1. Poetry: Involuntary and In a Circle of Mountains and In the Quiet After and One Lesson from the Fungi and So Alive and Wonder Woman Writes Back and After a Morning of Crossing Things from a List from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Westward Crows and The New Weeping Willow and Mother’s Septet and Litter and Goodnight and Anticipation from Julie Barton, and Impermanence by James Crews on Weekly Pause, and In Blackwater Woods by Mary Oliver shared by Patti Digh (one of the best poems on grief I’ve ever read), and “And life was not so” Emily Dickinson and the choice from Pádraig Ó Tuama.
2. Grief and Gratitude, Ollie Schminkey’s August Newsletter, in particular their poem “Instead Of An Infestation” and what they wrote about Andrea Gibson. Also, as I have before and probably will do again, I highly recommend their book Dead Dad Jokes, one of my favorite collections of poetry about grief, in particular the loss of a father.
3. Book Review: Writers craft stories set in the world created by Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’.
4. all public poems of grief are private poems first*, “The Quiet Sorrows of Our Daily Lives” from Elissa Altman.
5. Writing In the Dark About the Unstoppability of Life by Jena Schwartz.
6. Today Is Andrea’s 50th Birthday, a love letter by Megan Falley. “My hope is that, for the rest of my life, people will look at me and see you. They’ll see many smile lines and know you were responsible for every one. They’ll see that every kiss you pressed into my cheeks still blooms beneath my skin. That my eyes, deep and so full of water, are lakes you are forever nightswimming in. And they’ll know, without needing to be told, that I am still your wife. Still so wildly in love.”
7. “No” is an option by Seth Godin.
8. Wisdom from Elizabeth Kleinfeld: Disabled People Need Time Off, Too (“On internalized ableism and the myth of the ‘lucky’ disabled person”) because “This reveals something painful about how our society views disability—the pervasive belief that disabled people are somehow getting away with something, living easy lives on the government’s dime. The reality is far different,” and June 6th: Surgery Day, Anniversary Day (“Grief at four years out”) because “Four years ago, I lost my daily laughter partner. This year, on the anniversary of his stroke, I gained something else: proof that I can believe in my own resilience. Both losses and gains, it turns out, can happen on the same day. Both can be true simultaneously.”
9. Wisdom from Morgan Harper Nichols: “When you are working on things that matter to you but others might not recognize the value of this work, it can be disheartening, and can lead you to feel uncertain about what impact you might even have. However, instead of only relying on external validation, you are allowed to explore new ways to measure the impact of your efforts. You are free to explore how slow and steady growth is actually still significant, whether or not others notice.”
10. 10 Things We’ll Regret When We’re Older from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.
11. Wisdom from Patti Digh: The Space Between Knowing and Knowing For Sure, “Live there when you get there,” and Welcome to The Unending Conversation, “You are a part of it,” and White without thinking, “on the invisibility of a system of whiteness,” and 66 Things I Know For Sure.
12. How We Became Captives Of Social Media. “Today’s social media has shifted from social networking platforms to AI-enhanced conveyor belts of vapid entertainment. Is there any escape?”
14. The long, complicated history of Baby Shark — and the artist fighting for credit. “The song’s 100-year history includes dismemberment, deceit and a legal battle over domain: doo doo doo doo doo.”
15. Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens. on The New York Times. (gift link) “Over 21 days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced that he was a real-life superhero. We analyzed the conversation.”
16. Farmer’s Almanac Predicts US Weather for Winter 2025. “The Farmers’ Almanac has released its winter forecast for 2025–2026, with the coldest outbreaks expected from the Northern Plains to New England and significant snow risks across parts of the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic, the publication said.”
17. Wisdom from Kaira Jewel Lingo: “It is heartbreaking to witness the ongoing starvation and destruction in Gaza — to see such suffering, and to know how long it has been allowed to continue. Many of us are carrying sorrow, rage, confusion, and a sense of helplessness. It can be overwhelming.
In this pain, it feels more important than ever not to turn away — from the truth, from each other, or from what we know to be just. Staying connected to community, to our capacity to care, and to the truth of what’s unfolding can help us stay human. It can help us respond in ways that are grounded in love and committed to a future where such violence is no longer possible.”
In related news, Kaira shared these links: Mutual aid fundraiser, 6 ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, US-backed aid distribution points in Gaza are sites of orchestrated killing, Middle East Children’s Alliance Gaza Emergency, In Gaza, mounting evidence of famine and widespread starvation statement from the United Nations, and The House of Interbeing: A mindfulness practice center welcoming Palestinian and Israeli peace activists to heal, connect, and plan for peace.
18. Emergency practices from Josie George: #7 and #8. “Throughout the month of August, in order to help pull myself out of a downward spiral, I’m sharing a choice I’m making every other day. These choices aren’t trying to change or control anything. Each one is simply a fresh turn towards what I know will help my mind, body and the people around me. Perhaps you’d like to try them too.”
19. A Year of Moving Towards Love (in a complicated world) from Satya Robyn.
20. Pep Talk: On a different kind of AI from Maggie Smith.
21. ‘If these words reach you … Israel has succeeded in killing me’: the last words of a journalist killed in Gaza. “Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera reporter, was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday night. This is the message he had prepared for his family, and his call for the world not to forget Gaza.”
22. not breathwork. breath magic, “reimagining the language of the body” by Abigail Rose Clarke.
23. Inside One Native American Tribe’s Fight Against The ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Camp. “For Florida’s Miccosukee Tribe, the controversial facility is ‘an abomination to the whole concept of sovereignty.’”
24. The Danes Resisted Fascism, and So Can We. “Danish resistance didn’t arrive all at once during World War II. But taken as a whole, the Danes’ actions are a testament to what’s possible when we work together to fight fascism.”
25. What We Leave Out, “On narrative and omission eighty years after the atomic bomb” by By Rachel Greenley.
26. The “Most Days” theory (“you’ve probably heard about ‘Let Them’ — this one is better, imo”) by Emma Gannon.
27. How to Let Things Go and Declutter Your Mind from Courtney Carver on Be More With Less.
28. The Permission Workbook: Why do you want to write The Story?, “On Creative Reasoning” from Elissa Altman.
29. What It Is Like, “Essay collections, allegories, road rage, another class” from Alexander Chee.
30. Why short breaks to move around are crucial for your creative process.
31. Your Brain on Scrolling, “Why social media makes us miserable (and what to do about it).”
32. Is joy an act of resistance? and the follow-up You told us — what brings you joy on Code Switch. (I’m linking to the podcast transcripts page so you can read or listen).
33. Is it Okay to Feel Good in the Midst of Chaos? “Why embracing bliss in dark times helps everyone” from Douglas Rushkoff.
34. Wisdom from Mychal Threets: “You are not a failure if all you can do today is lie down watching your show, reading your books, eating your snacks, and drinking your little drinks. Life is hard. One day at a time, please stay another day.”
35. A gentle reminder from Mon Rovîa:
“here is your gentle reminder that there are
dandelions growing through cracks in the
sidewalk. there is a fence lizard on the porch
who is growing a new tail. there are trees
growing through an abandoned house,
branches tearing through the ceiling,
ferns carpeting the floor. there is life
pushing forward, pushing through.”
36. Zoe Branch, typewriter poet on Instagram. I’m constantly amazed what she can come up with on the spot like she does.
37. Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser review – how did television ever sink so low? “Cruelty. Contestants who have abuse screamed in their face. Cash prizes. This documentary about a horrific 00s weight-loss reality TV series in the US makes for deeply troubling watching.”
38. Who the F*** Is Marc Maron Without Podcasting? He’s About to Find Out. “Sixteen years after his show launched an industry and saved his career, the curmudgeonly conversationalist is feeling conflicted about what followed: ‘Things were better before everyone had a voice.'”
39. ‘Trump is a horror story, isn’t he?’ Stephen King on villains, dark secrets and dreams. “One of the world’s most successful authors answers readers’ questions on his sources of inspiration, the colour of fear, knowing when to quit – and why manual labour is invaluable for writers.”
40. And finally, this collection of random things I saved on my phone this week.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 