Nation readers! Help us write a guidebook on the American left. Tell us your favorite places, products and services in the categories below. We need ideas from all over the country. E-mail suggestions to [email protected]. Thank you. –The Editors
Theaters with left/political repertories
Political satire cabarets, street theaters
Restaurants with a left identity, ownership or history, or that serve natural, organic or “slow” food
Bars and saloons with lefty traditions or where lefties congregate, and historic watering holes
Romance/sex: e.g., feminist erotica, consenting-adult clubs, singles meeting places
Reading clubs, discussion groups
Public policy/advocacy groups (the ones you most strongly like and support)
Environmental activist groups
Environmentally friendly products
Recreation/nature: e.g., parks, beaches, ski runs, summer camps, nudist colonies, pagan and Wicca festivals
Gardening: e.g., victory gardens, natural fertilizers
Energy: sustainable and alternative fuel sources
Media
magazines: left/progressive zines, alternative weeklies, community papers,
political movement papers, radical-critical organs, literary/political quarterlies
radio: stations, programs, talk-show hosts, community radio
television: e.g., socially conscious PBS stations
Internet: e.g., great political, cultural, literary or entertainment blogs
Natural foods–local, mail-order sources
Health: alternative medicines/clinics/spas
Artisanal wine, beer, spirits, cheeses, etc.
Green markets (community-sponsored agriculture)
Clothing: e.g., nonsweatshop brands
Fair-deal insurance: health, drug, medical, life
Financial: cooperatives, anti-redlining banks
Mutual funds: green, socially conscious
Legal: legal aid societies, pro bono defense attorneys, groups that litigate for causes like the ACLU
Travel: tours for left-minded people such as work-study, political, cruises
Real estate: e.g., co-housing sites, green homebuilders, solar-powered homes, homes built of recycled materials, honest brokers, “Old Left” retirement places
Funeral homes that Decca Mitford would love (those with fair pricing)
Cemeteries (fair-priced and those with left-history links)
