Every week, I curate a list of the best links and articles to make you think and keep you informed. I hope you enjoy this week's selection which includes great articles about religion, pens, incowrimo, books, farming, and more!
What I've Read:
Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):
- Why Give Up Chocolate for Lent When You Can Give Up Plastic? (The New Dream Blog): This is a lenten sacrifice worthy of our time.
Living Simply During Lent (Integrated Catholic Life): An oldie, but a goodie. I revisit this article every year at Lent.
Giving Up Indifference for Lent (Sojourners): This is a great challenge to all of us.
Pens:
- 25 Resources To Jump-Start Your Pen Addiction (The Gentleman Stationer): This is a great article exploring different resources and information about fountain pens. Have you been interested but not sure about pens? This is for you.
InCoWriMo: It's February and that means that it's International Correspondence Writing Month. If you don't know what that is, these links will give you all you need to know to participate in this gloriously analog celebration.
- InCoWriMo: The official page of InCoWriMo
InCoWriMo – Let's Write Some Letters in February (Boho Berry): This is another great article about InCoWriMo.
InCoWriMo 2016: Why It's Never Wrong To Write a Thank-You Letter (A Fool With a Pen): I have a friend who always writes thank you letters. It's so kind and I'm trying to be just like her. This is a great article about the benefits.
Paperbacks (Books and Writing):
- In Praise of Neat and Tidy Bookstores (Book Riot): Although I love stacks of books, when it comes to bookstores, I also prefer neat and tidy (so you can find what you're looking for!).
- 92 Percent of Students Prefer Paper Books Over E-Books (NBC News): Given that my students love when I print out readings for them, this doesn't surprise me. I can never learn as well from an e-book.
Used Bookstores: A Lifelong Love Affair (Book Riot): This peaks to my soul.
Life in General:
- 48 Signs You’ve Hit Your Late 20s, Are Completely Ancient And Love It (Elite Daily): This is pretty true for my friends and me right now.
After Living in Norway, America Feels Backward. Here’s Why. (Moyers and Co.): This is a really important article.
The human remains just found at Stonehenge could change how we see the ancient world (Upworthy): It's kind of cool to see scientists learn more and more about Stonehenge even now.
I Am Not That Mom (We don't Chew Glass): While I'm not a mom, I relate to this woman's struggle. Anything is complicated when you struggle with depression and illness.
Things to make you smile:
- Guide Dog In Training Gets All Goofy When He Meets Pluto At Disneyland (Huffington Post): I had to watch this a few times. It's too cute!
Education:
- Why academics need to get moving (The Guardian): I know from personal experience how easy it is to get out of the habit of moving when overwhelmed by the work of academia. This article serves as a great reminder that academics need to be in motion to do well in the field (and well in life).
Paying Graduate School's Mental Toll (Science Magazine): This.is.my.life. Really, though, almost every person in my PhD program struggles with anxiety or depression. I know a lot of academics who struggle with this or with other emotional/mental problems. But there is almost no support for graduate students in this. I'm glad this article is raising the visibility of the problem.
What Ivy League students are reading that you aren’t (Washington Post)
Simplicity and Minimalism:
- On Borrowed Dime (Minimal Millenial): As a student who is deeply in debt, this speaks to me.
Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:
- Organic Farming Could, Maybe, Feed The World, Say Scientists (Modern Farmer): Everyone always says that the American Farmer feeds the world, but that they have to use pesticides to do so. I love this article explaining that they simply don't.
- The Female Farmer Project: This is a website, not an article. I think it deserves a mention as it works to make women farmers more respected.
What I've Written:
- Read my review of Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood