Every Friday, I share 5 things to consider and a treasure chest of links. If you like them, please subscribe (it’s free).
GM ☕️
Thanks, all, for the birthday wishes! I feel very loved, and your coffee contributions helped me withstand the ennui of turning 45. 😉
Here are this week’s 5 things to consider:
Lucille Clifton’s “i am not done yet” is heavy with possibility, uncertainty, and acceptance. Her words are urgent and the form is fleeting, yet the poem as a whole is quietly determined. “i continue to continue.” Bless.
I co-sign this call to bewilderment:
You can trade false simplicity for complicated truth. And the resulting worldview is more useful and more beautiful because it genuinely reflects reality. That’s why a synonym for bewilderment is wonder, which, at least for me, is not terrifying but exhilarating. —Alan Levinowitz
A wowza art history assignment: sit with one painting for three hours in a museum or archive. Note the details and experiences (boredom? impatience? awe?) that unfold when you slow down and gaze, in an unfamiliar setting. Intrepid readers with an afternoon to spare, please report back?
Time, after, time, after, time…
The history of the seven-day week.
The modern week…is fundamentally social, incorporating an awareness of the demands and constraints of other people. Yet the modern week is also somewhat individualised, inasmuch as its rhythms are shaped by all sorts of private decisions we make, especially as consumers. —David Henkin
Clock time is not what most people think it is. It is not a transparent reflection of some sort of true and absolute time that scientists are monitoring. It was created, and it is frequently altered and adjusted to fit social and political purposes. —Joe Zadeh
The diminishing returns of calendar culture.
My calendar makes me feel in control. But of what, exactly — and to what end? And what understanding of my value, but also the value of others, am I sustaining with it? —Anne Helen Peterson
Tonci Zonjic’s “NOT/BUT” comic strip reframes an artist’s inner critic. Made for creatives, but widely relatable. (Click the NOT to see the BUT.)
Bonus book love:
Charlottesville, the JMRL book sale is happening now, and it’s full of goodies.
Treasure chest
I bet you find a gem ➔ strengthening resistance to antisemitism1 | what tech companies are and are not doing to support bodily autonomy | The Onion’s (real) amicus brief2 | emotional PPE for healthcare workers | the riddle of the well-paying, pointless job | what’s the most harmful airport book? | how to travel on the cheap, like a local | the six stages of having too many books | many years of hard study👇🏼
Have a great weekend! I’ll see you again soon.
Jenny
P.S. This newsletter is a labor of love. To support it, please share this post, venmo me a coffee, or engage my services. You can learn more about my work at jenniferlphillips.com. Thank you!
Via Anti-Racism Daily.
Via Roxane Gay.