Micro-Reviews for the Discerning & Literary Child
Dog Man, all day. Everyday. Comics are making my kids readers. My pre-schooler loves looking at the pictures. My first grader is reading words like "expositional monologue" and "personal growth." (OK, probably not, but they're in there, next to other words she knows.) These books are laugh out loud funny, too.
November's library pick: We Came to America by Faith Ringold. We're reading this in anticipation of Thanksgiving as a complement to the stories of colonialism that our children are sure to hear.
Asides, Ideas, Miscellany
What can we learn from Dutch Sex Education? Everything.
I love this format for storytelling (via Work Over Easy's entertaining and useful newsletter.)
Patti Smith on Little Women. (The 150th anniversary has me obsessed, so I can't promise this will be my last Louisa May Alcott link share.)
"We’ve witnessed these hate-fueled moments so many times before, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about them when they happen. Because when we don’t, we show our [children] that what’s happening is unremarkable."
"Building Humane Cities" in the face of overcrowding and gentrification (on the TED radio hour).
Two New York exhibits I'm dying to see: Rebel Women Defying Victorianism and Harry Potter, A History of Magic.
New Works on Paper
I had the honor to work on a story for Cricket Media this month that features the work of a handful of teens and twenty-somethings — the founders of Equality for Her, Bye Bye Plastic Bags and Zero Hour — who are leading the way by creating youth-led movements around the world. Their aims are nothing less than to save lives and the planet, all while centering diverse, under-represented voices. "Taking action is the best way to live in conditions of crisis and violation, for your spirit and your conscience as well as for society," says Rebecca Solnit in her hopeful (yes, hopeful) response to this month's devastating IPCC climate report. "It’s entirely compatible with grief and horror; you can work to elect climate heroes while being sad."
Last but not least, I'm looking at... my notes for a novel! Join me tomorrow by committing to writing 1600 words each day in November. If you've ever thought about writing anything (it doesn't have to be fiction), check out NaNoWriMo for more info on how to participate in this write-along.
For those of you who can vote, see ya at the polls on November 6th!
Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations? I love connecting with fellow readers, writers, parents, and humans. Please drop me a line!
New here? Peruse the archive of letters right here or join below for monthly-ish news and notes.
r.p.
