5 Cool Things

Well that was fascinating, Scotland. A great drama was made all the better by my friend, novelist-blogger-archangel-copywriter-musician and lover of independence, Jamie Jauncey. Jamie blogs over at A Few Kind Words. He’s a founder at Dark Angels Writers and is a writer of the first rank. His passionate yes dispatches and thoughtful posts are beautiful. Sign up, you’ll be better for it. This issue is packed…

a new storytelling venue on the web. Plus, a lively place for science, culture, philosophy. What is a typewriter pop up cardigan squid? There’s a new novel from Mr. Ben Lerner and did you know that shame and vulnerability are corporate headquarters for creativity and innovation?

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1.

You have to love this. Narratively publishes one story a day in a kind of slow food, photo essay, kind of way. Long form, short form, films, comics, whatever works to get the story across. This is a recent story by W.M. Akers on Lee Morgan.

“He was one of the greatest trumpeters of all time, but Lee Morgan’s young life was stopped short by a toxic romance with a woman who saved him, then shot him dead.” What a story this is. Lee Morgan, high-wattage fame at 20, dead at 33 >>

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2.

Science, culture, philosophy

Our relationship with nothing is complex, contradictory, and essential. It is that shape in the corner of our vision, defining the boundaries of things but never quite in focus. What then, is it? Is it simply a construct of the human imagination, a symbol under a line in our ledgers, or is it as real as the worlds it surrounds? Welcome to “Nothingness.”

 

Nautilus is science, culture, philosophy. Nautilus is stunning to look at, smart and did I mention beautiful? You have to go see >>

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3.

You don’t drink just any coffee. Or, eat just any octopus. Right? Of course not. So why would you want just any filler text? You want hipster filler text. “Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium…” is so yesterday.

I give you, “Gluten-free dreamcatcher actually, roof party you probably haven’t heard of them blog paleo tofu Tumblr drinking vinegar.” Yes?

You’re welcome.

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 4.

If you’ve not read Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, head to your nearest independent bookstore and get a copy. It’s really terrific, something truly new. As if one great book weren’t enough, Lerner has delivered a fantastic second act, 10:04. The opening passages touch on a NYC dinner with a literary agent and a writer (named Ben Lerner) and some octopus. An octopus that has been massaged to death with unrefined salt. Read a great review in Slate >>

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5.
Shame, vulnerability, connection

I am pretty late to this now wildly famous TED talk from 2010 that has seen nearly 18 million views. If you’ve seen it, it’s worth another go. If you’ve not seen it, Brene Brown is funny, open, wise, smart. In her follow up TED talk, she notes that after her first talk went viral, many big companies wanted her to come and speak but, “please don’t talk about shame and vulnerability.” “Well, what then?” “Creativity, innovation, change,” they said. “Oh,” she said. “But shame and vulnerability are the birthplace of change, innovation and creativity.” Her follow up talk is here >>