Getting off the computer (or phone) and meeting face-to-face is important.I'm in the middle of launching the Nasty Woman game in cities across thecountry, having just wrapped up an incredible evening in Atlanta. Seeing groups of people play the game—some took the more comedic route while others found an opportunity to have deep discussions about politics—has confirmed for me that creating spaces to exchange information and learn, without fear of being vulnerable and learning, are incredibly important and core to how Shrill Society will grow. Check out our events here. Austin is up next on August 28 and then we'll be adding dates for Miami, Orlando, and Tampa soon!

The Lady Thing in San Francisco is thinking along the same lines and have opened their first pop-up installation. The pop-up considers feminist issues in a hyper-Instagram-ready form to comment on the popularity of the pop-up model (some of which have been dedicated to ice cream, pizza, and even...eggs?) while also attempting to offer more serious takeaways for visitors.

My rule #1: never read the comments. But, honestly, I break this rule on a near daily basis. It always seems to be a downward spiral, even in the most niche of communities. Some of you may have seen this unfold on the Facebook page for the popular podcast My Favorite Murder, which has over 236k members and was recently suspended by its founders. The suspension was largely prompted by the community fallout when a post was submitted by a new user that was downright racist. Commenters, many of whom are people of color, were quick to point out the blatant racism in the post and found their comments deleted and group membership revoked by volunteer moderators. The in-fighting continued until the founders suspended the group. In a community that was primarily young, educated, feminist women this would be shocking if it wasn't so common. For Harper's Bazaar, writer Rachel Elizabeth Cargle writes about the reactions (and lack there of) from white feminists after the death of Nia Wilson, noting: "in a crucial moment of showing up for our marginalized community, there was more concern about their [white women's] feelings and ego as opposed to the fight forward for women as a whole." Her article was published right when the MFM Facebook group was imploding for some of the very reasons she argues in her article.

That time FUPA was printed in Vogue. Beyoncé ruled Vogue  this month and made history in the process: she hired 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell who is the first African American to shoot a Vogue cover. She also gives a rare essay-style interview in which she talks about her difficult C-section, her acceptance of her changing body, her hope to pay it forward for young artists, and her desire for a lasting and impactful legacy. "As the mother of two girls, it’s important to me that they see themselves too—in books, films, and on runways. It’s important to me that they see themselves as CEOs, as bosses, and that they know they can write the script for their own lives—that they can speak their minds and they have no ceiling."

This week we said goodbye Aretha Franklin. Buzzfeed's Tomi Obaro poignantly says, "that we often only think of Aretha’s voice—the control, therange, the melisma—and not of her instinctive musical ability as a form of “genius” shows how much we tend to reserve such labels only for men. But it’s a title Aretha deserves, without question. That we have often failed to give it to her, or done so begrudgingly, highlights our own collective—perhaps even unconscious—biases. Acknowledging the musical genius of black women artists is important, not only as a source of respect but as a way to open thecanon and see the ways in which black women, who are often viewed as mere ornaments in their own industry, have shaped music with their own surreal talent and aptitude. And in a moment where it seems virtually impossible for a big-voiced black woman singer who doesn’t look like Rihanna or dance like Beyoncé to achieve widespread pop chart dominance, we need those reminders more than ever." Here's a playlist for you to listen to all weekend long.