I loved this essay and primer on writing comics that appeared in Catapult last week. I especially like the focus on how attention transforms small or ordinary moments into something meaningful.
February 15th’s The Astronomy Picture of the Day is a gorgeous and annotated shot of the milky way and airglow in France.
Whenever I travel, I always try to check out the local library. (One of my favorites is still The Seattle Public Library.) I frequently rely on libraries for wifi or printing or other help, whether traveling or not. I loved this article in the New York Times, “A Love Letter to Libraries, Long Overdue,” about the role that libraries play in our communities. “Libraries have always been a place of worship for a certain type of person, but they’re also community centers, meeting houses and pop-up medical clinics, offering vaccines, homework help, computer classes, craft sessions and tax advice.”
Yesterday in an open letter, 200 journalists and writers called out biased reporting on transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people’s issues at the New York Times. In an interview, Esther Wang talked to Jo Livingstone about anti-trans narratives in The New York Times and what the organizers hope to achieve with their letter.
On Monday night, three students were killed and five were injured in a mass shooting at Michigan State University. An MSU student who had been a sixth grader in Connecticut at the time of the Sandy Hook shootings released a video afterward. “The fact that this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible.” Journalist and former political staffer Celeste Pewter posted about what’s happening, and what actions people can take.
A train carrying butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, and other hazardous substances derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3rd. The catastrophe forced some residents to leave their homes. Since then, residents have complained of nausea, headaches, and rashes. Thousands of fish have turned up dead in creeks. The operator, Norfolk Southern, skipped a town hall meeting following the derailment and offered the town a mere $25,000 to cover damages. Ohio governor Mike Dewine has asked for immediate assistance from the CDC.
I went back and forth on whether to include the news this week about both the MSU shooting and the Ohio train derailment. I know from talking to several people that a lot of us are overwhelmed with what feels like persistent catastrophes. But I think it’s important to talk about the collective grief we’re experiencing. As Celeste Pewter writes on her post linked above about MSU, “If you’re feeling a little numb and dismayed about how little progress it feels like we’ve made in the past five years, please know you’re not alone.” In an article following the Uvalde shooting last May, Elizabeth Yuko wrote about the ways collective grief and trauma are rewiring our brains, and strategies to manage and process that grief. “Processing collective grief starts with being able to recognize what you’re feeling, and understanding that your emotions — from sorrow and anger to a complete lack of control — are all valid.”
Thanks for reading,
Kate
Oof. It's been a hot minute since I've gone through your posts. I did see this one (via the email subscription) when you first published it. I just wanted to go back and note that. Also, I do appreciate you chronicling the news, even briefly. It's a way to make sure these tragedies aren't forgotten.