The Power in Pleasure
Despite what capitalism has taught us, pleasure is neither a commodity nor a reward. It’s a foundational human need.
YES! Article archive
Issues
The Pleasure Issue
This issue is dedicated to exploring pleasure as it connects to our efforts to change the world, and, hopefully, get free in the process.
Discovering Accessible Delight
Everyone has the right to pleasure. But without disability justice, pleasure is a privilege.
Black Joy in Pursuit of Racial Justice
What does it mean to give ourselves permission to experience joy even when grief and rage are present?
These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things
The pursuit of pleasure in our modern capitalist society is inextricably linked to money.
Platonic Matchmaking for Intentional Friendships
Matchmakers aren’t just for romantic relationships. Here’s how you can formally arrange your friendships.
Can Better Policy Help Reduce Overdoses?
A sensible drug policy would address the reasons many of us use drugs in the first place: We enjoy them.
Finding Freedom in Black BDSM
Black kink is about pleasure first and foremost. But it’s also bound up with freedom and empowerment.
How to Build Resilience to Shame
Today’s hustle culture claims “unearned” pleasure is shameful. But there are ways to resist this cultural response.
Medicine of the Tree People
In our modern world, conifers and evergreens are used for a spectrum of staples ranging from homesteads to holiday decor, though we rarely stop to recognize the Tree People who provide us these essentials.
To Burn and Still Grow
On the resilience of forests.
Seeking Just Trials
Trials are far from impartial if the defendant is poor or reliant on public defenders. These people are working to re-balance the scales of justice.
The Page That Counts
Number of United Nations members that have failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: 14 (including the United States) Member states that have failed to
For American Labor, the Past Isn’t Past
Can learning labor history give us hope for the future of unions?
Climate Debt and American Dreams
Bill McKibben has been a leading advocate for climate change action since he wrote the first popular book about global warming in 1989. In his new memoir, “The Flag, The Cross and the Station Wagon,” he connects the climate crisis to his suburban American boyhood and wonders “What the hell happened?”
Why Not Pass?
“The Vanishing Half” deals with the theme of racial “passing” in the 1950s. Passing is different today, but still presents a choice between safety and authenticity.
The YES! Crossword: Find Your 62-Down
Play the puzzle from our “Pleasure” issue.
YES! Reflection
Every issue of YES! is created not only to inform, but also to inspire, to encourage, and to motivate. The sections are designed to share personal, communal, and societal approaches to being
YES! Issue Contributors
adrienne maree brown is the writer-in-residence at the Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute, and a prolific author whose latest works include the novella Grievers, and Holding Change: The Way of Emergent
Readers Respond
The Spring 2022 “Personal Journeys” issue of YES! Magazine. Our Spring “Personal Journeys” issue was a different one for YES! It focused on people’s personal stories of healing and transformation,
Prioritizing Pleasure
Dear Readers, The letters I write to you in each issue of YES! give me a chance to reflect. Honestly, when the editors first proposed an issue on pleasure well
Why I Give
Rita Howard has been reading YES! since its inception. “We inhabit the same corner of the universe,” she says, “so our meeting was inevitable!” What kind of work or volunteering
A Journey From Rage to Mindfulness
An approach to examining systems, navigating emotional distress, and increasing social harmony.
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