SC Weekly – January 2026 – #4
~ 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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I had a really good experience seeing Chuck Klosterman do a Q&A. He read in downtown Philly at, potentially, the exact same bookstore where I saw him during his tour of his book Killing Yourself to Live 20 years ago. I remember being in high school though, based on looking up the publication date, it appears this was after I had graduated from high school.
After the Q&A, I was grateful for the opportunity to tell Chuck directly that he’s been an inspiration to me since high school. I had considered bringing a copy of my book to hand him and forgot (which I’m sure he didn’t mind). He asked what I wrote about and I said “poetry” to which he responded, “I inspired someone to become a poet” (in a sort of half-amazed, half-confused manner). I handed him my business card and said, “In case you want to see my trajectory.” So, maybe he’ll take a look and (hopefully) feel good about himself.
Readers of Stay Curious are well aware that I’m interested in material far beyond the scope of poetry. Some of this really does have to do with Chuck Klosterman. There was a period of time when I would openly say that I wanted to be “The Chuck Klosterman of my generation.” This wasn’t going to happen but it seemed like a good aspiration… It also felt like it explained something important about me and having diverse interests.
Chuck has been a good role model. He was a (very different) Scott Galloway type before we had someone like Scott Galloway. Some may recall Chuck served as “The Ethicist” for The New York Times. As a cultural critic, his books cover a range of subject matter from music to pop culture to sports to the more blatantly philosophical addressed in such texts as But What If We’re Wrong? (where he asks questions, stays humble, accepts experts know more than him, stays in his lane). He’s an intellectual who is self-deprecating and down-to-earth. He is exceptional at incorporating humor into his writing. His writing is painstaking and exquisite.
The point is that I got lucky. Chuck was a good person to look up to. He hasn’t let me down like so many people do.
Klosterman’s newest book is Football which is both definitely about football but doesn’t really require that you like football or even sports much in the way that David Foster Wallace’s essay Roger Federer as Religious Experience doesn’t require you to have even a mild interest in tennis.
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::: ONE ART :::
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ONE ART’s February 2026 Reading
Sunday, February 1
Time: 2:00pm Eastern
Duration: 2-hours
Featured Readers: Kim Stafford, Kari Gunter-Seymour, J.D. Isip, Todd Davis, Grant Clauser
Tickets are FREE!
(donations appreciated)
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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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Explore New Poetic Territory ~ Find New Meaning & Connections Using Found Poetry Techniques – A Workshop with Jennifer Mills Kerr
Workshop Leader: Jennifer Mills Kerr
Date: Tuesday, February 10
Time: 6:00-8:00pm Eastern – Please check your local time.
Duration: 2-hours
Cost: $25 (sliding scale)
>>> Register Here <<<
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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‘MacArthur Awards $10 Million to Strengthen the Humanities’ (MacArthur Foundation)
Great to see the orgs receiving well-deserved funding!
Aside: NPR listeners may recall those ads ending with “Learn more at Mac Found dot o r g”
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‘AI 101 Series, 3: How to Identify GenAI in the Publishing World - Community of Literary Magazines and Presses’ (CLMP)
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“Not surprisingly, publishing in The New Yorker was a major factor in a short story collection being published with a Big 5 publisher.”
“If publication in The New Yorker was not quite a prerequisite for a big press collection, it was nonetheless a major predictive factor (40% of total collections; 53% of collections that had previously published stories). Of the 8 collections with New Yorker connections, 7 published multiple stories in that magazine.”
“Many of the other works in these collections appeared previously in The Atlantic, Ploughshares, Tin House, Story, The Paris Review and Kenyon Review.”
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“Now, if you publish a story in one venue, then shrink it into a flash or micro piece to submit elsewhere, would that latter piece be considered “previously published”? To the editors at Raleigh Review (and probably most editors), that answer is yes.”
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“I’ve stopped providing the roundups of places that list calls for submissions, as I think many of you know them by now. (These are Sub Club, Erica Verrillo, Erika Dreifus, Authors Publish, Funds for Writers, plus many additional resources on Substack like Submission Sunday, The Guide Girl: A Resource to Submitting Your Writing, African Writer Weekly, Write, Period., Angelique Fawns, Writing Deadlines, and Creative Writing Opportunities Roundup - D’LitReview, to name a few!)”
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Oh ho ho, I see ONE ART is on this list— A list of places to send your poems on the days it feels too frivolous to send them anywhere
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::: Podcasts :::
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Poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths On Love, Tragedy & ‘Survivor Mode’ (Fresh Air)
Brutal. Unfortunately, I can relate to more of this than I wish.
Many trigger warnings… still a recommended listen for most.
I hard important look at someone who experiences Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) at the lower end of the spectrum which, evidently and unsurprisingly, tends to get overlooked and judged and mischaracterized.
Our society has such a difficult time with ambiguity + invisible illness + someone who is experiencing serious life-altering disability and hardship while remaining seemingly “functional” and, dare I say, “normal” in many ways.
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Aspirational displacement!
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The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway: Raging Moderates: A Year of Trump 2.0; A Decade of the War on Truth (ft. Heather Cox Richardson)
An essential listen. (I’ve listened to this conversation twice this week.)
Beneath the flashy word “fascism” we find the concept of some people being better than others and this basic premise is beginning of destructive and dangerous thinking that alters the consciousness of a people.
At the end of this discussion, HCR brings up a few things I assure you are worth hearing.
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::: Music :::
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After 30 years, Pitchfork, presumably seeking passive income, is entering its subscription model era and, even more notably, will allow subscribers to rate, review, “debate” in the comments.
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‘Song banned from Swedish charts for being AI creation’ (BBC)
Yes please.
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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“A new study found that you can get stronger even with gentle weight training. Almost any kind of lifting” (WaPo)
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“Researchers from the University of Oregon and the State University of New York Upstate Medical University looked at data involving over 1,000 people ages 16-24. They found that those who caught some extra z’s on Saturday and Sunday were 41% less likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who didn’t.” (Nice News)
More about the study: Science Direct
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‘Some men fear hair loss. These are embracing it. Meet the ‘baldmaxxers’’ (USA Today)
I was convinced it wouldn’t bother me until I started losing my hair. Really, I should’ve known better… hair has always been an area of fixation for certain family members.
Not about to shave my head haha. Oof… that would look awful on me.
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Nemesis.
‘Mosquitoes’ Thirst for Human Blood Has Increased as Biodiversity Loss Worsens’ (Ground News)
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‘They hear, but do they care? What AI can teach us about listening better’ (BBC)
Holding space.
Overall, there’s lots of good advice in this article about how to be a better listener.
“Interruptions during a phone conversation, for example, have been found to lessen perception of empathy in the person speaking.”
This is less true: “Large language models don’t have motivations or desires.” While the LLMs themselves may (presently) lack motivations/desires (world takeover, for example), the designers of these models certainly have predilections/biases that get baked into models. We do not appear to be living in the best possible times and, in turn, it doesn’t seem like a wonderful moment to bring these models into the world. Just sayin. Will there ever be a perfect moment? No. And maybe that’s part of the reason they were never meant to exist.
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‘ADHD treatments move beyond stimulants’ (Nature)
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“Alzheimer’s disease is rare in people with cancer (and vice versa)” (Nature)
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‘Why You Should Text 1 Friend This Week’ (TIME)
Sadly, important reminder. This is actual self care.
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::: The Trump Regime :::
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People are being killed in the streets, and you know this, and it’s not ok.
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‘ICE officers told they can enter homes without a judge’s warrant’ (AP)
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Polls show that less than 1/3 of Americans think that the U.S. is doing better since Trump took office for his 2nd term.
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“Trump’s triumphant narrative is not working at home, either. A new CNN poll released Friday shows that fifty-eight percent of Americans believe that Trump’s first year in office has been a failure. Americans worry most about the economy, but concerns about democracy come in second. The numbers beyond that continue to be bad for Trump. Sixty-six percent of Americans think Trump doesn’t care about people like them. Fifty-three percent think he doesn’t have the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president.”
“Sixty-five percent of Americans say Trump is not someone they are proud to have as president.”
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“54% of U.S. adults read below a sixth-grade level.” (Prof G Markets)
Trump loves the uneducated.
Being literate is essential for flourishing.
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According to Google Trends, Epstein searches have dropped by 91% since the start of January, right as Trump ramped up attacks on Powell, Venezuela, and Greenland. (Prof G)
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‘China’s new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country’s declining fertility rate’ (The Conversation)
Tried to find an article that wasn’t being vague about the situation.
China’s 13% VAT tax is meant to intentionally dissuade people from using contraceptives and, in turn, have more children. It’s immediately obvious to anyone that the people who are most affected by this and who are most likely to skip contraceptives due to cost are those who are financially burdened to the extent that they really cannot afford the costs associated with having children.
China currently offers the U.S. dollar equivalent of $500/year to young families with children under 3— so, $1,500 over 3 years. Unsurprisingly, this goes a lot further in rural China than in cities like Beijing or Shanghai where the cost of raising an infant is something like $7-8,000/year ($USD). Elsewhere in the country, it may account for about 15-20% of childrearing-related expenses.
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In an effort towards fair reporting…
Here’s something that a member of the Trump clan did that appears to be positive.
‘Barron Trump ‘saved woman’s life’ in London’ (The Times)
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“U.S. Sees Negative Net Migration in 2025 for First Time in 50 Years: Brookings Institution” (Ground News)
Anyone who thinks this is a win is ill-informed.
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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‘Mapped: Global Inflation Forecasts by Country in 2026’ (VC)
Yikes. Perspective. A reminder to manage our frustration.
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Now we can safely predict the future post extreme climate devastation…
Earth will be repopulated by naked mole rats surviving on twinkies.
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All news is local.
‘Retired Philly news anchor shows off his favourite wacky socks after collecting record’ (Guiness World Records)
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Depop is, apparently, Gen Z’s favorite thrifting app.
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‘Sri Lanka unveils a rare purple star sapphire claimed to be the biggest of its kind’ (AP)
Star sapphires are one of my favorite gemstones (since childhood, in fact).
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‘Why people are flirting on LinkedIn — and job hunting on Tinder’
That’s a real headline from Sherwood News but that’s not the most important part of the story. What’s really going on is that people are leveraging any “social” app to try to find work (or better work). The part of the story related to flirting on LinkedIn is not good; it’s unsolicited advances. Sounds like a great way to destroy your work trajectory.
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“A record 47.5% of US TV watching in December was through streaming services.” (Sherwood)
YouTube remains in the dominant #1 spot.
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2016 nostalgia is trending because… that was a decade ago.
How was that a decade ago, you ask?
The pandemic, much like any other devastating event in our lives, distorts our sense of time.
I have a lot of “Where were you when?” thoughts coming to mind as I reflect in real time…
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“Going analog” continues to trend.
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ReTuna
‘How Sweden’s ‘secondhand only’ shopping mall is changing retail’ (The Conversation)
“Consumer interest in “pre-loved” fashion is accelerating, with the secondhand market growing 2.7 times faster than the broader apparel market, according to one recent industry report. Globally, it is projected to reach US$367 billion (£272 billion) by 2029.”
“In a YouGov survey spanning 17 markets, 43% of secondhand buyers favoured instore purchases, compared with 39% who preferred online (19% were undecided). ReTuna is part of this shift – not as an outlier, but a glimpse of what mainstream retail could become.”
“Circular retail is not just about what we buy, but how and where we buy it. ReTuna demonstrates that with the right infrastructure, design and public support, sustainable consumption can be embedded into everyday life – not as a chore but a rewarding experience.”
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‘Plant Believed Extinct For 60 Years Reappears Thanks to Curious Nature Lover and iNaturalist’ (Good News)
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I really like this portmanteau from A Word A Day (AWAD) Wordsmith.org (a source for daily inspiration … and I’m a longtime fan)
precariat
noun: People living with chronic economic insecurity.
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Here’s another:
dataveillance
noun: The collection or monitoring of data relating to personal activities.
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GoWild! All You Can Fly Pass™ | Frontier Airlines
“Unlimited number of flights to 100+ destinations now through April 2027”
Somehow this is real. (Not a recommendation.)
Whatcha think? Get what you pay for?
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‘No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools’ (Science)
By now, many are aware of the cow who uses tools.
The reminder is that, over time, science will reveal more and more realities about other animals in the natural world… For example, I’m going to share a recent article about raccoon studies about how if you size up their brains they have a lot in common with the human brain.
All in all, this is a reminder that we should have more respect for the rest of the animal kingdom. We don’t know what we don’t know. We’re going to discover non-human animals are impressive in ways we did not expect. We should expect this and act accordingly.
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‘Raccoons break into liquor stores, scale skyscrapers and pick locks--studying their clever brains can clarify human intelligence, too’ (Popular Science)
“Humans have an ambivalent relationship with raccoons. They appear too wild to be domesticated, too endearing to be treated purely as pests and too ubiquitous to be considered exotic wildlife.”
“Early behavioral research suggested that raccoons can learn a task, walk away and later return to solve it accurately – as if having mentally rehearsed the solution. In contrast, other species, including dogs and rats, needed to maintain continuous focus. Scientists have speculated that raccoons have mental imagery capabilities similar to humans.”
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‘UCLA Study Finds Young People Value Safety and Kindness More Than Fame’ (Variety)
I really hope this is true of Gen Alpha, in general, and continues to be true.
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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.
>> Buy a copy of my poetry collection, Take Care. Copies are available from Moon Tide Press and Amazon.
>> Make a donation to ONE ART: a journal of poetry.
Thank you for the weekly guide. Really enjoyed the Klostermàn encounter