Amanda Gorman

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 7-13, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

The season rolls over on Saturday. Welcome spring by getting your mental corn popping.

Susan Ormiston: George Floyd murder trial tests how much—if anything—will change in the US. CBC News

Liz Navratil and Maya Rao report that Minneapolis to pay record $27 million to settle lawsuit with George Floyd’s family. Is this justice? How do you put a dollar amount on something like this? Star Tribune

Andy Mannix introduces us to Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence: blood relatives. Star Tribune

Kelly Murray and Alta Spells: Amanda Gorman, inaugural poet, tailed by security guard on her walk home. This is every Black woman’s life. CNN

Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to appear in court. Al Jazeera

WHO study finds that 1 in 3 women face physical or sexual violence. In the week of International Women’s Day, we still have a way to go. Associated Press

Laura Smith-Spark: Sarah Everard case prompts outpouring from women sharing stories of abuse and harassment on UK streets. CNN

Katherine Angel explains why we need to take bad sex more seriously. On the intersection of #metoo, feminism, and consent culture. The Guardian

Naomi Milthorpe and Eliza Murphy: sick party! The history of parties (real and fictional) spreading illness. JSTOR Daily

Benjamin Wallace-Wells wonders, who’s in charge of cancel culture? The New Yorker

Alison Campsie announces that the Pictish-era book that shares the first example of written Gaelic is coming home. The Scotsman

Sara Barnes introduces us to Nicolas Bruno and his hauntingly beautiful Somnia Tarot photographs. My Modern Met

The Golden Ratio: is it myth or math? It’s okay to be smart

Alastair Gee: is this the end of forests as we’ve known them? The Guardian

Related: Olivia Box shares good news for the lodgepole pine. JSTOR Daily

The truth about “green” grocery bags. SciShow

Seth Borenstein and Mayuko Ono: some sea slugs grow new bodies after decapitation. Associated Press

Natasha May announces that Wisdom the albatross, the world’s oldest known wild bird, has another chick at age 70. The Guardian

Jordan Mendoza reports that a rare yellow cardinal is spotted in Illinois backyard—a one-in-a-million chance. USA Today

Thank you for visiting. I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 17-23, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s been another eventful week. Time to take stock and get your mental corn popping.

I’m not going to share anything about the inauguration itself. Everyone either watched it live or after the fact, I’m sure. The first 100 days is the proof in the pudding. I’m hopeful, but 2021’s rocky start enforces a certain caution. America has been collectively traumatized over the last four years and, as Chuck Wendig points out, healing takes time, and healing is painful.

Using your voice is a political choice | Amanda Gorman TED

Alexander Smith reports that the world watches as Biden leads a humbled US struggling to contain its crises. Day one gets off to a good start. NBC News

Maegen Vazquez: Trump administration releases racist school curriculum report on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And then, on inauguration day, the 1776 report disappeared. CNN

Huw Jones and Estelle Shirbon report that London will remove statues linked to the slavery trade. Reuters

Ye Charlotte Ming: trapped in museums for centuries, Maori ancestors are coming home. Atlas Obscura

Marieke Walsh reports that as Pfizer covid-19 vaccine delays worsen, deliveries cut by 60%. And it’s not just Canada. The delays are affecting the US and some European countries, too. The Globe and Mail

Meanwhile, in Sudbury, where vaccines haven’t even been delivered yet, the health unit reports eight new confirmed cases of covid-19. On the large scale, it’s a drop in the bucket, but it just reflects that no where is safe, especially if people choose to travel and visit family in defiance of the stay-at-home order. Sudbury.com

Ashley Burke, who’s been following the story since the earliest allegations surfaced, gives us the scoop on the independent review into the claims of toxic workplace under Julie Payette. I am so disappointed that someone I respected could be capable of such abuse and mismanagement. CBC

Ian Austen: Canada’s Governor General resigns amid reports of a toxic workplace. The New York Times

Moonscapes. Dr. Noah Petro, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team, NASA Goddard

Astronomical records in trees. SciShow Space

Damian Carrington reveals that electric car batteries with five-minute charging times have been produced. The Guardian

Sneaky ways green chemistry is making our world safer. SciShow

Olga R. Rodriguez reports that the monarch butterfly population moves closer to extinction. Associated Press

There’s so much we got wrong about corals. SciShow

Natasha Daly shares joy over first White House shelter dog reflecting increasing embrace of rescue pets. National Geographic

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you found something to inspire your next creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Jan 17-23, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

I’ve gathered lots of informal writerly learnings, this week. Stock up and enjoy!

Janice Hardy provides a lifeline for when writing is no longer fun. Then, Rochelle Melander wants you to dump old myths and discover a new solution to procrastination. Later in the week, Janice is back with five steps to your next novel idea. Fiction University

Jill Bearup investigates the feasibility of fighting in a corset.

Jan O’Hara shares some writing self-care for when the world is afire. Then, Dave King wants you to focus! Therese Walsh describes Jan 20, 2021 as a semi-colon moment. Liz Michalski helps you root down and rise up. Writer Unboxed

Shaelin helps you structure a novel with Freytag’s Pyramid. Reedsy

And then, she covers the Fichtean Curve. Reedsy

Angela Ackerman: authors aren’t your competition. Then, Barbara Linn Probst considers ways of seeing, ways of writing. Writers in the Storm

K.M. Weila presents the three character arcs of the Karpman Drama Triangle. Helping Writers Become Authors

On her own channel, Shaelin Bishop offers 15 tips for writing better short stories. Shaelin Writes

Allison K. Williams explains how to restart your unfinished book. Jane Friedman

Elizabeth Spann Craig is returning to writing after a break.

Savitri and Satyavan: The legend of the princess who outwitted Death – Iseult Gillespie TED-Ed

Lisa Hall-Wilson shares seven ways deep POV creates emotional connections with readers. Writers Helping Writers

Jenn Walton helps your boost your creativity. Anita Ramirez suggests five ways to keep writing through a crisis. DIY MFA

The southern woman trope, explained. The Take

And … gaslighting: what does it meme? The Take

Oren Ashkenazi analyzes five useless powers in popular stories. Mythcreants

David Silverberg: at Bakka-Phoenix, the beloved science fiction and fantasy bookstore, you can let your geek flag fly. The Toronto Star

Matt Galloway interviews Nalo Hopkinson on the ‘joyful’ responsibility of being a leading Black voice in sci-fi writing. CBC’s The Current

Jeffrey Brown and Anne Azzi Davenport: poet tapped for inauguration to spread message of unity. PBS News Hour

And … Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem.

Thanks for spending some time with me. I hope you took away something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe!