[SUBSTACK ARCHIVE] #2: The one where my reporting didn't fall into place like I'd hoped

Hello fine people! Obviously today is Wednesday, and this was supposed to go out last Friday, but that delay was not without reason. Let’s start with the good news:

Labor Pains now has branding! And I love it. I won’t get into all of the word associations that come to mind for me since this isn’t a newsletter about visual design. But I will say that the sunburst is my favorite part, because it also reminds me of a lemon wedge. And I think the combination of optimistic sunlight and the sour flavor of a lemon kind of sum up my feelings about the American labor situation right now.

The design work you see before you was done by the wonderful team at Adriana Lacy Consulting. From start to finish (my initial outreach to final delivery of the creative assets) it took 3.5 weeks. I don’t know how that compares to other firms doing the same work, but I was impressed. Here’s a shameless plug: If you’re in the market for brand identity type stuff, talk to Adriana and her people. I’m not getting any kind of financial compensation for saying this; I simply believe in shouting out good work when I come across it.

And now for some not-as-good news: I don’t have any reporting for you this week, because the stories I’m working on haven’t panned out as quickly as I had hoped. Being a reporter means playing the waiting game. A lot. Even more so when you’re freelancing without a big name behind you. C’est la vie. (Relatedly: If anyone knows how to get in touch with someone at the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, I would be eternally grateful!)

In the absence of reporting or anything particularly meaningful to say, I would like to hear from you. What would you like to see from this publication? Is there anything you think I should be following or looking into? Are there any books or magazines you recommend about labor history? What about podcasts and movies? Let me know by responding to this email or posting a comment if you’re reading this through Substack’s app. I would like to believe I’m not typing into the void, but I have no way of knowing that if I don’t get feedback. I don’t think the unilateral “coming to you from behind the desk” model of media is one to emulate. I want this to be a successful venture, and one of my metrics for that is building some kind of relationship with my audience (that’s you). Fruitful relationships can’t be a one-way street. So talk to me.

With fingers crossed that I’ll have something worthwhile next week,

Aria