Hi, everyone. I just wanted to pop on and say hello and touch base. I did not feel comfortable

dropping a new episode of the Stacks this week without acknowledging the terrible wildfires

that are taking place in Los Angeles right now, the city in which I live. My family and I,

we are okay. Thank you so much for reaching out to us. Unfortunately, so many people that I know

and love lost their homes,

including a few people who work here with me at the Stacks. I have to say, of course, I'm beyond

grateful to the amazing work of the firefighters and first responders, and I hope that they can

continue to protect the citizens of Los Angeles. I wanted to quickly highlight an organization

that is in need of your financial contributions. I know there are so many places you could donate your money. And I wanted to highlight

inclusive action for the city. They have a fund going on right now for outdoor workers that have

been impacted by the fires. Many gardeners, street vendors, recyclers, and other outdoor workers

who are an integral part of the LA communities touched by the fire have lost their livelihoods.

Inclusive action is giving out $500 grants directly to these workers.

Also, this week in my newsletter, I shared a list of places and people in need of your support,

and I have included links to both Inclusive Action and my newsletter in the show notes.

So please check those things out.

And thank you so much for helping us rebuild Los Angeles.

I think the important thing for any creative person to remember is that no one is begging you to

create, right? If I'd never written a novel, the world would have been fine. The reason that

ministry happened and worked, and I hope has brought people some joy, the same kind of joy as

brought me, is because it was just, it was a pleasure to do. It was something I wanted to do with my

human brain. I wanted to, I wanted to share and communicate in that way and I wanted to express a

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