SC Weekly – December 2025 – #1
~ a curated selection of discoveries ~
::: The Open :::
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoy this edition of SC Weekly (published on Sundays).
Please consider sharing with a friend who you think may enjoy this newsletter.
Thank you for reading and for your time.
With Gratitude,
~ Mark
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::: Personal Notes :::
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A reminder of the importance of reading comprehension… and attention to detail.
I semi-wasted a frustrating amount of time misunderstanding the premise/philosophy/essential context related to “The Fish List” – a list curated by Charlie Fish that ranks literary magazines based on a number of metrics and criteria…
I’m reminded of a professor or three saying that students have a bad habit of skipping The Preface and Introductions in books (definitely true). Because I’m aware of this, I usually do read them… But, unfortunately, we tend to have different behaviors related to reading (and skimming) related to online content vs. physical texts. Yeah yeah I’m making excuses.
The reason I’m sharing all this is because I spent a lot of time on a potential post/essay (that admittedly was leaning towards slightly unhinged) only to later pay closer attention to the Criteria/Scoring/Metrics and, importantly, this embedded link.
I have a lot of thoughts, reflections, responses… and I need more time.
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::: ONE ART :::
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The 3rd Annual Chill Subs Community Favorites Best Lit Mag Awards!
Voting closes December 7th!
I’m pleased to say that ONE ART: a journal of poetry made the list in both 2023 and 2024!
Here’s hoping we make the 2025 list!!
>>> Vote Here <<<
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2024: Community Favorites (Poetry)
ONE ART ranked #4!
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25 Best Lit Mags of 2023: Chill Subs Community Favorites
ONE ART ranked #6 (across genres!!)
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ONE ART’s December 2025 Reading!
Date: Sunday, December 7
Time: 2:00pm Eastern
Featured Poets: Amy Small-McKinney, Linda Laderman, Laurie Kuntz, Susan Michele Coronel
FREE!
>>> Register Here <<<
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Speaking To & Listening To Our Aging Bodies – A Workshop with Amy Small-McKinney
Workshop Leader: Amy Small-McKinney
Date: Tuesday, January 13
Time: 6:00-8:00pm Eastern – Please check your local times.
Duration: 2-hours
Cost: $25 (sliding scale)
>>> Register Here <<<
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Mastering the Epistolary Poem – A Workshop with John Sibley Williams
Workshop Leader: John Sibley Williams
Date: Monday, January 26
Time: 11:30am-2:00pm PT / 2:30-5:00pm ET – Please check your local times.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Cost: $25 (sliding scale)
>>> Register Here <<<
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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Erika Dreifus maintains this list of Fee-Free Writing Residencies
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‘30+ Amazing Writing Residencies You Should Apply for This Year’ (The Write Life)
‘Exciting Writing Residencies to Apply for in 2025’ (Kotobee)
Note: These are 2025 lists. Hopefully, there will be a 2026 update in the months ahead.
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Here’s a link to information about fellowships
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Free or Low-Cost American Writing Residencies to Apply for in 2024 (Electric Literature)
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Aspiring Author – U.S. residencies // International residencies
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Research + Resources | Artist Communities Alliance
The focus is on visual arts.
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Opportunities in December 2025 (Hyperallergic)
Focus on visual arts.
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ARC – Artists at Risk Connection
Just learned about this.
One of many ways to help other writers/artists pursue their work in ways they would not otherwise be able to due to their financial and/or life situations.
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‘U.S.-Japan Creative Artist Fellowship Program’
Sad. This used to exist… and, apparently, the award was $20,000. So many previously existing grants/fellowships/awards have gone defunct during The Trump Era.
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Murphy Writing of Stockton University
Recommended.
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Sounds very chill and accommodating of people’s life situations.
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Rumor has it that Hotel 1928 is a good location for a DIY writer’s retreat.
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Wildacres sounds really cool but you have to prepare for being off-the-grid. The cabins do not have internet, wifi, and apparently phones don’t even function well.
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Hedgebrook offers a really cool sounding residency program for women.
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Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Endorsed by ONE ART contributors.
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Lake Forest, IL
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Eureka Springs, Arkansas
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Porches writing retreat is, I think, little known.
Norwood, VA
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New find:
“The Catch”: You have to live at least 120 miles from Knoxville, TN.
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Edith Wharton Writing Residency
Lennox, Mass.
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~ Fellowship ~
Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing 2026–27
Deadline: February 1, 2026
Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA)
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‘100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025’ (LitHub)
You may want to take note of the presses receiving extra attention.
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2025’s Words of the Year, So Far (TIME)
‘’Rage bait’ named Oxford University Press word of the year as outrage fuels social media traffic in 2025’ (NBC)
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::: Podcasts :::
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How to find belonging (w/ Hanif Abdurraqib)
How to Be a Better Human
Beautiful tribute to staying in a Community because you want to maintain the Culture and realness of that space as opposed to allowing outsiders to define a space, gentrify, and kick out townies, flatten a Home and make everything beige/gray (”greige”) and meaningless (lacking character) like the towne centers popping up across the U.S.
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AI and the Future of Work: What You Need to Know
Your Undivided Attention
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How The Idea Of Affordability Is Shaping Our Politics (1A)
Key moment: Expert notes food prices essentially never go down. So, those increases during the pandemic are likely permanent. The question becomes how we increase wage growth/income to keep up with inflation and cost of living adjustments.
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Is AI slopifying the job market? (Two Indicators)
Planet Money
Interestingly surprising!
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The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway: Raging Moderates: How Rage Bait Runs Our Economy
I don’t agree with everything discussed in this episode— I’m particularly sensitive to class issues surrounding debt...
In any case, Scott and Jessica discuss the viral $140,000 adjusted poverty line and Scott suggests an $82,000 poverty line where government steps in for those families earning less with entitlements and services (like childcare) instead of giving cash incentives or UBI. Scott also mentions the need for a $25/hour minimum wage.
There’s another good discussion of the Democrats, headed by Hakeem Jeffries, taking a stance of “strong floor, no ceiling” instead of more common recent positions of taxing anyone who makes more than (insert amount) and getting lost in the weeds.
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::: Music :::
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‘Which Songs Do We Replay the Most? A Statistical Analysis’ (Stat Significant)
“New songs—which are most prone to repeat consumption—are disproportionately consumed by younger listeners.”
The chart for “song skip percentage” is interesting. Notably, younger listeners are more inclined to just roll with it. This is explains younger listeners greater willingness to let the algorithm take control (music, YouTube, TikTok, other streaming). A problem, I expect, is that the modern algos are biohacking and changing the way users engage and behave… as a result, there’s a greater concern that as youth age they may not develop a palate that refines over time… in a good way. This isn’t like hardening in your beliefs or being less receptive. It’s about a kind of maturity that helps you decide on your personal taste set apart from other tastemakers and influence.
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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‘U.S. health care is broken — and it’s getting worse’ (NPR)
Nearly 50% of Americans fear they will struggle to maintain basic healthcare coverage in the next year.
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‘Tattoos may be putting your immune system at risk, new study shows’ (Euro News)
As is often the case, I feel like the canary in the coal mine.
I had a sense this was the case…
They should probably study me haha.
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‘What is an Otrovert and Is My Child One?’ (Parents)
Trend? Seems relatable. Idk.
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::: The Trump Regime :::
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‘A Surprise When Your Package Arrives: You Have to Pay the Tariff’ (NYT)
“The end of a tariff exemption on goods worth $800 or less has left some U.S. shoppers with an extra shipping bill that must be paid before delivery.”
Spoiler Alert: The customs duties fees can be extremely high.
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‘TSA will start charging US travelers a $45 fee if they forget their Real ID or passport.’
Hey, at least you still get to fly… I’m a little surprised.
There’s an extra component involved here involving the use of biometrics. Brings to mind Gattaca.
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Trump had an MRI… his health issues are nothing new.
For a while now… this classic moment from The Simpsons has come to mind.
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‘JPMorgan Asset Management’s top strategist on the outlook for 2026’ (Sherwood)
This frames the Big Ugly Bill in a particular light.
As many have pointed out, why collect taxes in the first place if you’re going to redistribute them back to the public. That’s not what anyone who is into “Big Government” allegedly believes in. Overall, no one (regardless of partisanship) would agree with how this is being carried out. It’s nonsensical and damaging to American consumers, attitude towards government, belief that government can act in favor of everyday people over corporations and personal interests.
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Pew Research and other institutions are coming out with data showing that young people are reading less. There are also continued concerns about where folks are getting their news sources, misinformation, and the list goes frighteningly on.
Pew found that about 22% of young Americans actively seek out the news which is far less than older adults (about 66%).
The findings, unsurprisingly, indicate that decade-long “flood the zone” tactics and other nefarious techniques have done the intended job of grinding us down, increasing apathy (a known authoritarian tactic), and otherwise made it unappealing to check the news when you reach for your phone first thing in the morning.
In short, the temptation is to look away from the horrors and many are increasingly choosing to do so.
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‘In major win for animals, New York Fashion Week goes fur-free’ (Humane World)
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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‘MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce’ (CNBC)
I’d say rip the band-aid off, but we need Basic Income (UBI or related) in place before our economy can tolerate mass unemployment. The next 20 years might be a little rocky, it seems.
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‘2025’s Most—and Least—Sinful Cities in America, Ranked by Key Factors’ (Mental Floss)
I’m out of touch… but Philadelphia being in the #4 slot seems odd.
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‘Japan Unveils Human Washing Machine, Now You Can Get Washed Like Laundry’ (NDTV)
Boy does this sound like a classic Japan-does-it-first invention.
In any case, the real need is for a pet (cat/dog) washing machine.
Everyone with allergies is nodding right now.
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Is the Real ‘Poverty Line’ $140,000 a Year? (Investopedia)
“One analysis contends that a family of four is below a meaningful “poverty line” if they earn less than $140,000 per year, far more than the official federal threshold of $32,150.”
“Using the logic of the original formula but changing the amounts to reflect modern household budgets, Green calculated that the real poverty line is actually 16 times the amount needed to buy food, or somewhere between $130,000 and $150,000.”
Here’s the viral substack post.
Reported by Fortune.
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‘Santa Fe tackles rental rates with first-in-US minimum wage approach’ (AP)
“Santa Fe’s minimum wage will increase to $17.50 starting in 2027. The annual increase historically has been tied to consumer prices, but going forward a new blended formula will be used to calculate the annual increase, with the Consumer Price Index making up one half and fair market rent data making up the other.”
“Thanks to an ordinance the Santa Fe City Council voted on last month, the city is now the first in the country to factor in the price of housing when determining its minimum wage. When the legislation goes into effect, around 9,000 workers — approximately 20% of the city’s workforce — will receive a wage increase. There’s a 5% cap on increases, and if rent or consumer prices plummet in a certain year, minimum wage will not decrease.” (Nice News)
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‘Being hot is now a job requirement’ (Business Insider)
Depressing trending article.
This article also links to a piece about using AI/TikTok to create professional headshots. So, speaking of jobs, this is yet another (in the seemingly endless) death by a thousand cuts for professional photographers.
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YouTube is the most popular social network in the U.S.
84% of Americans say they use YouTube regularly compared to Facebook (71%) and Instagram (50%). (Pew Research)
Reflect on why.
And reflect on YouTube vs. TikTok
And so-called “micro dramas” vs. YouTube vs. TikTok vs. network or cable or streaming
And podcast culture as well as newsletter culture (Substack, Medium) and alternative vs. “mainstream” news.
There are many signs pointing towards us, as a society, moving towards a culture of orality which is, in many ways, a quick jump back before the Guttenberg Press (1440) and even earlier to Socrates (470-499 BCE-ish) going off about how writing was going to destroy memory (it did, to an extent… but there were beneficial trade-offs that cannot be ignored).
Film and television revealed the power of audio + video (A/V) but TikTok took it to its nadir (or zenith depending on your view).
And now for the inevitable backlash.
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Speaking of YouTube…
‘The year on YouTube: The topics, creators, music, and podcasts that defined 2025’
Official EOY roundup.
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‘Strange Chernobyl Black Fungus May Eat Radiation’ (Newsweek)
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‘Mystery as remains of seven-arm deep-sea octopus wash up on beach’ (BBC)
Yes, indeed, the septopus is in the news which means I must share this classic Home Movies clip.
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The New York Times reports:
“Could Weight Loss Drugs Turn Fat Cats Into Svelte Ozempets? GLP-1 drugs for pets could be the next frontier for the blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drugs.”
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25 years in… The Ringer did a roundup of “Top 100” tv episodes “of the century”…
Immediately, we’re in trouble because the #1 spot went to an episode of Lost beyond Season 3.
Shows that definitely deserve a seat at the table:
The West Wing
Anthony Bourdain
Twin Peaks
The Wire
Black Mirror
Arrested Development
True Detective
Bojack Horseman
Freaks and Geeks
Atlanta
Girls
Six Feet Under
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Wikipedia Top Articles of 2025
Reminds me of TIME’s Person of The Year… often misunderstood as a positive… just means newsworthy / talked about / in the zeitgeist. Plenty of space for an antihero.
Basically, a reminder that we live on a lousy timeline… and need a serious pivot.
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“In 2015, just 17% of American online holiday shopping took place on smartphones — a share that’s expected to hit 57% this year, per Adobe estimates. Total online spending has surged more than 3x over the same period and now, with some shoppers turning to AI for product discovery and recommendations, that growth seems likely to continue.” (chartr)
“Indeed, from November 1 through 28, AI-referred traffic to retail sites was up 805% from the same period last year. More than 4 in 10 consumers already use AI to shop, a survey from Mastercard found — led by 61% of Gen Z, who rely on it for deal-checking and filtering out bogus reviews.”
“As The Wall Street Journal pointed out, though the youngest generation of US adults accounts for only about 8% of retail dollars in 2025, that’s expected to rise to around 20% by the end of the decade. Getting the next generation hooked on shopping is what the season now has to be all about if you’re a big brand. Right?”
Oof. Capitalism strikes again.
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Pantone announced its color of the year— Cloud Dancer — which is, basically, a fancy way of describing a particular kind of off-white.
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~ Mark’s Consulting, Coaching/Mentoring, Editing Services ~
Information about my services.
Reach out directly to discuss.
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~ Ways to Support ~
If you’d like to support my work, there are ways to do so other than subscribing to this substack.
>> Consider buying a copy of my new poetry collection, Take Care. Copies are available from Moon Tide Press and Amazon and, of course, I’ll be happy to sign a copy and send you one myself.
>> Consider making a donation to ONE ART: a journal of poetry.
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Good luck for looming Chill subs award to One art.Hope my vote counts.
Thanks so much for the list of residencies, Mark. I knew about some of them but some new ones here too. Really appreciate your generosity of spirit.