You can order pizza cooked on an active volcano.
A different format with lots of discussion points.
Hello dear reader!
The holiday season is in full swing, and for the past two nights, I’ve been immersed in festive celebrations—perhaps a bit ambitious for a Monday and Tuesday, but entirely worth it. On Monday, I attended a Harvard holiday party: wonderful conversation, less-than-stellar food (surprising, given the proximity to Aba—what happened there?). Then, last night, I celebrated with the amazing women of the giving council I’m part of for the Chicago Foundation for Women.
A giving circle is a group of individuals who pool their donations and collectively decide which nonprofits to support. It’s my favorite form of philanthropy because it’s community-driven and deeply engaging. Instead of simply writing a check, we collaborate, discuss how to allocate our funds, research small organizations, meet with their teams, and ensure our contributions align with our shared vision for impact. It’s philanthropy that goes beyond dollars—it’s about connection, empowerment, and action.
When someone asks me how to get started in philanthropy, I always recommend joining a giving circle. It’s a meaningful entry point and a chance to deepen your involvement with civic life. And if you’re lucky, your giving circle might even have a holiday party featuring homemade dishes, churros, and a gift exchange! This year, I walked away with Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo and a candle that smells of coffee and books.
There is so much joy to be found in giving!
“He led the life of a king, and we lived like rabbits and dogs.” I still can not quite believe that after 53 years, the Assad family is no longer in power in Syria. The rebel alliance (HTS) moved across Syria in just 11 days, forcing Assad to flee to Russia and creating a power vacuum that is startling to the whole region (and world). On Tuesday, it was announced that Mohammed al-Bashir would lead as Interim President until March. The rebels currently have control of Assad’s monumental palace in the capital, Damascus, and allowed NYTimes journalists in to take a look.
The oddest book title of the year award goes to... Did you know that this prize existed?! I certainly did not and am slightly confused by what constitutes a title as notably odd. Regardless, the people have spoken, and the winner of this year’s Diagram prize is The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography of Desire by Richard Adams Carey, which traces how the caviar industry has changed.
Milwaukee’s children have free art access. The Milwaukee Art Museum announced that it received an anonymous $3.54 million gift to establish an endowment to support free admission for children in perpetuity. When I visited Milwaukee a few years ago, this art museum was a definite highlight, and I love that it will (hopefully) be more accessible to more children and families. And a shoutout to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the St. Louis Art Museum, whose permanent collections are always free for everyone.
The new Another Tomorrow flagship store in New York looks beautiful and was designed by professor of architecture and founder of the Yale Centre for Ecosystems in Architecture, Anna Dyson. The sustainable luxury womenswear brand said the opening marks “a "significant milestone in the brand’s journey towards modeling a more resilient future for fashion”.
Iraqi lawmakers are attempting to amend the country’s 1959 Personal Status Law to lower the minimum marriage age for girls to 15. Led by the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), it’s a move to appeal to conservative voters and to secure a deal which could lead to the release of thousands of Sunni detainees. This is devastating news for women and girls in Iraq and demonstrates how women’s rights are constantly being tossed around for other political gains.
Human rights funding announced. Open Society Foundations is billionaire investor George Soros’ foundation (now run by one of his sons, Alex Soros) and it has historically been one of the largest funders of human rights groups. In 2020, OSF was the largest global human rights funder, giving out the most money overall and making the largest number of grants. Over the past couple of years it has been going through a reorg which has left organizations nervous about what is coming next. This week they reconfirmed their commitment to human rights and committed $400 million toward green jobs and economic development and a new program focused on protecting environmental defenders.
You can order pizza cooked on an active volcano. Volcano tourism is one of the main reasons people travel to Guatemala (my travelogue of hiking a volcano there is coming soon) and one man is cooking pizzas over the volcanic rock itself much to the delight of travelers. Will we see trendy “volcanic pizza” places popping up in big US cities in 2025?! Stay tuned.
It’s time to pick your Sundance films. The festival program has been released and as usual I am drawn to so many of the documentaries. About 60% of the program will be available online starting on Jan. 30 and for the past couple of years I have bought tickets to a few individual films. Although, if you have always wanted to make a trip, this is going to be the last year the festival is primarily based out of Park City. They have not yet announced where it will be going next but apparently, Cincinnatti, Ohio is a top contender?!
Books for all. A couple of great book sales that are happening right now that you should take advantage of for your own shelves and those holiday gifts - Haymarket has a selection of books for $10 or less and Seven Stories Press has 40% off everything for newsletter subscribers. Two of my favourite publishers!
I am thinking of doing these short round-ups of quick chats and discussion points a couple of times a week. What do you think?
Best,
Jennifer
xxx