1. Poetry: Animal Prudence by Kathy Fagan and The New City by Hieu Minh Nguyen and Ledge (ars poetica) (love poem) (true story) by Amorak Huey on The Slowdown with Maggie Smith, The Epic of Aisle Seven by Joshua Adam Walker and Town Crier by Ron Koertge and Six Months by Ryan McCarty and The Future, A Cocktail Party Conversation by Susan Browne on Rattle, Go ahead, Lord, break our harp by Jalal al-Din Rumi and People and a Heron by Robinson Jeffers and Noise by Amanda Hernández and The New Normal by Anna Gual on poets.org, Reframe by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, aphorisms for safekeeping by Maya Stein, Joy Conditioning by Moudi Sbeity on Heart Poems, Beyond Our Ken: three poems from the September issue of The Sun which you can listen to read by the authors, Resisting My Evolution by Julie Barton, Gathering Mint by James Crews, and What your day knows about your life: How your life shows up in a day by Pádraig Ó Tuama.

2. What I Hear When I Listen by Laura Lentz on Writing at Red Lights.

3. Why Second-Guessing Doesn’t Mean You Chose Wrong. “Self-Doubt After Making a Decision” by Sara Kuburic on Notes From My Phone.

4. The Day of Atonement by Jeanette Winterson.

5. Around and Around, “& Azita Ardakani on origin stories and stardust” on The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad.

6. Recipes I want to try: Broccoli-Cheddar Quinoa Salad, and Sheet Pan White Lasagna with Garlicky Greens + Broccoli (Facebook reel), and Potato Caramelised Onion Gruyere Galette (Facebook reel).

7. ‘I feel like I’m cancelling out her life’: the wrenching work of clearing out a parent’s home on The Guardian. “From old love letters to pieces of string, our homes are stuffed with stuff. When it comes time to empty a parent’s home, sorting the junk from the memory can be overwhelming.”

8. Get to know the authors longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026. “We asked the authors nominated for this year’s Booker Prize about the inspirations behind their longlisted works; their favourite books; and where they love to read, and write.”

9. Pulitzer Prize-Winning Autobiographies and Memoirs. “Since 2023, the Pulitzer Prize jury has awarded $15,000 annually to ‘a distinguished and factual memoir or autobiography by an American author.’ We’ve put together a list of the exceptional books that have received this honour since the prize’s inauguration—plus the finalists who have been singled out for particular praise.”

10. The anti-doomscrolling list, “a practical guide to getting your brain back after too much time online” from ayushi Thakkar on milk & cookies.

11. Good stuff from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less: 8 Ways to Slow Your Racing Mind and How To Get My Life Back On Track.

12. 51 ways to get the planet tipping the right way. “Researchers have identified 51 environmental solutions that could trigger an ‘unstoppable’ wave of positive change. Here are five of the most promising.”

13. The Room You Never Leave, “or, A Poor User Manual for the Only Body You’ll Ever Get” on The Shadowed Archive.

14. He would have liked my house. “On the Changing Hue of Grief” by Elissa Altman on Poor Man’s Feast.

15. Annie Dillard, Meditative Author of ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,’ Dies at 81 on The New York Times. (gift link) “Her Thoreau-like account of journeys in the woods, published when she was 28, was the first of many ruminations on life and nature, good and evil.”

16. We Die of Life by Belinda Manning. “Belinda Manning is a poet, multidisciplinary artist, Yin Yoga teacher, and lifelong community volunteer and activist. She marched in the civil rights movement as a teenager, and she has never stopped — only the medium has changed. In August 2026, days after entering hospice care for cancer, her body failing quickly, her spirit unmistakably soaring, she shared gems of learnings from her life’s journey in an intimate conversation.”

17. Razor cut by Danny Gregory. “What will happen if I don’t look after me?”

18. Track Star podcast on YouTube. “Each episode explores a theme through 10 songs, taking you on a deep dive into a specific artist, genre, or era of music through the perspectives of musicians, historians, journalists and fans. From legendary guests like Mark Ronson, Jon Batiste, and Spike Lee to unexpected deep cuts in music history, each conversation connects the dots between the music we love and the stories behind it.”

19. Tomato Cure on Orion Magazine by Seth Kaplan. “The quiet medicine of small jobs, finished before dark.”

20. The Introvert’s Guide to Cultivating — and Actually Enjoying — Community on Double Shift. “Invaluable insights from Lisa Sibbett, creator of The Auntie Bulletin.”

21. The Edge Effect: where images and ideas meet from Alix on Earth & Verse. “Collage as a form of inspiration and integration.”

22. On Not Overcoming Heartbreak by Elizabeth Kleinfeld. “On brain surgery, widowhood, and the slow work of turning toward what hurts.”

23. The Mother Tongue of All Secrets by Taleen Mardirossian on The Sunday Long Read. “Even when she forgot her own name, she did not forget Tony, and she did not forget that Tony was not Armenian. She forgot how to walk. She forgot how to eat. She forgot how to pee. But she did not forget how to keep a secret. My grandmother’s illness restored the erasure that had been done to her by her family and by herself. She had chosen to martyr herself by attempting to erase her own desires, feelings, and memories. Until she lost control of her mind, and Tony was freed.”

24. Steve Wilson visits the studios of two really (really really) cool artists: (Facebook reels) Bisa Butler and Stan Squirewell.

25. Pete Holmes on “me.” (Facebook reel)

26. And finally, a few random things I saved to my phone this week.