Still writing, but I needed to step out for a walk in the rain, and caught the email.

Poetry is *so good* on its own, but also as a way of sharpening the mind ahead of revising longer prose - so nothing is ever really lost in a rejection. It all feeds into future work. Cheers, all!

I made a goof in my #poetry submission this week, so I'm extra-unsurprised it was rejected, but--

This one was written in honour of an article about Japanese haiku poets, reflecting on how climate change has disrupted the classic connection between a single word and a whole season in the work.

What will happen to the practice, they wonder, when seasons can no longer be reliably signified by the same imagery?

Here are four seasonal haiku gesturing at what comes next.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/14/lost-to-the-climate-crisis-japan-haiku-poets

All right. Offline for the day.

There's writing for *myself* to do.

Be good(ish)! 🤗

Alas, a natural feature is getting the urbanizing treatment near my apartment. For years, it was just a beautiful slice of nature here. Now there's fencing going up - no idea if as a precursor to a building project. The fence line supposedly comes with lighting to make the site safer at night, but it'll also block grounds access to the merry moo cows who wander this route from farm to other urban pastures.

Adiós to a lovely view, and to a happy compromise between humans and the rest of nature.

Morning, CoSo!

We live in a real nuthouse of a world, eh?

Be good to each other, visit the garden if you've got grounds privileges, share the remote from time to time, take your meds and water, be nice to the good nurses, and don't cheat at checkers in the lounge - at least, if you don't want to get bitten by Agnes.

(But if you do want that, no judgment! Everyone needs a little human contact. 🙃)

@Alfred, how long will CounterSocial survive?

Peanut butter jelly time? 👀

No!

Overdue novel writing time! 🎉

#AmWriting

We have an exemplar here on CoSo, of everyday patience and presence with the full, messy wonder of humanity.

@Minholkin shows up for so many of us so often - with kindness, with reminders to give ourselves and others grace, and with the courage of compassion in a hard, hard world.

I know how hard it is to show up with ourselves the same way as we do with others - so if you can drop a gif her way tonight, please do.

Min! We see you!

You're not alone, and this inferno, too, shall pass. 💙

Take a look at my extra student in class tonight. 🙃 Can you believe I had to teach under these circumstances? So cruel!

And currently reading...

WILSON'S GHOST: reducing the risk of conflict, killing, and catastrophe in the 21st century - by Robert McNamara

Bittersweet reading?

Yes, yes it is.

#CoSoBooks #Politics #War

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/robert-s-mcnamara/wilsons-ghost/9781586481438/

Relatedly:

I rewatched The Fog of War this week (and I'll probably do a double-feature of that and Wag the Dog for the next newsletter).

Do you have a favourite film reflecting on the intersection of politics, war, and propaganda?

#CoSoFilms

Working on a piece to help folks navigate a media environment filled with disinformation.

As I noted in October, one should never expect any government or military to tell the total truth in war, because that's *not* their priority. To complete the mission, civilians become part of the arsenal.

It *is* the responsibility of independent media to report facts, but we've all seen propaganda from every side credulously aired. So, I'm hashing out general principles for navigating such news. 🤞 #Soon

Someone was asking about the moment we knew CoSo was right for us.

For me, it was when an error of mine was respectfully corrected. It was such a lightbulb moment, because other platforms are filled with people waiting to tear others down.

During my 1.5 years here, I've seen my share of quarrels and 'splainers (folks who offer unsolicited advice or presume ignorance), but mostly we recognize & honour each others' humanity.

We're hashing out how to live better amid great differences every day.

Also:

The social media era was originally pitched as a democratizing force - but we gave up its promise to corporate models that offered bells and whistles for no price (making us the product) yet made us *feel* like clients because we had the Power of Complaint.

We have some major unlearning to do as a culture:

To take collective responsibility for the spaces we use for discourse.

To foster civil disagreement.

To de-escalate.

And here?

Here we're *doing* that work.

Keep it up, #CoSo. 💪

Sometimes people make very poor decisions, eh?

This morning, one of our street vendors - a younger man who lives with the consequences of a severe stroke - did something very foolish. He tried to steal a customer's phone.

I was out with a neighbour, helping her with an errand, but we stopped to provide a calming presence between two angry fellows before police showed up.

What a shame, though.
The vendor wasn't arrested, but he's blown all good will.

Humans do really stupid things sometimes.

My morning got hijacked by a great-grandmother in the building.

:) I'm okay with that.

It was nice to sit with another generation, and learn.

Morning CoSo! 💫

Most social media has to pump out promo material to create a sense of user fealty.

But here?

For weeks I've seen people *excited* to be celebrating CoSo's 6th birthday (woo! 🎉), and that has everything to do with @th3j35t3r's hard work and *emphatic* reminders to folks to use the tools to make this the place they want.

That attitude limits toxic adulation, and emphasizes teamwork and responsibility.

And the fruits speak for themselves.
Thanks for being real together, CoSo. ❤️