OMM – November 2024 – #1

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

Nov 03, 2024

::: The Open :::

Dear Reader,

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~ Mark

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::: Personal Notes :::

Please vote.

Here are a few reasons to support Kamala Harris.

Here’s my little essay on why I’m voting for Harris.

::: ONE ART :::

Recording of ONE ART’s 2^nd reading in the new ONE ART Reading Series is available on ONE ART’s YouTube channel.

The Featured Poets in this reading are Anton Yakovlev, Jason Gordy Walker, Ace Boggess, and CL Bledsoe.

ONE ART’s next reading (#3!)

Thursday, November 14 — 7pm (Eastern)
Featured Poets: Betsy Mars, Tina Barry, Jane Zwart, Hayden Saunier
Tickets available here (Free or Donation)

(Please note the change in lineup.)

Upcoming ONE ART workshop:

Ekphrastic Poetry: A Meeting of Art and Words

Hosted by: Ellen Rowland
Day: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Time: 10:00am-Noon (Eastern)
Price: $25 (payment options – PayPal / Venmo / CashApp)

Limited to 15 participants

I continue to get a kick out of the inaccuracies on Rejection Wiki.

Wondering if other editors have thoughts on this resource… and its fallibility.

Maybe they should just let editors post the reality? Standard / form rejection, tiered rejection, personal rejection… uh, “enthusiastic rejection”… is that a thing? Maybe “Hopeful rejection”.

::: Podcasts :::

Hidden Brain – How To Win People Over

The key is to be both assertive & warm.

Listen to find out why that is the case.

How much do men think about The Roman Empire.

Yes… it’s back.

Highly encourage this episode of The Grey Area.

‘Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?’

The episode is an interview with a historian and provides a perspective from the long arc of history on what we can expect from the rise of Trump/MAGA and what might come next regardless of who wins this election.

A must listen, really.

::: Music :::

The Cure released their first album in 16 years and… it seems pretty good.

My first thoughts include reflecting on this album in relation to the new[ish] album by Tears for Fears (2022) which arrived after an 18 year gap. It was… not good. At least from the little time I spent with it.

A difference is that Tears for Fears would have required a bit of an update for the modern era. The Cure just needed a new album in the usual vein.

The Cure’s singer, Robert Smith, still has the voice to sing like he also did. This was not the case for the Tears for Fears vocalists.

::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

I’m loving this piece of artwork – Matsusaburo George Hibi, Topaz WRA Camp at Night, 1945.

Disturbing subject matter insofar as the content of the art. Should go without saying. (BOMB)

+

Here’s another great piece – Coyotes Came Out of the Desert

2024 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Guidelines

Hosted annually by Robert Lee Brewer / Writer’s Digest

(Note: A PAD challenge is hosted in April for National Poetry Month)

BRECHT DE POORTERE’s TOP 1000 LITERARY MAGAZINES (2025 edition) is out now.

Click “download database” to download the Excel spreadsheet.

Definitely consider donating as a boatload of work goes into making something like this.

While we’re on the subject of these lists…

Here’s ‘Erika Krouse’s ‘Ranking of 500-ish Literary Magazines for Short Fiction’ (2023 update)

Also, Erika’s list of ‘Free Residencies and Retreats for Writers’ (last updated 2019)

“Reading a bad novel when you are approaching pensionable age, however, is like taking the time left available to you and setting it on fire.” (Nick Hornby, LitHub)

This feels related to my pivot from reading quite a bit of fiction to reading mostly nonfiction. Fiction feels like a treat… and it’s rare I feel like I have (a) earned the treat but more so (b) the energy to read for pleasure after my day of [semi-] required reading. I did this to myself and no regrets. It would be nice to recalibrate and find a better balance in the years to come.

‘The run-on sentence’ (Seth Godin)

“You can make sentences too long. But it’s hard to make them too short.” – Seth Godin

::: The Election :::

Consider sharing this with the people you love and care about.

The Lincoln Project put together this video making the important point that your vote is your choice. No one else can tell you how to vote and your vote can be your secret.

Recall that in 2016 part of the surprise Trump victory was because voters were not honest in polls about who they planned to vote for. This can go both ways.

Believe people when they say things. I’ve been saying that a lot recently.

Also, notice people’s interests. It might be a sign of something. And by “people”, here, I’m specifically thinking about politicians and public figures that lean in on issues. All those transphobic people? Some of them have an internal conflict.

And then of course some people are just haters. They weren’t born that way, but they certainly were raised that way.

The Washington Post reports that Elon Musk worked illegally in the U.S.

Sources, interviews, documents, and court records indicate that Elon Musk remained in the U.S. on a student visa after he decided not to attend Stanford. He then co-founded a startup— “Zip2”. Why didn’t Elon get deported? Well, obviously because he had money and came from money.

This hypocrisy from MAGA #1 fanboy is some real liar-liar-pants-on-fire craziness.

Please note: Puerto Rico is part of America. Trash talking Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican citizens means you’re dissing America. This is not patriotic.

Heather Cox Richardson has been diligently keeping up with The Madness.

“I stand corrected. I thought this year’s October surprise was the reality that Trump’s mental state had slipped so badly he could not campaign in any coherent way.

It turns out that the 2024 October surprise was the Trump campaign’s fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, a rally so extreme that Republicans running for office have been denouncing it all over social media tonight.

There was never any question that this rally was going to be anything but an attempt to inflame Trump’s base. The plan for a rally at Madison Square Garden itself deliberately evoked its predecessor: a Nazi rally at the old Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939. About 18,000 people showed up for that “true Americanism” event, held on a stage that featured a huge portrait of George Washington in his Continental Army uniform flanked by swastikas.

Read more here.

Follow Letters from an American to keep up. This will be important, too, if (lord help us) Trump wins.

Confederate anthem ‘Dixie’ made an appearance at the MSG rally. A little on the nose.

Something important to keep in mind.

‘US could have averted 40% of Covid deaths, says panel examining Trump's policies’ (Guardian, 2021 article)

If we have another massive public health threat during the next presidency, Trump will make it worse.

‘Over 200,000 subscribers flee 'Washington Post' after Bezos blocks Harris endorsement’ (NPR)

Update: 250,000. Cancellations so far account for ~10% of digital subscribers. Notably, The Washington Post reported these numbers on their own platform.

The numbers keep growing.

In typically Trumpian fashion, when asked about being a Nazi/fascist, Trump responded that he is “the opposite of a Nazi”. Slow clap for that non-answer.

North Korea sent troops to Russia in fight against Ukraine. This is highly relevant to the U.S. presidential election as Trump has already stated that he will not stop Putin from doing whatever he wishes. Meaning, Putin will be given a green light from the highest office of the U.S. to rebuild the Soviet Union. It also means betraying our NATO allies. This does not bode well for the future of the American republic or our allies abroad.

‘Urban America has a lot to lose if Trump’s immigration proposals prevail’ (Brookings)

“For years, America’s most iconic gun-makers turned over sensitive personal information on hundreds of thousands of customers to political operatives.” (ProPublica)

“In April 2016, a contractor on NSSF’s voter education project delivered a large cache of data to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm credited with playing a key role in Trump’s narrow victory that year. The company later went out of business amid a global scandal over its handling of confidential consumer data.”

“The data given to Cambridge included 20 years of gun owners’ warranty card information as well as a separate database of customers from Cabela’s, a sporting goods retailer with approximately 70 stores in the U.S. and Canada.”

“Cambridge combined the NSSF data with a wide array of sensitive particulars obtained from commercial data brokers. It included people’s income, their debts, their religion, where they filled prescriptions, their children’s ages and purchases they made for their kids. For women, it revealed intimate elements such as whether the underwear and other clothes they purchased were plus size or petite.”

“The information was used to create psychological profiles of gun owners and assign scores to behavioral traits, such as neuroticism and agreeableness. The profiles helped Cambridge tailor the NSSF’s political messages to voters based on their personalities.”

“GunVote is in full swing this year, but it is unclear what role, if any, the database is playing in the election.”

'Because a Trump dictatorship can absolutely happen in America' (270 Reasons)

An excellent short essay by Marc Alan Di Martino on the threat of Trump.

Here’s my short essay for 270 Reasons:

‘Because families will suffer from the implementation of Project 2025’

(Note the goal of reaching undecided voters.)

Here’s an important essay/speech by Republican Adam Kinzinger.

“I’ve learned something about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret: The Democrats are as patriotic as us. They love this country just as much as we do. And they are as eager to defend American values at home and abroad as we conservatives have ever been.”

“I was relieved to discover that, because I’ve learned something about my party too, something I couldn’t ignore: The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself.”

“Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He’s a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He’s a perpetrator who can’t stop playing the victim. He puts on quite a show, but there is no real strength there.”

“Our democracy was frayed by the events of January 6, as Donald Trump’s deceit and dishonor led to a siege on the United States Capitol. That day, I stood witness to a profound sorrow: the desecration of our sacred tradition of peaceful transition of power, tarnished by a man too fragile, too vain, and too weak to accept defeat.”

“How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?”

“Some have questioned why I’ve taken the stand I have. The answer is really simple, ladies and gentlemen: We must put country first.”

Read on.

Not alone.

‘Americans are anxious and frustrated about the presidential campaign’ (AP)

No kidding.

In lighter local news…

‘Trump Statue Appears By Nude Sculpture In Philadelphia Park’

Adding just 12,000 jobs as the final report before election day didn’t help.

‘Cheap’ Trump Never Paid for the Warhol He Commissioned. Now It’s Headed to Auction for $500,000 (ArtNet)

There is, of course, so much more.

Expect posts in the days to come.

::: Health & Wellness :::

“Vaccines against just 23 pathogens could reduce the number of antibiotics needed by 22% globally per year, a recent World Health Organization report found.” (Washington Post)

“More teen girls smoke marijuana than boys now, study says” (QZ)

My guess is there is more pressure than ever being a teenager and girls have always had it worse.

Flannery O’Connor famously said something along the lines of “Anyone who has lived to the age of eighteen has enough stories to last a lifetime.”

My guess is by today’s advancements (yes, antibiotics in foods, tech, and so forth)… that any girl who has lived to the age of 11 may already be tragically capable of feeling world weary.

‘The surprising truth about the health benefits of snacking’ (New Scientist)

You’ll definitely want to “Accept All Cookies” when it comes to this news.

::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

The American Dream in 2024.

It’s those funeral expenses that’ll kill ya.

No, not really…

Retirony, anyone?

New Michael Mann film OTW? Kidding, not kidding.

‘SS United States is destined to become an artificial reef off Florida.’ (Philly Voice)

“It starts with towing the ocean liner from the Delaware River pier where it has been since 1996, and ends in the Gulf of Mexico with a half ton of C-4 explosives.”

‘Algorithms Policed Welfare Systems For Years. Now They're Under Fire for Bias’ (Wired)

It’s important to know that we’re not the only so-called “advanced Democracy” (“first world country”) that is unfair to the poorest among us.

These systems of oppression are extremely cruel for people who were already disenfranchised by the system.

Semafor reports:

“A recent report from the Center for Policy Studies showed that chat bots from OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta all lean significantly to the political left. This debate has been going on since ChatGPT launched.

Often, we look at these chatbots through the lens of the web and social media. But AI is fundamentally different. It’s not going to be defined by winner-take-all platforms that lock consumers into a small handful of walled gardens.

The way to view these models is that they’re reasoning engines you can fine-tune. So if you want a conservative chatbot, you can take any number of AI models, from companies like OpenAI, Meta, Mistral and others and fine-tune them or point them to Fox News transcripts or Elon Musk’s tweets.”

miu miu appears to be the “it” luxury brand right now

obviously it’s very affordable, such as this cashmere cardigan for a mere $7,500

Safety tip: Beware of road rage.

This isn’t entirely new but it’s getting worse.

I know, I know, I sound like everyone’s mom ever.

Seriously though, road rage incidents are bad enough to warrant articles in national newspapers. People really do keep guns in their car. It’s not worth flipping someone off. The world is simply too dangerous.

On the flipside, let’s keep in mind that overall crime rates are down. The negativity bias related to increased crime in America is a result of watching too much cable news, and any kind of news that still follow the “if it bleeds, it leads” policy.

‘How to recover when a climate disaster destroys your city’ (Nature)

Thinking about this in relation to Asheville and other towns wrecked by Hurricane Helene.

Video shows Phoenix police burning man during arrest: ‘Like acid on my skin’ (Guardian)

"It felt like acid burning my skin,” Kenyon told the Guardian. “I thought of George Floyd, and I didn’t understand why people wouldn’t help me as I was screaming in pain … like I was dying."

Trending soups:

past month, US

1. Roasted butternut squash soup

2. Acorn squash soup

3. Pumpkin soup

4. Roasted vegetable soup

5. Cheesy potato soup

::: News of the Weird :::

The Black Market for Bluey $$$

‘Police recover more than 40,000 stolen Bluey coins’ (BBC)

‘Russia fines Google $20.5 decillion — more than the entire world’s GDP — for allegedly blocking Kremlin propaganda’ (NY Post)

Yeah, that should work…

“Decillion” is not a typo.

“The absurd amount would be written as 20 followed by 33 zeros, which far eclipses Google’s own $2 trillion value — and is akin to the outrageous ransom demands made by the fictional Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movie franchise.”

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

** 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

Jane Friedman – blog, email newsletter, resource for the literary community

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