COVID. The bad news? We were all still sick as hell. If I still sound hoarse and sick, that's because I'm still recovering. Fortunately, I am on the mend! Anyway, to make a long story short, I ended up postponing a scheduled interview and, as a result, don't have a full-fledged episode for you today. That said, there are a few exciting announcements that I wanted to make—some of which are time-sensitive—so I didn't want to wait until next week. So, let's dive right in. As always, longtime listeners of Coffee with Comrades are well aware by now, we are a proud part of the Channel Zero Network. Check out this jingle to find out a little more about the network… …Alright, first big announcement: it brings me great pleasure to announce that we finally have merch! We've got t-shirts. We've got crewnecks. And, by popular demand, we've got coffee mugs. You can find it all by visiting the hyperlink in our show-notes. We're so psyched to finally see this stuff out in the wild. If you ordered something, be sure to tag us in it on social media. Now that spoopy season is officially behind us, it's time to celebrate the winter solstice. To mark the occasion, we are doing our first Coffee with Comrades Yule Tide Gift Exchange! I know, I know. I can hear it already. “Exchanging gifts!? That's capitalist.” Settle down, y'all. Quite the opposite, gifts have a long, treasured history of being about community, ways of binding us closer to one another. What makes the holidays a capitalist nightmare is the commodification and profit motive, not the euphoric joy of seeing someone's face light up when you exchange gifts. To quote the indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer, “Gifts from the earth or from each other establish a particular relationship, an obligation of sorts to give, to receive, and to reciprocate…It's funny how the nature of an object is so changed by the way it comes into your hands—as a gift or as a commodity.” Gifts spark kinship. They cultivate relationality. The Marxist theory of alienation suggests that commodities, on the other hand, alienate us from one another and from the larger biome we all inhabit together. So, here's how it's all gonna work: 1) Over the next two weeks, we're gonna collect names. In order to sign-up for the Yule Tide Gift Exchange, you'll need to be a Coffee with Comrades Patreon subscriber. That's not to be exclusionary, it's just that it's one of the only ways to really facilitate this sorta process safely. We'll finish the sign-up process November 16th, so be sure to sign-up before then! To sign up, just private message me on Discord and I will put you name on a list for my eyes only! 2) On November 16th, we'll draw names in the Coffee with Comrades Discord sever. We're gonna be using a random generator appropriately called “Draw Names,” which I'll enter everyone's names into beforehand. 3) Once names have been drawn, I will privately message you the name and address of the person whose name you drew. This will mean that the only people who will ever have your address are me and the person who's going to be giving you a gift! Of course, I already have your address on Patreon. But, if you haven't put your address on there yet and want to participate in the Gift Exchange, be sure to put one down ASAP! 4) Finally, the goal is to mail out gifts for each other. I'd encourage everyone to try to make something by-hand. Write a poem, draw a painting, take a polaroid photograph of something pretty and design a cute frame. I dunno, go wild! If you'd prefer to pick something up, try to stay under a $20 limit. 5) Let's aim to have our gifts in the mail by Dec. 16th so that folks will have a full month to create and/or shop for the secret gifts! The goal here is to use this opportunity to build up community. Even if we are disconnected from one another, my hope is that through a gift exchange like this and our ongoing monthly book club we can continue to cultivate meaningful friendships and genuine camaraderie. I know a lot of folks have hang-ups around Operational Security and the good news is if you don't feel comfortable, you certainly don't have to participate! But we'd love to have you and, hopefully, maybe make this an annual tradition. Making this program is a labor of love, but it's a ton of hard work. Coffee with Comrades is a show made by a worker for workers. If you dig this program, it would mean the world if you chose to support us by going to www.patreon.com/coffeewithcomrades. Starting at just a $1/month, you can unlock awesome perks like access to our Patreon only Discord server, you can come hang out at our book club, and enjoy exclusive first access to new episodes of the show and behind-the-scenes looks at the making of this podcast. Any monthly contribution is enormously appreciated, no matter the amount you choose to give. Our Patrons are incredible folks who help keep radical, independent media alive and we are stupendously grateful for their ongoing support. If you don't have a dollar a month handy but still wanna support Coffee with Comrades, the good news is there are a bunch of ways you can help our show continue to grow! If you fuck with this program, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Like, RT, and share new episodes every Tuesday when they go live. If you listen to shows on Apple Podcasts, you can review our episodes. Be sure to smash that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. But, most importantly, if you enjoy Coffee with Comrades, tell your friends about this program today. Alright, I think that's pretty much all I've got for y'all today. Like I said, no new interview this week. But, if you're keen on horror, you can check out the latest edition of Macabre Media podcast, the other show I do with my friends Kaleb and Jorge. The three of us are celebrating our 50th episode by talking about 2001's Jason X, arguably the greatest motion picture of all time. Although…I'm not entirely sure who would actually argue that. Peace!

This week, we share an interview with communist rapper JJ Demon. We touch on a whole host of topics: the prison industrial complex, capitalism as capital murder, solidarity, intersectionality, class war, and JJ's new LP, ghost gun Red Menace.  Follow JJ Demon on Twitter and stream ghost gun Red Menace wherever you get your favorite music.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Recently, all of anarchist Twitter lit up like the Minneapolis Third Precinct when AK Press shouted out the forthcoming comic book, Durruti: Shadow of the People. I had the good fortune to sit down with Brenton and chat about the graphic novel, as well as the life and times of Beunaventura Durruti, the struggles of the anarchists and socialists against the fascists in Revolutionary Spain, and why a comic book is a great option for telling Durruti's story (at least, that is, until it can get optioned as a prestige TV mini-series or serialized as an anime!) Check out the Durruti: Shadow of the People Kickstarter page to pre-order a copy today! Follow Brenton on Twitter and visit his website. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

I recently sat down with Andy from The Poor Proles Almanac to discuss, well, a whole bunch of shit. We talked about firearms, guerilla gardening, permaculture, and raising chickens. Andy even had the audacity to defend the Pumpkin Spice Latte on a podcast called Coffee with Comrades. Truly, the nerve… Support Poor Proles' Almanac on Patreon, follow them on Twitter and Instagram! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

Holy shit, y'all, we fucking did it! 150 episodes of this silly, radical, wholesome podcast. 150 conversations, discussions, dialogues, interviews, chit-chats, back-and-forths. Wow wow wow wow wow wow. To celebrate, we do a bit of house-keeping and have a Q&A to mark the occasion. If you'd like, you can read the transcript for this episode. We also have a poll going for t-shirt designs. Let us know which you like the best! Be sure to stick around 'til the very end for some wild-ass bloopers. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.

“The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make and could just as easily make differently.” David Graeber, The Utopia of Rules Dedicated to the memory of David Graeber. Rest in power.  Recently, I sat down with Nate and Tom, two of the co-hosts of Works in Theory podcast, to commemorate the passing of David Graeber. Together, we read through my favorite Graeber essay, “What's the Point if We Can't Have Fun?” and discussed everything from anthropocentrism to economics to joy and the jubilee of play.  Read “What's the point if we can't have fun?” by David Graeber. Follow Works in Theory on Twitter and Instagram and visit their website.  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! Our logo was designed by Sydney Landis. Support her work, buy some art.