OMM (On My Mind) – May 2024 – #1

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

May 05, 2024

::: 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.

I’ll be just as happy if you donate to ONE ART: a journal of poetry.

Thank you for reading and for your time.

With Gratitude,

Mark

Note:

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

::: Personal Notes :::

Workshops are forthcoming as a fundraiser for ONE ART’s 5-year print anthology (2020-2024).

Wonderful workshop leaders have already signed on!!

More details to follow in the near future.

I have a poem in the new issue of MacQueen’s Quinterly (Issue 23, April 2024).

This issue also includes work by quite a few ONE ART contributors such as:

Betsy Mars, Judy Kronenfeld, Steven Deutsch, Roberta Beary, Luanne Castle, Bob Lucky, Jessica Purdy, Carla Schwartz, Kelly Sargent, Scott Ferry, Eva Eliav, LeeAnn Pickrell, as well as a number of poets/writers who I was fairly certain were already published in ONE ART but it turns out I haven't had the opportunity yet.

I hope you'll spend some time sitting with this terrific issue!

::: Podcasts :::

NPR: Life Kit – How to plan your dream vacation

I’m glad time was taken to address thoughtful travel choices, etiquette. There could be more of the "why am I even doing this" (but that's an existential question we can sit with on our own).

ARIKOGLU: Oh, my God, so much of travel is about being tired and hungry.

SEGARRA: We're really selling this.

ARIKOGLU: I know.

I appreciate this:

"Takeaway 6 - keep your schedule light and malleable. Lally recommends picking only one activity to do for each day of your trip and then building a flexible itinerary around those."

NPR: Life Kit – Navigating Your Birthday

Nice sentiments on making your birthday about you... without making it all about you (in annoying ways).

In jobs where degree requirements are dropped the pay tends to increase by 25% (The Indicator)

Is Therapy Making Us Crazy? (The Unspeakable)

A major question to consider:

Are we pathologizing everyday life?

A few thoughts:

Too much therapy speak outside the counselor's office.

Too much treating the people who are mostly fine but have enough money to pay to whine.

Too many children prescribed medications for diagnoses that may be incorrect or are situational and not biological.

Reflections related to Hidden Brain - Healing 2.0 - What we gain from pain

Resilience and problematic narratives of post traumatic growth that involve overcoming adversity, battling disease, and coming out stronger.

Personal processing matters. We need to be careful about how we discuss wisdom and well-being in response to trauma.

Agency. Feeling like you have some semblance of control is essential.

Trauma not processed properly often results in becoming bitter as opposed to becoming wise and compassionate.

::: Music :::

About what I would have predicted from a collab between Caroline Polachek and [already notorious & legendary?] hyperpop guru A.G. Cook. The track, Starburned and Unkissed, is on the soundtrack for the Alex G (I recommend House of Sugar though it’s fairly derivative of Elliott Smith) orchestrated Jane Schoenbrun film I Saw the TV Glow. The film has a wild cast including Phoebe Bridgers, Lindsay Jordan (Snail Mail), and Fred Durst (!?).

Trailer looks… intense. Somewhere between Donnie Darko & Stranger Things & The Ring? If I heard correctly, sounds like the used a dark twisted remix of Broken Social Scene’s modern classic “Anthem For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl”

Serious props to Alex G for this amazing soundtrack featuring:

Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail, Caroline Polachek, The Weather Station, Yeule, Florist, Drab Majesty, Frances Quinlan, and more.

Taylor Swift Makes Historic Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ (Billboard)

“With a 14th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, Swift ties Jay-Z for the most chart-toppers among soloists. Overall, only The Beatles have more, with 19 leaders. All 14 of Swift’s full-length studio albums and rerecorded projects from 2008’s Fearless (her second album) through 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department have debuted at No. 1.”

*
TayTay albums ranked and rated by NME…

To avoid the risk of being murdered by Swifties—I will refrain from sharing my own rankings until a later date.

::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

Please support this if you can:

‘Chill Subs "Premium" Is Now Pay-What-You-Can’

“I’m revisiting this now for a few reasons. Perhaps the one I’m currently most passionate about is my sustained commitment to Jewish literary advocacy. May’s heritage observance provides an important opportunity for that.” – Erika Dreifus (The Practicing Writer 2.0)

What books should I read? (C. Hope Clark)

Highly recommend reading this.

How Do I Get the Word Out? (C. Hope Clark)

How to Write a Book While Maintaining a Full-Time Writing Job (Funds for Writers)

What to Expect from a Developmental Editor—and Why Hire One (Funds for Writers)

“A developmental editor is a mentor and colleague in the earlier stages of a writing project. Their job is to elevate your work, making it more salable while preserving your voice and angle of vision.”

Who is a developmental editor? I am.

The Biggest Grant Myth (C. Hope Clark)

Rachel Kusher has a new novel, Creation Lake, forthcoming on September 3.

‘How I Turned My First Short Story Acceptance Into Four More Publications’ (Authors Publish)

No question, editors appreciate writers who are easy to work with. Developing positive working relationships is valuable even if it does not directly lead to publication. Remember, as a writer, you’re playing the long game.

‘Opportunities in May 2024’ (Hyperallergic)

I haven’t read any David Sedaris since 2019.

This is a real treat.

You can also listen since it’s recorded.

It features the classic Sedarisisms.

If you travel, enjoy learning languages, or have become addicted to such apps as Duolingo, you’re sure to enjoy this short essay.

::: Health & Wellness :::

It is recommended that women begin to get mammograms every other year beginning at Age 40.

This is a new guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce.

Why? A response to higher rates of breast cancer in people under 50.

JAMA breaks it down.

Lifesaving Advice for Recognizing Signs of a Stroke

‘Amazon, Target and other retailers pull weighted infant sleepwear over safety fears’ (NPR)

Seriously, who pitched this and what board room agreed this was a good idea?

They may not be aware of the absurd (and startling) number of adults who manage to accidently suffocate themselves with bedsheets annually. Tiny humans, of course, have no capacity to save themselves under such circumstances.

~ NYT on Covid Vaccines ~

“Not only are the vaccines’ benefits enormous, but the true toll of the side effects may be lower than the perceived toll: Experts told Apoorva that some people who believe Covid vaccines have harmed them are probably wrong about the cause of their problems.”

“How so? Human beings suffer mysterious medical ailments all the time. If you happened to begin experiencing one in the weeks after receiving a vaccine, you might blame the shot, too, even if it were a coincidence. So far, federal officials have approved less than 2 percent of the Covid vaccine injury-compensation claims they have reviewed.”

“Still, some ailments almost certainly do stem from the vaccines. The C.D.C. says some people are allergic (as is the case with any vaccine). Both the C.D.C. and researchers in Israel — which has better medical tracking than the U.S. — have concluded that the vaccines contributed to heart inflammation, especially in young men and boys. Officials in Hong Kong — another place with good health care data — have concluded that the vaccines caused severe shingles in about seven vaccine recipients per million.”

‘IVF and egg freezing: Numbers jumped in 2022’ (Axios)

Short read. Lots of important data.

“In 2022, 2.5% of all U.S. births were a result of IVF, according to Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)”

The Hatred of Leaf Blowers

I’ve mentioned this in OMM before… leaf blowers are extremely environmentally unhealthy, a health hazard, and cause noise pollution.

‘The rise of eco-anxiety: scientists wake up to the mental-health toll of climate change’ (Nature)

Unique read:

‘An off-the-grid community in New Mexico offers insight into sustainable building’ (ABC News)

‘The Most Common Causes of Death in the Home (and How to Prevent Them)’ (Life Hacker)

Who works in legal for Life Hacker because they are surprisingly chill for legal ... No company I've worked for would let some of this copy get to print.

‘6 Phrases Adult Children Want To Hear From Their Parents’ (Huff Post)

Not just parent-child relationships, for sure

“Do you want advice, or would you prefer for me to listen?”

‘How anxiety became a catchall for every unpleasant emotion’ (Vox)

A reminder that not all anxiety means someone has a full-blown mental health condition

“People may mistake anxiety for stress. Stress is when you have too many demands and not enough resources, like time or money to outsource some responsibilities, Rosmarin says. “Anxiety often happens in the context of an abundance of resources,” he says. You may be getting enough sleep, have a supportive partner, and a job you love, for instance, but still spiral over would-be worst-case scenarios that may never materialize. Even fear can be confused with anxiety. Fear is in response to a concrete threat, whereas anxiety is triggered by an amorphous or future risk.”

An important general point is made about concerns with labeling yourself. This truly goes beyond mental health conditions:

“Labeling yourself as an anxious person, even if you do have a diagnosis, can make it more difficult to overcome your emotions. If anxiety is so baked into how you see yourself, you could use it as a crutch or an excuse to avoid social situations, new experiences, or other potentially enriching events.”

‘New cars will be required to have automatic emergency brakes by 2029.’ (Washington Post)

“The braking systems must be able to bring cars to a complete stop without crashing at speeds up to 62 mph, and to avoid hitting a pedestrian at up to 45 mph.”

Sleep for the win.

‘Americans are sleeping more than at any point in the past two decades.’ (Washington Post)

“People in the U.S. gained 10 minutes of sleep per day, on average, between 2019 and 2022, according to a Post analysis. The pandemic and remote work accelerated the trend.”

“Younger adults between 25 and 34, men of all ages and people without children saw the biggest sleep gains.”

Ok…so…not having children is an unsurprising factor.

::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

‘EU Parliament adopts first EU-wide rules to combat domestic abuse’ (Reuters)

‘We Are in the Golden Age of Bird-Watching’ (Scientific American)

“For those people who enjoy watching birds, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Not only are these birds returning from their winter hiatus, but they are also decked out in their colorful breeding plumage, singing lovely songs, showing off their best courtship moves to prospective mates and building nests for their babies. There’s so much to observe if you know what to look and listen for—and where to find it.”

“A few minutes out from my first planned stop, I heard an unfamiliar bird call and remembered that although I knew what the magpie looked like, I hadn’t yet learned the bird’s calls and songs. I had my search image in mind but not my search sound. I pulled over to park under the shade of an old oak and opened the Sibley app on my phone, one of several birding ID apps that provide audio recordings of bird species in addition to images. As I listened to the calls, I realized that the unfamiliar sound I’d heard moments ago was a match. I rolled down my window to listen again and opened the Merlin app, which can identify birds based on their vocalizations: Yellow-billed Magpie, the app confirmed. I grabbed my binoculars and hopped out of the car to look for my most wanted bird, heart racing as I surveyed the vineyard across the road. It didn’t take long for the magpie to reveal itself with a raucous squawk and a flash of black, white and iridescent blue feathers as it rummaged for insects among the gnarled grape vines with its stout, banana-colored bill.”

“My favorite way to use Merlin is to have it listen to the birds in a place that I’m visiting for the first time so that I can look at the results and then search for those species in that location. If Merlin says it heard a bird that is unexpected for that place and time, I won’t count it unless I actually see it. And sometimes I’ll use it to quiz myself: I’ll listen to the bird songs and calls around me and see how my own identifications compare with the IDs that Merlin provides. Not so long ago pretty much the only way most people could learn bird vocalizations was to go out in the field and study them there. Having recordings of these sounds on my phone has greatly accelerated the learning process for me.”

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that birds around the world are in a state of dramatic decline because of climate change and habitat loss from human activity. In 2022 researchers estimated that the North American bird population had lost nearly three billion breeding adults since 1970. But this grim fact only underscores the value of watching birds—of bearing witness to their plight even as we enjoy them and taking action where we can to ensure a brighter future for these vital, marvelous animals. There’s never been a better—or more important—time to become a birder. See you out there?”

I was somewhat surprised to learn that 4-5 regional banks tend to close each year when the economy is strong. Pennsylvania-based Republic First Bank is the first of 2024.

Japan was into ghosts before it was cool. (Smithsonian)

Gen Z continues to dial back tech. (Axios)

“Consider the dumbphone another entrant in Gen Z's embrace of retro: landline phones, CDs and film photography.”

‘Exclusive poll: America warms to mass deportations’ (Axios)

Terrible news.

I’m not going to do a deep dive into immigration here. Partly because it’s extremely complicated and I am no expert.

I will say this: There are tons of American jobs that Americans do not want to do. Who do you think tends to do these undesirable jobs?

Is this right? No. Why? Non-citizens are paid poorly, lack a safety net, and live in fear of deportation.

We need to make the path to citizenry MUCH easier.

Of course it’s easier to say what this isn’t about compared to what it is about. It’s not about crime.

“Border cities have some of the nation's lowest violent crime rates.”

Immigrants, including illegal immigrants, are typically very hard workers—harder workers than citizens who have been in a country for several generations.

Are illegal immigrants a national security threat? Not really. Domestic terrorism is a much more serious threat.

On a positive note: “The survey still found Americans strongly support immigration as long as it is lawful. "Illegal" immigration is what's giving people anxiety.”

A problem: We’re not making it easy to become a citizen. Not easy enough.

Another problem: People are fleeing violence at home. Why else would you risk your life and your family and your future? The American Dream is not what it once seemed to be… people come to American hoping for something better than what they left. We should at least be able to provide better.

‘The decisive decade: Understanding the trajectories of 14- to 24-year-olds’ (Brookings)

“The opportunities and challenges facing young adults in the “decisive decade” — between the ages of 14 and 24 — shape their long-term health, family, education, and work outcomes. […] At the same time, this period is also marked by widening opportunity gaps by race, class, and gender as young people face varying levels of support and access to resources that can enable or impede their progress.”

“Between the ages of 18 and 21, the share of young adults both enrolled in school and working is the highest. During that time, around 1 in 4 are both working and attending school.”

In sounds like getting your life organized by 24 makes a massive impact on trajectory. This is not entirely surprising when you think about how compound interest works (in terms of investment ROI). Apply the same concept to ROI as a person, too.

There is a lot of info in this piece and all that is here if you want to take a deep dive.

‘Immigrants are saving the American economy’ (Popular Information)

“In 2023, the US economy grew at a 2.5% rate, "outpacing all other advanced economies." The US is on track "to do so again in 2024." This is only possible because of a substantial increase in immigration.”

And a reminder that immigrants are not just laborers but also consumers.

“A runaway dollar is wrestling capital away from emerging economies everywhere.” (Semafor)

“The currency of the world’s fourth largest economy is plummeting, with ¥100 buying just $0.63 on Friday — its lowest rate in over 34 years…”

“The yen's depreciation is a perfect case study for economics teachers around the world. While most major central banks have aggressively hiked rates to combat inflation, Japan's rates remain near zero — fueling a classic “carry trade”, where investors borrow the currency cheaply and sell it to invest in higher-yielding currencies or assets (i.e. not in Japan), driving down the buying power of yen.” (Chartr)

New York, San Jose, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles all had a decrease in population growth rate from 2023-2024. (World Population Review)

‘Russia Clones Wikipedia, Censors It, Bans Original’ (404media)

“Russia has replaced Wikipedia with a state-sponsored encyclopedia that is a clone of the original Russian Wikipedia but which conveniently has been edited to omit things that could cast the Russian government in poor light. Real Russian Wikipedia editors used to refer to the real Wikipedia as Ruwiki; the new one is called Ruviki, has “ruwiki” in its url, and has copied all Russian-language Wikipedia articles and strictly edited them to comply with Russian laws.”

“The article “Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” for example, became “Military Actions in Ukraine (in 2022).” The Wikipedia article begins by outlining the timeline of the invasion, and states that it was met with “international condemnation.” The Ruviki article, in contrast, begins by stating that the war was undertaken to “ensure the security of Russia” and “demilitarize Ukraine,” and quotes Russian president Vladimir Putin in the third sentence.”

“Graphic designer Constantine Konovalov calculated the number of characters changed between Wikipedia RU and Ruviki articles on the same topics, and found that there were 205,000 changes in articles about freedom of speech; 158,000 changes in articles about human rights; 96,000 changes in articles about political prisoners; and 71,000 changes in articles about censorship in Russia. He wrote in a post on X that the censorship was “straight out of a 1984 novel.””

World’s Largest 3D Printer … 2.0 (AP News)

“The world’s largest 3D printer has created a house that can cut construction time and labor. An even larger printer unveiled on Tuesday may one day create entire neighborhoods.”

“The machine revealed Tuesday at the University of Maine is four times larger than the first one — commissioned less than five years ago — and capable of printing ever mightier objects. That includes scaling up its 3D-printed home technology using bio-based materials to eventually demonstrate how printed neighborhoods can offer an avenue to affordable housing to address homelessness in the region.”

“It has a voracious appetite, consuming as much as 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of material per hour.”

“The buildings and construction sector accounts for roughly 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the production and use of materials such as cement, steel and aluminum that have a significant carbon footprint, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.”

“Such printed buildings can be recycled, which is unique compared to current construction.”

‘Stop annoying everyone with these common email mistakes’ (Fast Company)

Uh oh. Hope I haven’t been upsetting people on Mondays… since forever.

‘About 1 in 4 US adults 50 and older who aren’t yet retired expect to never retire, AARP study finds’ (AP News)

A third of study respondents have concerns about “meeting basic living costs such as food and housing.”

“Medicare, the government-sponsored health insurance that covers 65 million older and disabled people, will be unable to pay full benefits for inpatient hospital visits and nursing home stays by 2031, the report forecast. And just two years later, Social Security will not have enough cash on hand to pay out full benefits to its 66 million retirees.”

Home affordability is at its lowest since 1985. (WSJ)

Life hack?

‘German Teen Lives on Train Full-Time and Travels Somewhere New Every Day’ (MMM)

‘In the US they think we’re communists!’ The 70,000 workers showing the world another way to earn a living (Guardian)

“The Basque Country’s Mondragón Corporation is the globe’s largest industrial co-operative, with workers paying for the right to share in its profits – and its losses. In return for giving more to their employer, they expect more back.”

“Mondragón’s human-centric approach originated far from any business management school. Its roots lie in a socially engaged form of Catholicism that gained ground in the 1940s, during the early years of the Francoist regime. Its initial champion was a Basque-born cleric named José María Arizmendiarrieta, who, in 1941, arrived in the small town of Arrasate-Mondragón, about 30 miles (50km) south-east of Bilbao.”

“Despite its social responsibility credentials, Mondragón remains a competitive business.”

“Mondragón’s collective spirit also offers an edge with innovation. In a process that the movement refers to as “inter-cooperation”, co-operatives within the group frequently swap ideas between themselves and engage in joint research.”

‘15 migrant couples got married in Chicago: See the prep, ceremony and wedding party’ (WBEZ Chicago)

~ A recommended article courtesy of Louisa Schnaithmann ~

“Naturalist Karla Bloem responds to a federal plan to cull half a million invasive barred owls (Strix varia) in an effort to save the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) from being the first US owl species to go extinct.” (NYT)

“The concept of shooting birds is awful — nobody wants that. But none of the alternatives have worked, and at this late date no other option is viable. Extinction is a forever thing.”

My take? Barred owls have won the evolution game. We need to let the spotted owl go.

Marijuana is getting rescheduled as… not heroin. A move from Schedule I to Schedule III. This has been a long time coming. Next step? Well, there are a lot of people in jail for minor weed-related offenses who should be let out of prison. Their records should be altered to allow them to more easily get jobs. If someone has a felony conviction related to marijuana, on a case-by-case basis, it should be assessed to determine whether or not they should be allowed to get back their right to vote.

Being an ex-con over a weed deal is obscene. Come on now.

Student deft relief (top down) is tricky. While I think it’s the right thing to do for generations who were obviously duped (I’m including myself here) – I’m becoming more aware of the data and how funds can be allocated. We could also be using these funds to develop universal subsidized Pre-K for the next decade and other important programming—including the future of Higher Ed.

This is nuanced and easy solutions can become black and white thinking.

[from] The Free Press:

“Not the art school debt, come on guys: Whenever we do an item about student debt relief, I have to delete my line about how they’re paying off underwater basket weaving classes. It’s too cliché. It’s been done. By me, but still. But then our Joe Biden goes and literally pays off underwater basket weaving class loans. Yes, this week he’s announced he is “forgiving” (i.e., taxpayers are providing the money for) debt for Art Institute students, who went to a literal scam school. Congratulations, taxpayers, you just paid $6.1 billion in student debt cancellation for 317,000 borrowers who chose art school. As an artist (this is my craft, TGIF is my Mona Lisa) I can tell you that the truly biggest scam in modern American intellectual life is telling young people they need a very expensive graduate degree to do things like paint or write. These are not skills that require higher order schooling! They barely require getting out of bed.”

“These schools are great scams for failed painters and failed writers to earn a buck teaching, but useless for, like, the paying students. I’m too upset about the idea of smart kids I like going to get an MFA in creative nonfiction and becoming smart kids I hate, so for balance I’m linking to NPR’s coverage, which will give you the more positive take, on why it’s so good and noble that we just paid for 317,000 kids to deconstruct perceptions of the self through lenses (art school)”

The U.S. economy is not quite as strong as so metrics suggest. Sentiments are mixed over the past 3-months and there’s no ruling out the possibility of a Q3 recession or drift into stagflation.

Chandelier?

‘Why Does This Ice Cost $32?’ (Eater)

Let’s be honest—there was no explanation that would satisfy.

I’d never heard of Erewhon…but it appears to be an even more extravagant version of Di Bruno Bros (Main Line Edition) in the Philly burbs.

‘Massive DNA study reveals mating customs of mysterious medieval horse riders’ (Science)

Sharing as a reminder that most of what we understand as “normal” or “status quo” or “acceptable” (in terms of morality) is very much of our time… In the U.S., we have strong puritanical (and WASP-y) roots… and this permeates our culture, even today.

Really a reminder not to take our social customs as granted or some kind of divine requirement. Things have only been this way for a little while. Just because we believe X is right today and Y now looks wrong in the rearview—that’s our perception. There are obvious exceptions. Owning other people has always been wrong and very young children cannot provide consent.

::: Google Search Trends :::

Unsurprisingly…

This past week, U.S. searches doubled for “what to do if you get arrested”

Another trending search is: “what to do if you get arrested at a protest”

Most searched national parks for summer travel (past month):

Yellowstone National Park

Yosemite National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Zion National Park

Glacier National Park

Top family summer destinations (excluding nat’l parks):

Myrtle Beach

Cape Cod

Mackinac Island

Park City

Jackson Hole

Top couples travel destinations:

Bar Harbor

Mallorca

Portland, ME

Puerto Rico

Cape Cod

“passport for kids” reached an all time high in the US this year (the fact that the concept of children needing/getting a passport for travel purposes is somehow shocking to me… obviously says something about how I grew up)

“portugal” and Saint Lucia are the top trending “honeymoon in…” locations searched in the past month, US

Yikes…

“diy storm shelter” has been a trending search in Oklahoma (you don’t have to google why… I’m confident you’re already aware)

rap “beefs” are trending

luckily, for the most part, this is fun & games now… we seem to have come a long way since the 2pac/Biggie era of tragedy… I still worry… we all get a little hot-headed now & again

Seems like people had forgotten the company FUBU for a time

You know who could really use some follows? JNCO

Looks like we need more ferries

‘Why the illegal sand trade is out of control right now’ (The Hustle)

This is disturbing…

“Turns out desert sand is too smooth to make stable concrete, and sea sand is too salty.

Using either can lead to weak structures, like those that exacerbated Turkey’s 2023 earthquake disaster.

That means the ~50B tons of construction-grade sand used each year comes from lakes, rivers, and shorelines around the world.

And extracting that much of a limited resource leads to exactly what you’re thinking…”

::: News of the Weird :::

‘Stowaway cat accidentally mailed to California in returned package’ (BBC)

Ah, yes, just like Garfield mailing Nermal to Abu Dhabi.

Standard “emotional support alligator” … in Philly

‘Disney World to host exhibit of George W. Bush paintings’ (The Hill)

Now there’s a headline.

Raise your hand if you had “W gets into painting” on your bingo card.

This is the one you dreamed of.

Great title:

‘The ICE Man Painteth’ (Art in America)

He’s actually pretty good (at painting), right?

We all wish he had named this book “Mission Accomplished”. That being said, painting tributes is actually on point for having been Commander-in-Chief. (Garden & Gun)

Boeing… who has been publicly failing all over the place… thinks it’s time to take to matters to even greater heights. (The Conversation)

::: Questions :::

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

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 – Funds for Writers (the newsletter includes great articles)

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