SC Weekly – March 2025 – #1

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

::: 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.

Thank you for reading and for your time.

With Gratitude,

~ Mark

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>>> Please Note <<<

This newsletter may be too long to appear in its entirety in an email.

Click the link or go to the Stay Curious homepage to read in full.

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::: Personal Notes :::

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This feels important so I’m sharing it first.

I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode on “Competitive Authoritarianism”. It sets the table for our current situation. The tone is even-headed even while talking about urgency.

I don’t think you will find the episode upsetting. Rather, I hope you will find it empowering to feel you have a better understanding of where we stand at present.

Update: We’re starting to see signs of resistance, Democrats, and the Left pushing back. People are waking up. Even some folks who voted for Trump seem to be thinking— “Hey, wait a minute, this isn’t in my best interest…” Let’s not lose hope. There are lots of signs that Democrats can win the midterm elections in 2026 (even though Trump & Co. will insist our elections are rigged). We can overcome. Trump is a lame duck president. This is the United States of America. Trump can keep making jokes about being a King or “President for life” but, with the exception of Trump’s brainwashed most extreme followers, The People will not stand for this.

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::: ONE ART :::

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Exciting news!

ONE ART received THREE (3) Pushcart Prize nominations from Contributing Editors for the forthcoming 50th Edition.

Note: These are not guaranteed to appear in the anthology but, as we always say, it's an honor just to be nominated.

Fingers crossed that a ONE ART poem makes it into the anthology this time around!

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~ ONE ART’s 2025 Haiku Anthology ~

ONE ART’s 2025 Haiku Anthology edited by Katie Dozier. The submission window is OPEN until the end of March.

The online anthology will be published on International Haiku Day, which is April 17.

Here’s a look at our 2024 Haiku Anthology.

Unique email address used for submissions to ONE ART’s 2025 Haiku Anthology: onearthaiku2025@gmail.com

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Upcoming Workshops

Crossing Thresholds: Poetry and Mindfulness
Instructor: Gloria Heffernan
Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Time: 7:00-9:00pm Eastern
Price: $25 (payment options – Stripe / PayPal / Venmo / CashApp)

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WRITING THE CATASTROPHE: SINGING IN DARK TIMES
Instructor: Donna Hilbert
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time: 6:00-8:00pm Eastern (3:00-5:00pm Pacific)
Price: $25 (payment options – Stripe / PayPal / Venmo / CashApp)

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~ Future Readings ~

Sunday, April 6 — 2pm Eastern
Featured Poets: Kari Gunter-Seymour, Amit Majmudar, Chad Frame
Tickets will be made available in March (Free or Donation)

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Sunday, May 4 — 2pm Eastern

Featured Poets: Jennifer Mills Kerr, Terri Kirby Erickson, Dick Westheimer, Ann E. Michael, Kai Coggin

Tickets will be made available in April (Free or Donation)

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::: Podcasts :::

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The role of artists & the arts & what shapes culture

Short Listen: Artists vs. the White House (It's Been a Minute)

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Also a short listen: ‘Lonely? There's an app for that... but should there be?’ (It's Been a Minute)

It’s about much more than the title of the episode implies.

This is really about connection and power.

I’ve listened to this twice now. It’s smart and informative.

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I’ve listened to a bunch of interviews with Nicholas Carr recently about his new book Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart

This is a good one: Intelligence Squared

It’s in the same vein of discussion that Yuval Noah Harari writes about in Nexus.

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A difficult listen. Rachel speaks candidly about her son’s cancer prognosis.

It’s helpful to know a little about Rachel Zucker, her life, and her work.

You can always count on Rachel to be honest, open, human.

Apart from the subject matter discussed, it’s worth calling attention to the level of intimacy that Rachel brings to the podcast form is special.

‘Episode 132: The Hiatus Explained’ (Commonplace)

I highly recommend the Commonplace podcast, in general, as a terrific resource. Deep, personal interviews with poets and writers.

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Fun & informative!

‘ep. 89 - Workshops Part II’ (The Poetry Space_)

I can’t say enough good things about what Adrienne Christian offers in this episode of The Poetry Space_

Poets, at the very least, listen to the first 10 minutes or so where Adrienne breaks down a list of points to discuss in workshop. These methods would work equally well in a critique circle and can absolutely be applied as you revise poems on your own.

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::: Music :::

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A friend reminded me of the band Daughter’s 2023 album ‘Stereo Mind Game’. It’s pretty good. The track I was previously most familiar with by this band is called ‘Youth’.

Listening now, the band reminds me, a bit sadly, of Filterworld and coffeeshop music…

More in an upcoming post.

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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

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Top read.

‘What I Learned About Monetization by Launching a Lit Mag’ (LitMagNews)

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‘The Mona Lisa problem’

Seth Godin makes a good point about time & place.

Turns out, maybe it’s not the wry smirk that makes the Mona Lisa famous. Go figure.

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A reminder, as an adult, that Kerouac can be super annoying.

Not just me, right?

&… I know, I know, it was avant garde for the time…

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Susan Sontag has some good ideas.

… but you already knew that.

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This quote about dialogue is interesting.

I used to say that I wished people would speak the way they wrote in poetry. I do not desire this now. I would prefer clarity.

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A series of impossible Commandments.

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Better than average writing advice.

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‘The New Aesthetics of Slop: Or what happens when vulgar technocrats control the arts (Ted Gioia)

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::: Health & Wellness :::

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We live in scary times, and yet this remains one of the scarier headlines you can stumble upon…

‘An “unknown disease” has killed 53 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.’ (The Washington Post)

It sounds like ebola… but at least we know a few things about how to handle ebola.

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Meanwhile…

‘Gen Z teens tell us why they stopped trusting experts in favor of influencers on TikTok’ (Fortune)

“Gen-Z isn’t just trusting influencers over experts, they’re redefining what “expert” even means. Doctors, journalists, and scientists are dismissed, not because they are wrong, but because they are inconvenient, a straw poll of teens told Fortune. Influencers, on the other hand, are fast, familiar, and on the medium we turn to most: our phones.”

“It’s not that Gen Z doesn’t believe in experts. Rather, it’s that social media has rewired the way they think about credibility. TikTok influencers are now our “friends.” The algorithm repeats and reinforces what we already believe. And a well-edited, engaging video is much more convincing than a long, complicated explanation from a professional. Credibility today isn’t about expertise but about who tells the most compelling story. This change is slowly reshaping how an entire generation decides what is true and what is not—sometimes with demonstrably negative results.” (emphasis added)

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::: The Trump Regime :::

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Have you ever played the board game Axis & Allies?

Well, if not, perhaps you’ve heard of it. For me, it’s the quintessential game that comes to mind when you hear jokes about games that take for-ev-er to set up. Asher Perlman posted a funny comic on this subject recently that feels related. Anyhow… the game is structured based loosely on WWII.

I’ve been thinking about this game a lot recently… since, if Trump has his way it appears we may be part of the new Axis.

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Speaking of WWII…

Germany’s AfD (“Alternative for Germany”)— recently in the news for Elon being a fanboy and, oh, you know, doing a totally normal gesture in a public forum— just won an election with the most support since WWII.

To say this is “worrisome” would be an absurd understatement.

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A wise person recently noted an outside view of Trump.

Trump 1.0 maybe seemed a little like Italy’s Berlusconi— but Trump 2.0 instantly made it clear that he is much worse, a much greater threat.

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Trump vs. Trees

Trump’s defunding of National Parks employees and, in turn, upkeep, services, access, feels like a personal attack.

(Vox)

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Senator Angus King of Maine, a man with the surname “King”, made some notable remarks reminding everyone why The Framers of the Constitution did not want the United States to have a king.

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‘Some Canadian coffee shops are serving “Canadianos” instead of Americanos.’ (The Washington Post)

Remember Freedom Fries?

America is the bad guy. Why else is Elon sporting the black hat?

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‘Homeland Security can now spy on LGBTQ+ people’ (LGBTQ Nation)

It was always heading in this direction with Trump and MAGA and the Extreme Christian Right.

You take a minority community, already marginalized, scapegoat them, bombard the public with fake news about them being a “threat”, and then put people in power positions who can target the group and make their life hell on earth.

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Which Countries Are The Most Corrupt?

Let’s plan to revisit this soon…

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By now, you’ve likely seen the Trump/Vance vs. Zelensky video.

It’s appalling.

Trump and Vance behaved in a manner that is unamerican.

There are several points early in the conversation where, had I been in Zelensky’s position, I would have thrown a punch. Zelensky should be praised for his impressive patience in service to the Ukrainian people. A masterclass in putting others before self. On the other hand, no one should have to put up with this kind of abuse, especially when sabotaged on live television.

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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

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WSJ reports that the wealthiest 10% of American consumers account for approximately 50% of all consumer spending.

People have started revolutions over less.

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AI might prove all too human.

Early tests show cognitive decline in AI LLM.

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Something light.

‘Which Old Movies Stand the Test of Time? A Statistical Analysis’ (Stat Significant)

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‘Autonomous driving technology has crossed a threshold, and there’s no going back’ (Semafor)

Cars on the brain recently and this article is a legitimately interesting read.

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::: Google Search Trends :::

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“Granola bar searches are at an all-time high, and “how to make your own granola” spiked +160% in the past week”

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2025 Words (and Phrases) of The Year

(List in Progress)

Precarity

Unhinged

Friction

Cognitive load

Time poor

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