Yesterday I spent the day with the Op-Ed Project, thinking more about this new craft (it’s been over a year, but it still feels very new) of public writing. It was an inspiring day and I left it even more committed to developing my public voice and, even more importantly, working to amplify the voices…
I’m off to a workshop today, but wanted to offer a few quick thoughts on a great series of videos. Scope, a British advocacy group, has made an outstanding series of videos that are fundamentally about inclusive society – how to you shake a hand that’s not there, how do you talk to people in…
From http://mimiandeunice.com/2011/01/05/killer-of-scribes/ A week or so ago, on Twitter, Virginia Heffernan introduced me to the word “hyperlexic” in the context of her piece on the speed-reading app Spritz (which Bogost has addressed here). She talked about the way we generally valorize certain kinds of reading, like novels, and dismiss others, like texts or Facebook. However one…
In the last two weeks, I have received a half dozen requests for advice from newish writers looking to expand their readership or break into more formal publication. They all ask me roughly the same questions – how did you do it? Does blogging help? Unfortunately to those seeking my advice, the true answer is…
There have been two debates about privilege recently. One was Tal Fortang’s barbaric yop that he, Princeton undergrad, is not privileged by his whiteness, because his family was persecuted by the Nazis. The second was a Thought Catalog essay on female privilege. The first essay demonstrated two key facts: Tal Fortgang does not understand the concept…
A few weeks ago McDonald’s toys and gender norms zoomed into the zeitgeist, with all kinds of interesting articles, complaints, and even positive corporate response. I blogged about it here. I was pleased that McDonald’s had resolved to change the norms so that kids & parents wouldn’t be asked for boys’ toys or girls’ toys…
Here’s another story about police violence and disability. Here’s another story about the cult of compliance. In Dearborn Michigan, an Arab man was riding home on his bike. He stopped, was approached by police, and failed to comply with a request for ID. According to a complaint in a lawsuit, when he didn’t present ID,…
I’m back from an annual conference that medievalists hold in Kalamazoo, MI. Here’s the round-up for the week. At the conference I spoke about public engagement and why a medievalist might write for CNN about Sarah Palin. I also linked to a great blog post thinking about management vs administration in higher education. Earlier in the…
I’ve been at the 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies, held annually at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. It’s an extraordinary event – over 3000 medievalists come to this small town and lovely campus and, over four days, work on everything from the most micro-specialized topic to giant sweeping questions about the academy and…
Anne and Bobby, used by permission Anne Grunsted, who I know, has written a wonderful essay in Chicago Parent about about the “Selfless Mother Club.” As in – “Don’t look at my son with Down syndrome and put me in the selfless mother club, it demeans both him and me.” (paraphrasing). I love this phrase. I…