SC Weekly – February 2026 – #2
~ 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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It’s been a hard week.
Freezing temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic (apparently that’s really where I live…) have been brutal… not helping.
These aren’t the only factors… but we all have issues, right? It doesn’t help that, here, in the U.S. we are living under tyranny.
Today is Elizabeth’s Bishop’s birthday who, of course, ONE ART is named after. It’s also the Super Bowl (and the puppy bowl).
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Oh, I should mention that I’ve been posting and commenting much more in the “Notes” section of Substack. I hope you’ll consider seeing what else is going on. Is it a better social media? Is it social media? Is it educational? Is it about engagement and all that junk? Probably all of the above.
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Pleased for the opportunity to help curate this poetry craft essay in Cleaver Magazine:
THE THREE CLASSICAL CATEGORIES OF POETRY AS VENN DIAGRAM by Jacob Butlett
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::: ONE ART :::
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>> Upcoming Workshops <<
>> Upcoming Readings <<
>> ONE ART ~ Poetry Community (on Facebook) <<
A Facebook group where ONE ART contributors and readers can gather to discuss poems published in ONE ART, the poetry community, po biz, personal accomplishments, and other matters of import to the literary and arts communities.
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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Who reads? How much? Why?
Gallup reports:
“U.S. adults say they’ve read an average of 14.6 books in the past year (either all or part of the way through). This is up from 12.6 in 2021 but below the 1999 high of 18.5.”
“Thirteen percent of Americans say they have read no books in the past year, a slight decline from 17% in 2021 and on the low end of the 12% to 18% range recorded in Gallup’s periodic trends on this measure since 1990.”
Maybe less dramatic than the “no one reads anyone” splashy headlines we tend to hear. It’s been a slow decline.
Those who do read books, often read quite a lot of them. Well above norms. The average GoodReads reader clocks about 50 reads/year. Hard to say how many of those books are skimmed or remembered older reads (entered into the system during a calendar year) or re-reads. There’s likely some “reading inflation” due to internal pressures. I’ve seen plenty of folks on websites like GoodReads set their aspirations towards 200 or even 300 books/year. At a certain point, you have to wonder how much of this is about enjoyment or learning or self-improvement, and how much of this is the reading version of hypergraphia (compulsive writing).
Afterthought. I should remember that many readers who read a lot are reading fiction, and some of these are “page-turners” so… maybe 200 books/year isn’t that crazy if you’re enjoyably sitting down to read half a novel a night instead of binge-watching a tv show or what have you.
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How to survive between writing projects (LitHub)
“I never get an answer. Because there is no answer. It’s the wild west of scheduling, where routine comes to die. That’s the hardest part of any artistic pursuit: there is no path, no sure way to get from one place to another, no directions or map. It’s not the road less taken. It’s: there is no road.”
“There will be times when I catastrophize. As I walk down the street, my imagination begins to turn on me—Does that tree branch look like it’s about to fall? Isn’t life interesting? One errant tree branch and my whole operation shuts down.”
“Eventually, I accept the fact that I have no routine, and that’s part of my job.”
“Because a writer is never really between projects. I’m always listening, always jotting things down.”
“[…] It’s great fun, so long as you can avoid that looming feeling: Will I ever work again, or will the silence go on?”
“I prefer to be in the flow, to be in the midst of creating.”
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‘How Romance, Romantasy, and “Smut” Took Over Publishing and Entertainment: A Statistical Analysis’ (Stat Significant)
Worth a look to see the average words per sentence graphic.
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‘The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films’ (The Atlantic)
Whole vibe is alarmist. My opinion? We previously overrated most films. Many films didn’t warrant 80 minutes, let alone 120 minutes or 140 minutes. Indie films have always been niche. There will still be plenty of teenage film nerds, don’t worry.
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‘2026 Poetry Book Publishing: 175+ Deadlines and a Tool for Your Submissions’ (Poetry Bulletin)
“For 2026, I’ve focused on the main tool of the Poetry Bulletin: the spreadsheet. This year, it has 183 reading periods and contest deadlines for full-length poetry books.”
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::: Podcasts :::
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Is America headed toward dictatorship? (Fresh Air)
This is damning.
Trump is a wannabe dictator.
Trump will try to rig the 2026 midterms.
We are not living in a Democracy.
(We are living under “Competitive Authoritarianism” at best.)
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(Overthink)
Sadly, I can relate to aspects of this conversation all too well. I feel for David and it sounds like we’re in a related life station with invisible illness.
I particularly enjoyed the beginning and the last 20 or so minutes. In the middle, they get into the philosophical weeds.
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It’s Been a Minute: Americans are tired. The grindset is to blame.
This has been my life for a decade now. For those who don’t know, I graduated from college in 2008 which, you may recall, wasn’t the best historical moment for our labor market. I lucked into a job and held that job for, frankly, too long (partly due to my terrible life circumstances).
Anyways, this is all super relevant to me and, I’m fairly confident, anyone who has entered the job market post-2008. Perhaps it began even earlier?
Seems like yet another good opportunity to plug Tricia Hersey’s book Rest is Resistance
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660. The Wellness Industry Is Gigantic — and Mostly Wrong
(Freakonomics Radio)
Elements of the stay curious mentality are discussed— especially with regards to retirement, staying productive, and leading a meaningful life as you age.
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The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway: First Time Founders: Has Substack Changed Media For Good?
On Substack.
Chris Best, co-founder and CEO of Substack, gives a shoutout to poets!
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The Happiness Lab: How to Design a More Meaningful Life (with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett)
A satisfying and life-affirming listen.
Highly recommend.
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Another highly recommended listen:
Why America Feels So Unhappy — with Derek Thompson (The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway)
Our bias towards negativity is part of the reason. It’s all to easy for socials to biohack our wiring towards perceived harms and get us to seek information and stories that skew negative such as rage bait.
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It’s Been a Minute: You’re not broken. The job market is.
The ending is notable.
As many have said, we’re in a “no hire, no fire” market in this K-shaped economy…
A takeaway relates to silo effects. Those who have jobs are having a difficult time seeing the situation of those who do not have jobs. This is a terrible market for those who do not have jobs. It feels futile and has felt futile for many years. We haven’t recovered at all from the pandemic so far as I’m concerned— some businesses just wanted to, well, go on like business as usual.
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Your Undivided Attention: Attachment Hacking and the Rise of AI Psychosis
1. Social Media = Engagement Hacking
2. AI = Attachment Hacking
We’ll definitely be discussing this more in the months and years to come.
Be warned, AI tools have their positives but this discussion with Dr. Zak Stein explains “the emergence of an entirely new “attachment economy” designed to exploit our deepest psychological vulnerabilities on an unprecedented scale.
Also, check out:
AI Psychological Harms Coalition
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::: Music :::
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‘Popular music is getting sadder and angstier’ (Economist)
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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How much exercise do we need?
Recently I’ve heard 4,000 steps is enough in a given day. But, not everyone can do that.
“You only need to do as little as four minutes daily for significant benefits.” (WaPo)
The usual recommendation to “take the stairs” (when possible) remains popular.
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“joy watching”
birding as an example of finding joy in nature, simplicity, daily life
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::: The Trump Regime :::
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It’s been evident that ICE is “Modern-Day Gestapo” for a while now and we’re not doing enough to stop them or Trump.
Not only do we need ICE OUT but we also need Stephen Miller and Russell Vought out of the picture ASAP. These guys are the worst of the worst.
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>> Resist and Unsubscribe <<
“A one-day slowdown is irritating. A one-month slump is terrifying.” (NM/NM)
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Is Trump reshaping the world order? Brookings experts weigh in (Brookings)
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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‘The hottest job in tech: Writing words’ (Business Insider)
“LLMs may write with more voice or sound more human eventually. But the chatbots and agents don’t think. They generate creative content without cycling through a creative process.”
“If everyone’s a writer, then nobody’s a writer, and I think it’s very evident right now.”
“It’s a golden age for people who really enjoy the craft of communications.”
“Critical thinking is still a huge comparative advantage for humans.”
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Prof G:
“When Microsoft hit a trillion dollar valuation, it had $92 billion in revenue. Google had $183 billion. SpaceX has less than $16 billion in revenue.”
“If SpaceX does an IPO at $1.5 trillion, Bloomberg estimated that this will increase Elon’s net worth to $950 billion. According to Kalshi, the probability that he will become a trillionaire in the next year is 74%, making his net worth equal to 3% of America’s GDP.”
“At the peak of the Gilded Age, John D. Rockefeller’s wealth amounted to 2% of America’s GDP.”
I’m wondering if IPO will be more or less successful now that Elon has further enmeshed xAI with SpaceX. I’m sure Grok is confident it will 10x.
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“Forty-five percent of U.S. adults say they have taken at least one commercial flight in the past year, essentially back to normal after the pandemic-era low of 38% in 2021.” (Gallup)
I find myself wondering how much of this air travel has to do with visiting family who has moved elsewhere.
No one in my immediate family went anywhere by plane in 2025… and I’m not sure if many of us have done so much at all since the pandemic… and most of my lifetime air travel related to visits to South Florida to visit grandparents.
I’ve been reflecting a lot on movement patterns… and if there’s any ties with previous generations of families and how much they’ve moved around. I think the answer is “No.” But, there is something to say about wealth, class, normative life choices within your familial and peer groups.
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‘Record harvest sparks mass giveaway of free potatoes across Berlin’ (Guardian)
A feel-good story.
SO many potatoes. Amazing.
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‘Why snakes can go months between meals: A genetic explanation’ (Phys)
I’ve been wondering what the snakes are up to during the colder months.
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50 Most Underappreciated Movies (TIME)
Upvotes: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
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Winter Olympics: Why doctors say Lindsey Vonn has ‘a great chance to perform well’ despite ACL tear
These mind over matter abilities to display athleticism get increasingly interesting as I get older.
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Future of Work Trends 2026: Strategic Insights for CHROs
I like the graphic.
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Pizza Hut Classic has become a cultural obsession. (Slate)
All news is local.
Pizza Hut is … pretty gross. I was forced to eat more than I wished to during a period of my life. In any case, I see the reasons for nostalgia. In the Age of AI, we’re going to see a lot more of this draw towards tangible experiences that make people feel like they’re experiencing something down-to-earth, grounded, something that sadly may no longer really exist for many in the years to come.
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‘Substack or Be Substacked’
by Kyle Chayka (One Thing)
“It’s easier to pay $10 a month for the Substack of one person you’re obsessed with than $10 a month for an anonymous newsroom that’s hard to connect with. Personality cults work.”
“Eventually, new, larger publications will emerge. Only the coherent will survive.”
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The World’s Biggest Risks Today vs. in 10 Years (VC)
I can’t remember if this has shifted dramatically from the last ranking.
One thing that jumps out at me is that it doesn’t appear inequality is expected to shift at all over the course of the next decade. That’s both unsurprising and depressing.
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Third spaces. (not-ship)
I’ve talked a fair amount about the importance of third space— probably, in part, because I personally would like more of them that felt open and available… and quite literally open after 9pm on a Friday or Saturday night.
This ties in with the podcast linked to discussing the risks associated with AI chatbot use and development of attachment disorders that are described as having similarities with being in an abusive relationship.
This not-ship piece links to another interesting piece ‘The Friendship Recession: The Lost Art of Connecting’ (Harvard)
“Solitude is becoming more than a preference—it’s becoming a default.”
“Needless to say, the rise of the internet and mobile phones has only accelerated this shift. Nearly 40% of Americans now have online-only friendships. Among teenagers, the trend is even more pronounced. Teenagers are spending only 40 minutes a day in person with friends outside of school hours, down from 140 minutes a day nearly two decades ago. On the other hand, teens are spending increasing amounts of time on devices. The average teen spent almost nine hours on daily screen time in 2021, up from seven hours in 2015.”
“This cultural shift would not matter if digital friendships were interchangeable with in-person friendships. But online friendships require a different set of social behaviors than in-person ones. Maintaining a friendship online relies on skills like crafting the perfect message, interpreting text-based interactions, and engaging in asynchronous exchanges with multiple people at once. In contrast, in-person friendships thrive on undivided attention, and are built through spontaneous moments, reading body language, and navigating the vulnerability of face-to-face connection. Some even suggest that young people, growing up immersed in digital interactions, are losing the opportunity to develop the in-person social skills that once defined deep human connection.”
“Forming friendships is only half the battle. Friendships thrive on ritual and repetition. As such, sustaining them requires intentional effort, particularly in a culture that prioritizes work and family over social ties. This means making active choices to spend time with friends—even when it feels inconvenient.”
“While broader policy changes and social infrastructure certainly are needed and will help, we also must recognize that change starts with us. The small, daily choices we make—to reach out, to show up, to invest in relationships—add up to and actively shape the culture we live in. Imagine what could happen if we’re better, together.”
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A roadmap for the week's listening and reading.