Welcome to our Sunday Summary for the week of 2/20/2022-2/26/2022. It’s been a week of contrasts. Exciting in some ways, depressing in others. We saw a tremendous increase in visits to the website as people read Erika’s moving analysis of the damage that Florida’s pending “Don’t Say Gay” legislation would have on children and we welcomed a new writer this week. But that’s only partly taken the sting from the horrible legislation itself. And we’ve brought you our usual slate of incredible writing from all of our contributors.
Monday
“Don’t Say Gay” legislation tells all our kids that straight lives, cisgender lives, are worth more than queer ones. It tells our kids that there’s something wrong with their queer parents. That there’s something damaged about themselves.
A few weeks ago, Erika shared a poignaint and insightful story about how “Don’t Say Gay” legislation hurts kids by keeping information from them, while protecting adults from introspection and from having difficult conversations. After the Florida legislature went even further, trying to add provisions that would essentially force schools to out students, Erika followed up her first story, explaining just how deeply the harm in “Don’t Say Gay” legislation applies to all children, no matter their sexual orientation or gender.
(While we’re angry and disappointed that the legislation has passed the Florida House we are relieved to report that the part of the law that would have forced schools to out students was struck from the bill. This legislation in Florida, along with pending legislation in Texas and Alabama has the power to cause great harm to children. We encourage our readers to continue to share these pieces, especially with people who may be in one of those states, and to contact their legislators whenever possible to prevent the spread of this kind of codified prejudice.)
Tuesday
Poetry is the most direct line to the inner workings of the psyche. Whether it’s good for anything else is up to the poet.
On Tuesday Adam shared a melancholy and evocative poem with us, along with commentary. Poetry, for Adam, is about preserving moments, and this one provides us with a stunning snapshot of a love, longing and loneliness as they are happening. The poem itself is uncomplicated, allowing readers really experience the intensity of the emotion. And the insightful commentary enlightens both the experience of reading a poem and, for those who want to try it, the poetry-writing process.
If you enjoyed reading this piece, check out Adam’s short story, “Baggage“.
Wednesday
My students tend to use “bad words” in one of two ways: to express general disgust (this sucks!) or to exress a specific complaint (you suck!).
On Wednesday we paid another visit to Josi Lacrete’s classroom where her students are learning about the power of words… and in particular, the power of a well placed “bad word.” As they discover the ways to use restricted language, Josi invites us to also think about the way they’re also learning words like “protagonist” and “antagonist.” But perhaps the most important lesson here is that they’re discovering just how complicated people can be–that is, that people are not “all good” or “all bad.”
Thursday
The ordinary is simply the commonplace situations of our everyday lives. But the cliche, when it’s not simply a hackneyed phrase, is what we expect of fiction or artifice. Which is often the reverse of the ordinary.
On Thursday we introduced you to our newest writer, Joseph Carter Milholland. Joe is the author of New Releases, a newsletter that reviews recently reissued or newly translated books that were first written over 50 years ago. Here on our site, Joe brings us commentary on the sharp insight a journalist needs to write an outstanding profile of a single person, whether that person is already famous or not. What is it that makes some of these profiles so memorable? It might not be what you think.
Friday
Adam: “I need their art to stay sane. But I don’t need to tolerate intolerance.”
Erika: “…I tried to find what fits into the narrow chasm between ‘distraction’ and ‘enough to keep the brain-squirrels at bay.'”
On Friday, Adam and Erika shared with you their recommendations for the media that helped them get through a depressing week. Erika departed from her usual Baroque selections but brought up a number of exciting spoken word poets as she has before. Adam continued his exploration of The Wheel of Time series along with taking us through a nuanced exploration of German romantic music. He also included an exciting exploration of the way 19th century orchestras were growing and new instruments were being created. And as you read you may also discover that he seems to be reviving the viola debate.
Saturday
Introvert? Extrovert? The cats have questions.
Big Cat and Little Cat are back once again with their weekly question. This week may have been less exciting for Little Cat, but when he hasn’t been demanding things from Erika as she tries to write, he’s been trying to get Big Cat to stop bothering him. Big Cat, on the other hand (or paw) won’t be content until everyone comes to pet him and play with him. He’s not satisfied when Erika fills his food dish, no… he needs to sit on her. And he needs to provide a near constant stream of editorial commentary as she tries to write. What about you? Introvert? Extrovert? Ambivert?
We know this week has been hard for many people. It’s certainly been a challenging, even a depressing, one for us here at 2 Rules. We want to remind you that you are not alone. Many of us are feeling anxious, unsettled or angry. It’s okay to not be okay right now. Please take care of yourselves. Reach out for help, even if that means saying to someone “Can you help me make this call?” We hope everyone will find peace and comfort soon.
Make sure you‘re all caught up with your favorite 2 Rules writers and features by checking out all of our Sunday Summary posts.