1. Poetry: Terra Vita by Lisa Hiton and Dispatch as Prologue or Epilogue by Megan Gannon on The Slowdown with Maggie Smith, The Quiet Shift by Anita Nahal and Forever Plastics by Ronald Carson and Aubade on Piazza del Popolo with Saxophonist and Chopin by Ashna Ali on poets.org, Telling the Bees and Seat 24C and Stalled by Julie Barton, Not That I Like It, But I Tell Myself and Still and Listening to Glen Velez in a Garden in Ohio and Sitting Beside the Cellist During Sound Check and Things I Learned from My Mother and A Small Lesson in Infinity by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, [empty ballfield] and Other Haiku by Greg Schwartz and Spin by C. Wade Bentley and Flower in a Field by Dario Cvencek on Rattle, The Time underneath Time: and what gives life by Pádraig Ó Tuama on Poetry Unbound, Open Anyway and More in Time by James Crews, Imperfection by Elizabeth Carlson on Heart Poems, and a few poems from Hannah Ro’s collection Same “to celebrate the women that mother us and the ones who mother with us.”

2. Good stuff from Elissa Altman on Poor Man’s Feast: on a love heavier than iron (“It’s Mother’s Day, and that’s all I have to say”) and a midweek roundup (“(Get Outside Already)”) and From the archives: Committing to the asparagus (“On Sustenance and Being Right Where You Are”).

3. On Bears: And invasive species by Jami Attenberg on Craft Talk.

4. The Gaslighting of the Majority (And the Truth About MAGA’s Death Spiral) on The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz.

5. An action both slightly incriminating and entirely fitting. “There is a kind of intimacy that only time can create” by Patti Digh.

6. Toast Slices Undergo Edible Makeovers into Rock Gardens, Pantone Swatches, and Flower Beds on This is Colossal.

7. Is There Any Love in Fascism? “1984 is now” by Satya Robyn.

8. Grab Some Seeds. Throw Them at the Soil. You’re a Gardener Now. on The New York Times. (gift link) “Welcome to chaos gardening, a laid-back way to turn a patch of ground into a riot of color.”

9. Was It Worth It? “I didn’t think about those nachos even once. I had never experienced anything like it. Is this, I asked my friends, how it feels to be normal?”

10. Opposable Thumbs by Alan Michael Parker. “On Cartoons, Colors, Ferris Wheels, Father’s Day, Prince, Coming Out, the Internet, and Me.”

11. The Guadalupe Swept Us Away. This Is the Story of All That Came After. “In the days after last July’s historic disaster, I wrote about the tragedy that befell my family. But crawling out of the river was only the beginning.”

12. When My Father’s Canary Flew Away on The New York Times. (gift link) “In the final stages of his dementia, a long-lost memory from childhood returned, perfectly formed. What was going on in his brain?”

13. I Want to Live Like Costco People. “No matter who we are or where we’re from, at Costco, we’re more alike than we are different. There’s no such thing as the real America, but if there were, you’d find it here. And you’ll find me here, too, for I have become the Costco person I was always destined to be, preordained by geography and epigenetics, nature and nurture. Yes, I’d like a box to take my groceries to the car. I’m pretty sure all this stuff will fit.”

14. Merriam-Webster Slang Dictionary. “Slang & Trending: Words We’re Watching.”

15. Why You Should Read ‘Yesteryear’ Now on The New York Times. (gift link) “Caro Claire Burke critiques America and asks who, and what, is redeemable?”

16. Retirees Expect Their Home to Be a Financial Safety Net. They Shouldn’t. on The New York Times. (gift link) “Older homeowners often can’t afford to maintain their houses or don’t understand the value in updating them. And that can mean thousands lost when they sell.”

17. ‘Almost life-saving’, Moby on the healing power of sound. “In the optimistic 1990s, electronic pioneer Moby made music that became the soundtrack to a generation’s youth. Three decades on, in a more anxious and unsettled age, his latest album explains how sound brings him calm after a lifelong battle with anxiety.”

18. Feeling anxious? Then try going for a walk in the woods. “Walking around woodland trails cuts anxiety, reduces rumination and boost social connection, new research shows.” Maybe it’s just me, but this seems like doing research to discover that water is wet.

19. Object-ives #34: My Mother’s Photographs on Open Secrets Magazine. “Why I’ve held on to photos of a woman who was cruel to me as a child.”

20. Birds, Buds, Blossoms, Beauty!, “poems and prompts to celebrate the spirit of May” from Alix on Earth & Verse.

21. Near Philadelphia’s New Green Spaces, a Dramatic Reduction in Crime. “With thousands of vacant lots now beautified, the city is showing that targeting places instead of people can work wonders.”

22. Behind every door. “Every person you pass is carrying a reality you cannot see” by Jasmine on The Tiny Joy Project.

23. Why So Sensitive? “Prima donnas, drama queens, delicate souls, and other artists” by Danny Gregory.

24. The Woman Who Got Out. “Trading a too-squared life for a little bit of grit” by Amanda Sandlin.

25. All the right moves! 17 personal trainers on the exercise they always recommend – from planks to face pulls on The Guardian. “Whether you are starting from scratch, or have a well-honed routine, moving can help us feel happier and healthier. Experts share their one essential exercise and how to get the most out of it.”

26. After Seeing “Holding Liat”: Love and grief all over again by Jena Schwartz.

27. Climbing Higher by Lina Lau on Short Reads. “Learning to trust.”

28. I’m 38 and I love my parents and I also resent them. “I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to decide which feeling is the real one — and last month I finally accepted that they’re both real, they’ve always both been real, and the exhausting part of being their son is only performing the half they can handle.”

29. 2026 Pulitzer Prize Winners, list with links.

30. 5 Tips for Mindful Journaling on Lion’s Roar. “James C. Hopkins on how—through writing—you can find the flow of awareness, free of judgment.”