OMM – August 2024 – #1

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

::: The Open :::

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoy this weekly newsletter (published on Sundays).

If you’re a subscriber, please consider reaching out to a friend you think may enjoy this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.

If you can, please consider signing up as a Paid Subscriber.

Thank you for reading and for your time.

With Gratitude,

~ Mark

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Please Note:

This newsletter is typically too long to appear in its entirety in an email. Please click through to Substack to read in full.

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::: Personal Notes :::

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Louisa has a poem in the new issue of Anti-Heroin Chic!

The issue also includes poems by about 15 or so ONE ART contributors!

Link to the full issue.

James Diaz is a terrific editor/curator (and Poet!).

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::: ONE ART :::

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26 Literary Journals with Fast Response Times (Authors Publish)

This list includes ONE ART.

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Working on starting a ONE ART Reading Series.

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Faith Shearin Writing Exercises & Consultation Opportunity

A Special Offer in Partnership with ONE ART: a journal of poetry

This is part of ONE ART’s ongoing fundraising efforts.

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~ Upcoming Workshops ~

Short & Sweet: Writing the Short Poem
Instructor: Donna Hilbert
Date: Thursday, August 22, 2024
Time: 5:00-7:00pm (Pacific)
Price: $25 (payment options)

More registration info forthcoming. Contact Mark Danowsky directly @ oneartpoetry@gmail.com if you wish to attend.

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::: Podcasts :::

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Really the usual. Scroll the end of the newsletter to see ‘Consistent Recommendations’

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::: Music :::

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Sources seem confused and concerned that we can’t pin down a “song of summer”… as there are seemingly too many good options.

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Spending 14 hours a day on TikTok may explain hyperpop and youth culture vibes. Or not. 

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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

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‘Can we have a productive conversation about submission fees?’

Really interesting conversation on Becky Tuch’s LitMagNews!

I shared a few thoughts and there has been lively discussion.

As an aside, The List of Shame came up in conversation.

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Lotta talk about Sarah Manguso’s new book ‘Liars’

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I guess you know you’re getting older when they start adding new words the dictionary and you read the definition and still have no idea what it means.

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Booker Prize longlist

I’m a big fan of Rachel Kushner’s work.

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‘A colossal pigeon sculpture will soon land on the High Line’ (Time Out)

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‘Picnic Tables Are Becoming Poetry Installations at National Parks, Thanks to US Poet Laureate Ada Limón’ (Nice News)

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::: Health & Wellness :::

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Preteen girls are killing themselves at alarming rates.

Data shows preteen suicides (under 15 for the studies) have been on the rise for the past 15 years. But we didn’t need data if we’ve been paying attention.

And it’s not just girls.

Our society seems to have little interest in making this a priority.

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About 25% of active U.S. military personnel have stated that they wish to receive mental health care but have been unable to obtain access.

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Studies have shown that bosses have a greater impact on a person’s mental health than their therapist.

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2/3 of Americans are concerned about having memory problems.

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‘Almost half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed, study finds’ (Guardian)

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A Gallup poll showed that 35% of U.S. college students have considered dropping out in the past 6 months.

About 75% of students polled said it was because of stress rather than financial reasons.

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Parents are saying that their children have an online shopping addiction.

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The majority of people who have had organ transplants report have experienced personality changes.

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‘Regular aspirin use may help lower risk of colorectal cancer, study finds, especially for those with unhealthy lifestyles’ (CNN)

Note: Science goes back and forth on issues like this. Consult your doctor before adopting this or any other strategy related to your medication regimen.

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Good news:

About 6 in 10 Americans say they now walk for pleasure.

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Got GI/IBS-like symptoms? You are not alone.

Anxiety is ravaging everyone (and social media is normalizing talking about it).

Social media doing social good? Really? Hard to believe, I know.

Another article on the same subject.

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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

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GM. Still Early.

“Don’t trust generative AI products to do anything important. Yet. What generative AI is, at this point, is a proof of concept. Think of it like the first time universities in California were networked together in the 1960s and could send messages back and forth. It was kind of cool. It eventually became the internet.” (Semafor)

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‘Is AI overrated?’ (NPR’s The Indicator)

Turns out AI might not take everyone’s jobs in 3 years. But, we won’t know until we know. And it might happen quickly.

With this in mind, Sam Altman is pushing for UBI.

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‘Most LGBTQ+ People Came to Terms With Their Identity by Age 18’ (Gallup)

“Most LGBTQ+ adults report that they knew they were LGBTQ+ when they were young, including 48% saying they knew by the age of 14 and 72% coming to the realization by the age of 18. The median age that LGBTQ+ Americans report recognizing their identity is 14.”

“After coming to terms with their own identity, most LGBTQ+ adults, 71%, report having come out to others before they turned 30, including 57% who did so by the age of 22. Ten percent say they came out later in life -- in their 30s (7%), in their 40s (2%), or at age 50 or older (1%). Eighteen percent of LGBTQ+ respondents say they have never come out to anyone.”

“The youngest LGBTQ+ adults, those aged 18 to 29, came out at a median age of 17, while those aged 30 to 49 and 50 to 64 came out in their early 20s. The median age adults aged 65 and older came out is 26.”

“While only 5% of gay or lesbian Americans report they have not come out to anyone, about one in four bisexual adults (23%) remain not out to others. Due to sample size limitations, Gallup is not able to report the experiences of transgender Americans.”

“Though the median age both LGBTQ+ men and women came out is 19, LGBTQ+ women are more than twice as likely (14%) as LGBTQ+ men (6%) to report having come out by the age of 14.”

“About One in Four LGBTQ+ Adults Report Poor Treatment, Harassment in Past Year” … “Less than half of all LGBTQ+ adults, 45% -- and 28% of gay or lesbian adults -- say they have not experienced any poor treatment in the past year.”

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What are you thinking about? (Seth Godin)

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The Zoom stretch (Seth Godin)

“If it’s not worth coming back, the meeting should have ended already.”

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Safest and least safe places to travel (?) (CNBC)

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Quick reminder of why I am not a homeowner. Ok… there are other reasons.

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US homeowners' insurers hit record low

The real deal is that it’s partly because people live in places where insurance is either extremely high or no longer offered due to the climate crisis.

This is really bad. Down the road… we’re going to see another kind of crisis when people lose their homes due to [so-called] natural disasters (read: at least partly man-made disasters due to climate change). Most people will not simply be able to buy a new home so…

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People should take the crypto factor seriously in the upcoming presidential election.

It’s a non-partisan issue.

There are enough independents (and certainly some democrats) who think a Trump victory could mean a big payout that it could sway their vote.

I’m hoping Kamala will come out and say something vaguely enthusiastic to at least keep people guessing. Along the lines of—“If I’m elected, I’ll create an exploratory committee to see how the U.S. can integrate Bitcoin and other digital currencies.” I’d also suggest she make a statement about how much Bitcoin the U.S. should hold. Trump’s statement about basically doubling U.S. holdings isn’t that dramatic… the U.S. government is already the largest governmental holder of Bitcoin.

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‘The cost of being poor is rising. And it’s worse for poor families of color.’ (Brookings)

“And the cost of living in poverty is exacerbated by the fact that low-income families often pay more for necessities.”

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‘Elon Musk shared an AI-altered video of Kamala Harris on X’ … breaking his company’s own guidelines. (QZ)

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Types of friends to have in your life.

Agree? Disagree?

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‘New study finds people alter their appearance to suit their names’ (phys.org)

Really?

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Overtourism

“Mayor of Athens says tourism in Greece isn’t ‘viable’ anymore as each visitor only adds €0.40 to the economy” (Fortune)

“The scenes out of Santorini, and those unfolding across the continent more broadly, don't do much to combat a charge made in a recent viral TikTok video that much of Europe has morphed into "Disneyland for Americans".” (Chartr)

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About 25% of Gen Z and older colleagues struggle to understand one another in the workplace.

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25% of Americans intend to attempt to retire by the age of 50. (NerdWallet)

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The majority of people say attribute their moral compass to their mother (as opposed to their father).

By comparison, an even larger majority say their political opinions come from their father.

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The last time people were complaining about taxes as much as they are in 2024 was in 2001.

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About twice as many Subaru drivers have DUIs compared to BMW drivers. Seems surprising until you factor in that people associate Subarus with being “extra safe” and then they may subconsciously give themselves permission to act more reckless.

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About half of Americans say they would rather be remembered for their creativity compared to their intelligence.

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A large percentage of millennial Americans report concerns that align with the concept of having “money dysmorphia”.

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3 in 10 trans Americans have experienced homelessness.

1 in 5 trans Americans are currently unemployed.

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About 50% of people report that they are waiting for someone in their life to apologize to them.

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Really interesting article:

‘Neuroscientists find sex and gender map onto different parts of the brain in children’ (PsyPost)

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Impressive.

‘Double victory for Olympic fencer competing while seven months pregnant’ (USA Today)

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‘Olympic sharpshooter's 'Matrix'-inspired style turns heads in Paris’ (NPR)

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‘A conspicuously dressed-down shooter won Olympic silver. Then he went viral’ (NPR)

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“Can’t say that the US is bringing either style or skill when it comes to sharpshooting — deeply ironic that we have zero medals despite our gun culture — but I digress.” (Izzie Ramirez, deputy editor of Future Perfect, Vox)

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30% of adults have symptoms associated with insomnia (Quartz)

Did you know there are more than 80 different sleep disorders?

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Scary ethical dilemma for your consideration.

‘End-of-life decisions are difficult and distressing. Could AI help?’ (MIT Tech Review)

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‘America's Best Mountain Towns’ (Thrillist)

I like mountains and lists… so…

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The Strange World of The Olympic Village.

Cardboard beds & The Olympics. Is it just about “anti-sex” and “eco-friendliness”? (NPR)

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It’s not an Olympic sport but “speed puzzling” is a thing. Basically, putting together a big puzzle as fast as possible. Based on my limited experience putting together puzzles, a large percentage of the joy comes from taking it slow, leisurely, at something of a “snail’s pace” and spread it out over time. So… this seems pretty sad and in line with American enthusiasm for taking anything that might be a relaxing hobby and turning it into a hustle.

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Cyborg hiking pants.

Say goodbye to early knee replacements, maybe?

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Climate change is changing behaviors.

Enter the “coolcation” (Thrillist)

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Embrace the new you. (Seth Godin)

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Midwood.

‘Scientists Discovered an Entirely New Type of Wood’ (Gizmodo)

“Tree categories are lumped into two types. While angiosperms are known colloquially as hardwood and gymnosperms are referred to as softwood, the names don’t have anything to do with the density of wood. Rather, they refer to how trees spread their seeds: hardwood trees disperse their seeds encased in fruit or shells (like oaks or maples), while softwoods have exposed seeds (such as conifers). The trees also differ in their microscopic makeups, with the cell walls in hardwoods having narrow macrofibrils—a structure in the cell wall that plays a role in giving the wood its stiffness and strength.”

“The tulip trees evolved to grow quickly, capturing and storing large amounts of carbon while doing so. That ability to pluck CO2 from the air could make midwood a valuable part of anti-climate change strategies.”

“Given the newly discovered type of wood’s potential utility, the next time somebody calls you “mid,” you might want to take it as a compliment.”

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‘Second gentleman Doug Emhoff acknowledges affair contributed to breakup for first marriage’ (AP)

Oh, the personal attacks in politics…

As if these things are not commonplace in the lives of everyday people. Though, of course, these are supposed to be “representatives”. But look at who gets into office nowadays? So, go figure.

I’m sharing this article purely because it ends on such a positive note. Scroll to the end for a nice moment of solidarity.

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You might be wondering why places like Puerto Rico and Guam or British territories have separate Olympic teams. Well… because they can and they do and that’s great.

But did you hear about the Refugee Olympic Team?

Is it possible the IOC is doing a few things right after Harry Shearer spent years (decades?) poking fun at their failings on Le Show?

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::: Google Search Trends :::

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Apparently wearing “preppy” or “old money” clothes is a chic look for the youth right now

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Back to school apparel trends include:

Nike sweatpants and Zara jeans

Trending shoes include: Air Max 90, Nike Air Force 1, UGG Goldenstar Clog, Nike Vomero 5, adidas Sambas

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People basically don’t remember anything about how dorm rooms work until they starting thinking about back to school.

Notably, having an air purifier in your dorm room has seemingly become typical. That’s sensible post-covid.

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People really want a Snoop Dogg Olympic Pin. Unfortunately, they are not on sales for the general public. That is… until the knockoffs arrive… likely before I send out this newsletter.

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::: News of the Weird :::

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Chipotle… released a “burrito-proof lip stain”… choices.

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::: Questions :::

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Will Biden take advantage of being in “lame duck” position to the full extent?

Will he figure out how to “finish the job” of forgiving student debt?

We’re already seeing Biden making bold moves such as pushing for 18-year term limits for the Supreme Court.

Since I first wrote this… yes, The Biden Admin is making bold moves. Nice to see.

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Consistent Recommendations:

ONE ART: a journal of poetry – daily poems

Verse Daily – daily poems

Chill Subs – down to earth submissions resource

** Want to subscribe? Get a discount using this ONE ART exclusive affiliate link.

Becky Tuch’s LitMagNews – literary community news & essential resource

Trish Hopkinson – resource for the literary community

Erika Dreifus – resource for the literary community

C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers –weekly email newsletter contains invaluable short essays 

The Poetry Space_ with Katie Dozier & Timothy Green (podcast)

Commonplace: Conversations with Poets and Other People (podcast hosted by Rachel Zucker)

The Gray Area with Sean Illing (podcast)

Hidden Brain (podcast)

Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American – daily news with historical context

Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance – political commentary

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::: Shameless Promotion :::

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Chill Subs – down to earth submissions resource

** Want to subscribe? Get a discount using this ONE ART exclusive affiliate link.

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Protagonist

A mobile app for reading poems and more from literary journals.