OMM – July 2024 – #2

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

Jul 07, 2024

::: The Open :::

Dear Reader,

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

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With Gratitude,

~ Mark

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::: Personal Notes :::

If you’re seeking someone to work with on poetry editing, manuscript editing, or related services, consider my service VRS CRFT.

::: ONE ART :::

Just a few days until Grant Clauser’s workshop!

Nature and Ecopoetry
Instructor: Grant Clauser
Day: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Time: 6:00-8:00pm (Eastern)
Price: $25 (payment options)

Coming soon!

The Music of the Line: Rhythm, Rhyme and Repetition in Poetry
Instructor: Ellen Rowland
Day: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Time: 11:00AM-1:00PM (Eastern)
Price: $25 (payment options)

Max participants: 15

Just a few spots left!

::: Podcasts :::

The Poetry Space_ -- The Classic Rattle Poem

When we’re talking about “classic”, in this context, we are clearly talking about poems that are an obvious fit for the journal. A poem that the editor receives and it’s a no brainer that it’s going to be accepted. I think seasoned poets have an inkling when they’re submitting the right poem(s) to the right lit mags.

Discussion in this episode of The Poetry Space_ will be worth keeping in mind with an exciting post coming tomorrow.

In this episode, we really learn a lot about Rattle sensibilities and editorial taste. Of course, this makes me think about what differentiates a Rattle poem from a ONE ART poem.

There’s a nice moment of discussion in the episode about calling classic Rattle style poems “front porch poetry”. I can get behind that. Rattle is down to earth and approachable. I’d hope the same can be said of ONE ART. Rattle poems do, almost always, have a strong narrative drive—that is not necessarily the case for a “classic” ONE ART poem.

Here’s a classic ONE ART poem that was never published in ONE ART.

A [hypothetical] trivial complaint is Tim referring to poems as “empathy machines” when part of me thinks the preferable phrasing would be “compassion machines”. But, you know what, empathy might be the better choice. In psych discussions, I’ve heard plenty of talk about how compassion is preferable than empathy because empathy gets us in trouble without necessarily helping. Being compassionate is terrific. Being empathic might mean you’re letting your own emotions get tied up with someone else’s. And that really is what poetry does. So, it seems like “empathy machines” for the win.

::: Music :::

Sometimes you’re sad and sometimes you’re just forming your taste at the time.

‘40 Saddest Albums of All Time’ (discogs)

Lotta great albums on this list.

I may be a rare person who doesn’t associate the word “sad” with listening to Bon Iver.

I saw Interpol before they were a real band and so the music gods have granted me the power to talk shit on them for all time.

Codeine is a good band but it’s rare my mind is interested in listening to slowcore or related nowadays. ‘The White Birch’ is the Codeine album to listen to.

An old friend of mine loves Grouper so I listen now and again. It’s strange and alluring in a way that’s hard to put your finger on.

I’ve had a problem with Low since they opened for Do Make Say Think back in Summer 2005 and put on a lousy show in hot basement.

Portishead’s ‘Dummy’ makes lists for one of the greatest albums of all time so, clearly, the music shouldn’t be pigeonholed to “sad”.

Mark Kozelek, known jerk IRL, is behind Red House Painters. I prefer his covers of Modest Mouse.

Smog I liked in high school. Their lighthearted song “ex-con” is a winner.

Songs: Ohia, one of Jason Molina’s projects, is interesting and does hold up… if you still like listening to early 2000s indie vibes.

Sparklehorse’s ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ is one of those albums that is indeed deeply sad. It was tragic when Mark Linkous killed himself though not shocking. Tragically, he’s not the only artist on this list to kill himself or otherwise die unnaturally young.

For a while, I liked walking around the quiet streets of a small town in West Virginia on dog walks while listening to albums including The Antlers’ ‘Hospice’. I found it relaxing.

Calling The Cure sad is just playing into emo stereotypes… but sure. For those who remember Strong Sad (of Homestar Runner) … there’s a poster on the wall.

::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

‘A Reading List for Disability Pride Month 2024’ (CLMP)

I’m glad to see CLMP put this list together as I have not seen that much attention given to disability pride month.

An exceptional article by Stephanie Burt on her Taylor Swift class at Harvard.

Need to improve your submissions game? Chill Subs is here to help!

Hayden Saunier – “The Wisdom Package” (The Sun)

Hayden Saunier recently released ‘Wheel’ (Terrapin Books)

“writers, what are your day jobs?” (Reddit)

A short, somewhat odd interview (of sorts) with Paul Theroux on ambition/motivation (NYT)

Theroux’s 57^th book is forthcoming in February 2025.

“All creativity is uplifting; I finish a book in a mood approaching rapture.”

“Having difficulty writing? Has it occurred to you that maybe you have nothing to write?”

“It’s a great mistake to think of the writing profession as a game. People with dreary jobs usually stop. Writing is neither dreary nor a job. I see it as a process of life. When at last I fall off my chair, I suppose that will be my way of stopping.”

The paradox of lessons (Seth Godin)

Finds for Writers (Erika Dreifus)

Religious presses are crushing it.

::: Health & Wellness :::

‘CDC Updates COVID-19, Flu, and RSV Vaccination Recommendations’ (CDC)

Stresslaxing?

A reminder there is no winning.

Very good read—

‘What My Adult Autism Diagnosis Finally Explained’ by Mary H.K. Choi (The Cut)

“I would never find a clear demarcation between where the autism ended and where the rest of me began. Ultimately, it was a jury of one.”

‘A perspective on pea allergy and pea allergens’ (Science Direct)

I just learned that peas are now a more common allergen.

It does seem interesting that they are also legumes and yet there are notably more peanut and soy allergies.

“Notably, peas lack a classical 2S albumin with the conserved Cys motif found in other highly potent legume allergens. […] With increased exposure, peas will become a more frequently encountered allergenic food.”

The “Big 9” allergens remain:

1. Milk

2. Eggs

3. Fish

4. Shellfish

5. Tree nuts

6. Peanuts

7. Wheat

8. Soybeans

9. Sesame

::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

Most walkable cities (USA Today)

Top 10

1. Philadelphia

2. Providence (RI) – From experience, it’s certainly not the easiest driving city!

3. Key West (FL) – This is quite literally the most visited place by writers.

4. St. Augustine (FL)

5. New Orleans

6. Boston – Agreed. Highly walkable.

7. Chicago – Agreed. Highly walkable. Also, my favorite city I’ve visited.

8. NYC – I guess… but plan to get 25,000 steps per day

9. Chattanooga (TN)

10. St. Louis (MO)

Anyone who knows me knows my local pride is… limited

What cities do you think are the “most walkable”?

A friend of mine once noted Pittsburgh was impressively walkable and I’m inclined to agree.

Only 41% of Americans say they are “extremely proud” to be an American. (Gallup)

You may have heard me say before that I believe pride is the worst sin.

In this context, it’s worse—it’s where you bump up against that scary wall of Nationalism.

If you’ve served our country, that’s different.

If you serve at the pleasure of Donald Trump, that’s what I’m worried about.

‘SCOTUS: Actually, Presidents Are Kings’ (Joyce Vance)

“Donald J. Trump v. United States.”

“Today the United States Supreme Court overthrew the central premise of American democracy: that no one is above the law.” (Heather Cox Richardson)

Kamala could win the 2024 election for Dems.

I’m still liking the Klobuchar / Booker ticket, but I’m not hearing anyone else talking about either as potential candidates to beat Trump. My guess is they haven’t polled well enough for consideration.

The news is everywhere…

NATO, the NYSE, companies across many industries, are preparing for the potential of a Trump presidency. Websites where people bet on this likelihood (such as PolyMarket) act as yet source for polling. 538 updated their polling methodology in an attempt to gain more accurate information about how a person such as Trump is doing in the polls.

Post-debate, Trump has a few percentage points on Biden.

Let’s keep in mind that November remains months away and polling only takes us so far.

Predicting The Weather

(The Washington Post)

“Coastal regions are easier to forecast because the ocean helps to regulate weather. Deserts are also relatively predictable. But the middle of the U.S. is more erratic.”

Percent increase in greenhouse gases emitted by Google over the last five years related to building more data centers for AI? 48% (Google’s 2024 Environmental Report / Semafor)

“A neuroscientific interrogation of religiosity and spirituality is crucial to understanding the human brain — and human life. And now is the time to expand it. In many countries, polls are indicating major shifts in the number of people defining themselves as religious, spiritual, both or neither. Increasing numbers of people in high-income countries are leaving traditional religious affiliations and identifying themselves as spiritual, but not religious. In low-income countries, religious traditions are remaining strong or even expanding. Meanwhile, more people around the globe classed as Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) seem to be embracing highly traditional religious affiliations, such as traditional Catholicism or Judaism.”

“Neuroscientists are well placed to identify the ways in which — for good or for ill — these shifts are affecting people’s brains and how those changes might, in turn, shape people’s responses to emerging social, cultural and ecological challenges.”

(Nature)

A small environmental win… Also, a small animal agriculture win…

“McDonald's has announced that the $25 billion it makes from chicken each year is now on par with its beef sales.” (Chartr)

‘What drives mosquitoes’ bloodlust? Their hormones’ (Nature)

The ongoing quest to defeat mosquitoes.

Ants seemingly perform lifesaving amputations on other ants who are injured. The suspected goal would be to prevent infections from open wounds. And, apparently, ants are pretty good surgeons with high success rates. We’re currently not familiar with any other animal species (aside from humans) who take these measures.

The “stickiness” of pricing is one reason why even when inflation does, eventually, go down, there’s a decent chance that we will not see drastic reductions in prices at the grocery store.

Olympians eat quite a lot of fruit it seems. Maybe we should take a lesson?

Semi-related, a person needs to consume approximately 3500 calories in a week beyond their normal intake in order to increase their body weight by one pound. This explains, at least in part, why athletes, especially body builders, have extremely high calorie diets. Andre Rush, White House chef, is an example.

Not just any bird. A list of notable birds.

And there is, of course, Wisdom.

The Economist indicates that the typical worker worldwide wants 2 days at home — an entire day more than the actual average — and a LinkedIn survey in January found that now only 39% of US employees want a fully in-person job. (Chartr)

What should we do with all the empty office space? This keeps coming up. Let's think outside the box.

Eikas

“This Epicurean feast is traditionally celebrated on the 20th of each month and is meant to honor the memory of Epicureans who came before us, to study them, and to transmit to future generations this noble wisdom tradition through the cultivation of friendships and through sincere study.”

In wombat news…

‘Tasmania Is Hiring for a ‘Wombat Walker’ and Other Odd Jobs’ (Smithsonian)

Unsure if my wombat fandom has come up on here before. Anyways, clearly a great job.

One of the primary reasons I would consider traveling to faraway places is to see exciting animal life in their natural habitats.

Japanese iteration of 7-eleven sounds way cooler.

I’m saying this and I spend formative pre-teen/teen years talking to and from 7-eleven.

I saw a trending list of the “most endangered animals”. Recently, I saw a notable argument for why this focus is misguided. Attempts to save certain animals (usually for very human, anthropomorphic reasons) almost certainly costs us saving the lives of many more species that go extinct, or will go extinct, without our efforts and conscious attention to their preservation. Tragically, we have set ourselves up for failure. Now, we can’t save everyone (people), let alone all the species we wish to… it a matter of resources and a willingness to fairly and reasonably distribute those resources. We’re not going to be fair or reasonable in many cases and that’s just the way it is. Sorry, I know that took a dark turn.

On a hopeful note— for a long time I’ve loved National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark series.

“Search the 54,641-picture Photo Ark” – Scroll at your own risk.

::: Google Search Trends :::

::: News of the Weird :::

Amusing ourselves to death… by checking boxes?

Maybe go help edit a Wikipedia article instead.

Consistent Recommendations:

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

ONE ART: a journal of poetry – daily poems

Verse Daily – daily poems

Chill Subs – down to earth submissions resource

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