::: 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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::: ONE ART :::
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(TODAY!) – Sunday, June 8 — 2pm Eastern
Featured Poets: Barbara Crooker, Robbi Nester, Judy Kronenfeld, Cathleen Cohen
>>> Tickets Available <<< (Free! Donations appreciated.)
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Book Launch: Human Resources by Erin Murphy
ONE ART is hosting the launch of Erin Murphy’s new poetry collection— Human Resources.
Wednesday, June 18, at 7pm Eastern
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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What Do Americans Really Want to Read? We (Might) Have the Answer
(LitHub)
Lots of interesting data.
Accurate? Unknown.
Does it sound accurate? I’ll let you be the judge.
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The Legacy of the Vietnam War in a Poem: “Market Day” by Karly Randolph Pitman
Karly’s poem was first published in ONE ART.
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The Fine Art of Bad Writing
(LARB)
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::: Podcasts :::
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‘All the sad young literary men’
(Vox – Today, Explained)
A brief look at the epic tragedy that young straight white men are no longer the default literary darlings.
Reality is, due to the ability to self-publish and other changes in gatekeeping, there is a larger number of men publishing than before and women are simply outpacing men when it comes to publishing. Like many areas of society, when we finally took the shackles off women this group (half the population) proved that men (the other half of the population give or take) are not all that impressive. The Boy’s Club has been around for a long long time. Too long. We’re seeing all the ways boys/men are now having hissy fits that they have to work harder to compete with women.
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This is greatly elaborated on in Becky Tuch’s LitMagNews.
Also, read the section on the “Starfucker”. Depressing and all too real.
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Scott Galloways throws down some hard truths about artists and marketing. It could be articulated differently, sure, but it would amount to the same.
Addendum: Ok, so you might think this ties into the problematic “Starfucker” concept mentioned above. I don’t think Scott is suggesting using other people so much as setting aside pride and self-conceptions of what is means to be an artist and how an artists should be—and have some acceptance about what it means to be an artist in your time. Don’t make assumptions about who would or would not have been on social media… regardless, it’s a little like the common saying about the stock market that past performance is not an indicative of future results. The ways of the past are not aligned with the ways of today.
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How Project 2025 Is Rewriting America - Phase II
(Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams)
A reminder Project 2025 is a long game that goes beyond Trump. Don't be fooled— the ultra-conservative Far Right Christian Nationalists have nefarious intentions that go well beyond Trump’s time in power.
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ep. 102 - Copyright & Fair Use Part I
Hey, I even get a little nod in this episode.
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ep. 103 - Fair Use
Tim notes there is a lot more leeway than most think when it comes to fair use.
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::: Music :::
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Mark’s Pride 2025 playlist
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‘Fletcher Wants You to Know That Kissing A Boy Doesn’t Erase Her Queerness’ (them)
The broader theme, here, is about acceptance. In this case, in particular, acceptance that a person’s selfhood is fluid and evolves over time.
People struggle with ambiguity in others. It’s “easier” if we can have a static, unchanging, understanding of who someone is and how they are and how they move through the world. It’s “weird” for longtime friends when someone’s identity shifts perhaps seemingly unexpectedly. Real friends are the ones who roll with these changes; or, maybe I should say, the friends that a person can continue to keep as close friends.
It's important for people to understand that gender and sexuality are on a spectrum.
Nature and nurture both come into play.
There is no “right way” to be a person.
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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‘Definitely Do Not Put Plastic in the Microwave’
I’m sharing this, in part, for accountability purposes.
As suggested, “default to glassware” to play it safe.
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The sneaky way even meat lovers can lessen their climate impact
(Grist)
Even from my vegetarian perspective, seems like healthy, sustainable, cost-saving measures to blend veggies into ground meat. Basically, the same move parents pull on kids blending riced cauliflower into dishes.
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::: The Trump Regime :::
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Trump wants a military parade.
Answering the age-old question— you and what army?
The United States Army.
Let’s reflect on the optics.
What’s the takeaway message?
One message will be clear enough… See all this power? Imagine if it was turned against you and those you care about.
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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Trust in Media 2025: Which news sources Americans use and trust
(YouGov)
The weather.
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The Complete List Of Unicorn Companies
This is what the U.S. is really good at…
Is your company on this list?
Do you own a company?
Ok then.
(Sources: Chartr/CBI)
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How Much Discrimination Do Americans Say Groups Face in the U.S.? (Pew Research)
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An interesting article and relates to something I touch on in my poetry collection Meatless (Plan B Press, out of print so contact me directly if you’re interested in obtaining a copy).
‘The Ethical Assassin: One Man's Quest for the Perfect Way to Kill a Fish’ (GQ)
‘“This is arguably psychotic and self-aggrandizing, but I feel like the way I kill things is justified because I’m trying to influence the next generation—if I can just give them enough context and enough training,” he said. “I do feel strongly that when you extract a living thing out of the water, you have choices. The first fork in the road is: Do you want to harvest, or do you want to let it go and move on with your day? That first fork in the road gives you an off-ramp, spiritually or morally. If you say, I will keep this fish, you lose that off-ramp. But you can actually create a new off-ramp by saying, I will try my best to minimize unnecessary stress. I can’t promise there will be no stress. But I will do my damndest. And the really exciting aspect of ike jime is that if you elect for that off-ramp and actively kill—if you exercise a little consideration and energy and thought and care—you create a symmetry in the product. You have actually created a superior product.”’
“He gave a small laugh and asked that I stipulate for the record that he was now a little tipsy. He kept coming back to the legal doctrine of mens rea, he said—the “guilty mind” or evil intention that determines criminal liability.”
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Housing remains out of reach for many.
The Salary Needed to Buy a Home in 50 U.S. Cities
National Average Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,500
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On the millennial midlife crisis:
“We know how we don’t want to age, but aren’t totally sure how we do.”
“Most of the cohort entered the workforce in, around, or following the financial collapse of 2008, only to be hit again by the Covid 2020 recession, and now join the ranks of the middle-aged in whatever kind of economy we’re facing in 2025. That might be why, according to a 2024 study from the Thriving Center of Psychology, 81 percent of millennials polled said they couldn’t “afford” to have a midlife crisis. It may also explain why so many millennials don’t feel like they hit adulthood milestones, which often involve large purchases if not total financial stability.”
This is a real quote and hence the horrible state of the working world:
“There’s a lot in my life that’s really, really important to me, and it got really hard for me to make myself prioritize things like analyzing the Instagram algorithm.”
Better outlook:
“How can I figure out who I am without giving up my integrity, without giving up my values. How can I make the most of that? That’s the sports car I want.”
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Someone had to do it, eventually.
Scientists create 'world's smallest violin'
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