OMM – December 2024 – #3

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

Dec 15, 2024

::: The Open :::

Dear Reader,

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

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Thank you for reading and for your time.

With Gratitude,

~ Mark

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::: Personal Notes :::

I have an essay out in Becky Tuch’s Lit Mag News about “spreading your work around” when it comes to submissions.

‘"Please Send One to Five Poems." How to Navigate Submission Batches’ (Lit Mag News)

I hope you will consider taking time to read the essay. In part because it took me 8-9 drafts and many months for this to come together.

I’ve written a few other essays for Becky’s Lit Mag News substack.

In case you haven’t had a chance to read them…

These two I consider companion essays:

Dear Lit Mags: Stop Making Submission Guidelines So Complicated

Demystifying the Editor/Writer Relationship: Submission and Etiquette Guidelines

Recent OMM posts:

OMM’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide

Has The Revolution Finally Arrived?

The Shape of Slop to Come: Will AI Surpass Human Artistic Capabilities?

Microfeminism

::: ONE ART :::

~ ONE ART Reading Series ~

An exciting upcoming reading in January featuring Ona Gritz, Heather Swan, and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer!

ONE ART workshops… TBD.

I’m in the process of scheduling workshops for 2025.

If you have experience as a workshop leader, please consider reaching out.

So far, I’m pleased to say that the feedback has been extremely positive about ONE ART-hosted workshops.

The goal is to keep these workshops accessible and affordable.

A reminder about the submission process.

A little while back Ben Davis of Chill Subs ran a terrific free workshop series.

Here’s just one of the sections and it’s particularly notable as he has a little fun with me and ONE ART. Unpacking Submission Guidelines

Here’s ‘The Submitting Workshop’ in full.

::: Podcasts :::

‘The Poetry Space_: ep. 85 - Artificial Intelligence’

Excellent, thought-provoking, and admittedly distressing episode.

Valuable listen.

‘Are men ok?’ (The Gray Area)

Sean Illing in conversation with Scott Galloway.

It’s a down-to-earth conversation and they speak from the heart.

There’s discussion about young men really needing mentorship that is clearly urgent.

Can’t recommend this episode enough.

This is about life.

This feels like an ideal grief trajectory.

“After 10 years of grieving and 8 years of intense production exploring and sharing the terrible things that we've survived I'm craving work that feels more aligned with who and where I am right now. Everything I do will always have a sprinkle of sadness, but I'm no longer Terrible.”

“Terrible, Thanks for Asking has run its course, but I have not.”

— Nora McInerny

‘Luigi Mangione & America's pent up pain’ (It’s Been a Minute)

The 2^nd half of this episode is lovely. It’s from ‘The Happiness Lab’ and a discussion about gratitude which is always a good idea.

::: Music :::

Revisiting some music from my past.

Probably listening to unreasonable amounts of Third Eye Blind and Incubus.

Critics were far too harsh on this Third Eye Blind album which, frankly, holds up really well and feels like a precursor/influence on The 1975.

Guster was my favorite band in 9^th grade and I’m enjoying spending some time with their albums ‘Lost and Gone Forever’ and ‘Goldfly’.

There’s something satisfying about enjoying music that you know a lot of people used to (and might still) talk trash about.

::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

‘Renowned poet and Black arts movement icon Nikki Giovanni dies at 81’ (NPR)

“Polarization” is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.

I encourage signing up for Hope Clark’s ‘FundsforWriters’ for multiple reasons.

One is simply for the newsletters that arrive in your inbox.

I can’t find a link to this one so I’m including it in full.

WHAT TO KEEP. . . WHAT TO THROW AWAY

By Hope Clark

In going through Christmas decorations this week, I noticed some that were falling apart and just not worth setting out, hanging, or putting on the tree.

One had no real meaning other than it was old and was obtained free from a department store decades ago when they did such things. Another was a handmade structure with unraveling yarn and popsicle sticks, designed by my son in elementary school. Guess which I kept and which I threw away?

Same goes for holding onto old writing. Just because we've had it for a long while doesn't mean it will be published. It's why once I publish a book, I throw away the drafts.

It's difficult to toss what we've had or done for a long while. Like our habits. We need to write more, but gosh, there's so much filling up our day. Something needs to be tossed. You can decide writing isn't that important, or you can decide that something else stealing your time isn't worth doing anymore.

They don't sound like hard decisions, but guess what? Once they are made, once you've changed course and altered that old habit, things change. You open doors to what might be what you've needed for a long long time . . . the motivation to get that story down on the page.

‘Quimby’s Bookstore, Wicker Park’s Indie Publishing Paradise, For Sale After More Than 3 Decades’ (Block Club Chicago)

Someone cool needs to buy Quimby’s. Where are the diehard zine folks up in Chi??

::: Health & Wellness :::

Post-meal walks are, apparently, an extremely healthy habit.

This is good news as it should not be the most difficult habit to create.

You can always reward yourself with a tv show (or whatever) when you return from your walk.

For a while now, I tend to want a “crunchy snack” not long after dinner. This could be because vegetarian/vegan meals are often kinda, uh, mushy… and lacking that “sink your teeth into something” satisfaction. We are technically omnivores, after all.

‘The ones who need little sleep’ (Knowable Magazine)

Unicorns.

Formaldehyde… (ProPublica)

A sad reminder that our everyday environments contain quite a lot of hazards… and we have long been accidentally poisoning ourselves.

Did you really ever believe the 5 second rule was plausible? (Popular Science)

As someone with OCD… this was never something I thought twice about.

A friend of mine tried to break me of my “excessive cleanliness” habit once by telling me a story about how he was “fine” after eating a cheeseburger he had dropped on the floor in a public restroom. The bun was only “a little wet”. Disgusting, right? But the real question is… why would anyone bring a cheeseburger into a bathroom in the first place?

This is worth a serious conversation.

‘Drug overdose deaths have declined. No one knows why.’ (Vox)

Based on stories I’ve been told… one possibility is that legal options have become more readily available. I’m thinking specifically of kratom which, I’m told, has properties that can be opiate-esque depending on the blend. It has addictive properties though my understanding is that you are far less likely to overdose. Something like kratom while unregulated is likely “safer” than streets drugs like heroin (read: fentanyl) and pills (read: unknown blend of lab chemicals) and meth (read: unknown blend of drugs possibly containing a mix of uppers and downers such as benzos, opiates, and synthetic stimulants). There are also a lot of THC-related products on the market these days. Again, hearsay, but my understanding is this is not your 60s era weed. The high THC content of modern marijuana (whether plant bud, vape, or gummy form) is strong enough to have hallucinogenic properties emerge and can result in addition. Weed always had addictive potential but it was, generally, seen as problematic more for the counterculture stoner lifestyle issue as opposed to concerns about physical and psychological dependency.

I haven’t been keeping a close eye on this but I do know there are some weird products on the market these days and they can be bought legally. For example, you can buy poppers OTC—it’s just illegal to use them to get high. This is… dumb. If you know how someone is going to misuse a product it should be managed accordingly. Not everyone is using whipped cream for whippets (nitrous) so, in this case, it’s not logical to prevent the sale of whipped cream canisters. Though, much like real deal Sudafed, you could probably have a sale limit of say two canisters. We might also consider side-eyeing the 14-year-old who walks into the grocery store and goes to self-checkout with exclusively a container of whipped cream. It’s not really brain science to think about community ways we could try to make an impact.

Here’s a shop that I see when I drive to various different neighborhoods in our area.

To be clear, I’m by no means advocating for another war on drugs.

‘“Blessing and a curse”: Kratom helps many get off other drugs but carries its own risks (Salon)

This article in Salon is worth reading in conjunction with what I’m discussing above.

::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

Great line:

“Don’t show up because you feel like it. Show up because you said you would.”

– Seth Godin

‘Are Social Media Platforms the Next Dying Malls?’ (Ted Gioia)

This is a thought-provoking comparison.

Forget the article specifics (for the most part)… you can simply imagine the way teenagers (and others) used to engage with “The Mall” and how we are “users” of social media today.

#5 is appreciated. “These bunkers were never real communities, and never will be. They’re just businesses—often run with distrust or contempt for their users.”

“Many Americans prefer sprawl to walkable neighborhoods.” (WaPo)

All I know is I prefer to live around trees and have ample access to green spaces. It’s a privilege not to be taken for granted.

“In a recent survey, 57% of adults said they would prefer to live in a community with larger houses, even if schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.”

‘The problem with shock design’ (Seth Godin)

“Design is story telling with utility. But if the story is only noise and outrage and the utility is missing, the design, by definition, is incompetent.”

“The thing is, we’re not running out of noise, but we can always use more beauty.”

‘In Defense of “Y’all,” a Perfect Word’ (Texas Monthly)

Agreed. It’s up there with “jawn”, “cool”, and other timeless classics.

Notable distinction between utility words and “beautiful” words”.

What do you think are the most “useful” words in the English language?

‘Most common words in English’ … less exciting.

‘The Most Important Words in English’ … agreed? In any case, write me a poem.

Hallmark is releasing 41 holiday-themed movies this year which is decidedly too many.

“The share of Americans scoring at the lowest level (1 out of 5) or below in literacy rose to 28% from 19% in 2017… And 34% scored at the lowest numeracy level or below, compared to 29% six years prior.” (Morning Brew)

“That means that over a quarter of Americans can reliably gauge info only from a simple text, while more than a third might struggle to perform tasks beyond basic arithmetic.”

‘Flood Protection by Mangroves Saves $855 Billion Globally, Report Finds’ (EcoWatch)

More news from Bad Rome (aka. America today).

Now we have exciting IRL things that exist pretty much exclusively for influencers.

“There’s a sustained hype machine built into Crumbl’s business model thanks to its regular carousel of new flavors, which serves as fodder for seemingly endless discourse as there’s a constantly refreshing feed of Crumbl content to consume.” (Vox)

Research into foodways suggests guacamole (guac) will be even more of a luxury in the not too distant future.

Watch the price of avocados (and pre-made guac, and restaurant guac) go up and blame Trump.

‘45 gift ideas from the chaotic asian group chat’ (Viv Chen, The Molehill)

I really enjoyed reading this… nothing to do with plans to make purchases.

This is so funny though… IYKYK. Overall, very cute shop with unique designs.

“Precisely because America has never been wealthier, working people should expect more from their economy. Wages have risen but they should be higher. Poverty has fallen but it should be lower.” (Vox)

“The median age of Africa’s inhabitants is 19, and by 2050 it is expected that one out of every four humans on Earth will be African.” (Heather Cox Richardson, Letters)

Here are places everyone was traveling in 2024.

Try to go somewhere different. Other places need your tourism dollars. Most of these places will have been overwhelmed by tourists making their homes feel less, well, home-y.

Check out the 2025 lists and avoid those places, too.

Be your own person. Seek out something different. Go under the radar.

‘This 28-Year-Old Entrepreneur With Down Syndrome Runs the World's Largest Sock Company. Here's How He Started It.’ (Entrepreneur)

"John could not find anything that excited him," Mark said. "This is an unfortunate reality that there are just not enough good options for people with different abilities."

‘Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024’ (Pew Research)

Not great, and teenagers know it.

::: Google Search Trends :::

2024 “Year in Search”

The top trending relationship definitions this year included “gaslighting”

People weren’t quite sure if “demure” was a real word

“mob wife” “aesthetic” was in vogue

Kendrick Lamar wins 2024

People really got into that hype about the “Olympic chocolate muffin”

Consistent Recommendations:

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

ONE ART: a journal of poetry – daily poems